My New SIB is 17 months old stock - Is this a concern or of little relevance?

[Jung at Heart]

Hi, I've just bought a new Zodiac cadet Aero which was delivered yesterday, it appears from the box that it was made in October 2021, should I care that it's almost a year and half old or is it of little relevance other than I'd have liked a boat made this year?

Presumably stock of this age reflects a lack of interest in the Zodiac cadet range from this particular dealer / more generally. When I bought a Honwave new, the boat delivered was from their current year which I suspect is because they they are so popular.

I'm grateful for any relevant thoughts on this please?

[chipko]

Agree, disappointing but probably not detrimental in the long term as assuming no model changes and warranty commences on purchase date.

Not unusual to purchase a boat early in the year and manufactured in previous year, but at two years prior would expect at least a heads up from the dealer and some form of discount.

Otherwise no issues except when sale time comes the HIN plate will indicate it’s a 2021 boat.

[Jung at Heart]

@chipko Thank you for your helpful reply. It's all in order regards the warranty start date, just as you say disappointing that the dealer didn't choose to let me know it was old stock

I shall see if there are any changes since late 2021 before opening the box although is suspect it's all pretty standard as the design has been about for a long time.
Thanks again for taking the time to reply.

[Steve509926]

Personally, if you haven't already opened the box, I wouldnt. I would have a word with the retailer about some sort of discount. As chipko has stated, it will say 21 on the HIN plate, which automatically makes it cheaper/less desirable than a 23 on the used market. Even if you don't intend to sell it in a few years time, it's the principle that would annoy me.
Not sure about the "life" of the glue, will it be shorter? Also, will the pvc be affected by being tightly packed away for 18mths,? thinking creases and cracks.

[Jung at Heart]

@Steve509926 Thanks you, That's helpful.

The box is still sealed, I've now emailed the supplier explaining my disappointment and asking if they have a current year model in stock. They have been helpful during the purchase, fingers crossed they have the courtesy to respond helpfully now.

I paid with PayPal and understand I can use them to effect a return and refund if necessary, the distance selling regs give 14 days to return items for no reason at all I believe.

The Zodiac is relatively expensive and I would like it to be right rather than discounted.

Thanks again Steve, much appreciated.

[Jung at Heart]

Have had a response from the dealer and it turns out that Barrus only have stock of 2021 Zodiac Cadet 350's in the UK and have haven't got anything newer on order as they are overstocked with the 2021 boats, so that's the newest the dealers can offer in the UK at the moment.

Unfortunately when i inflated the boat the port and bow tubes inflated and deflated at the same time which I expect means the baffles are damaged so i'm having to send the boat back anyway! Very disspointing for me and the dealer who, to be fair, has been very decent so far. Hopefully they will make the exchange / return straightforward.

The boat is a lovely size internally for the weight, it seems to made reasonably although there are numeorous small manufacturing defects that I would have overlooked had the baffles not been an issue.

[Steve509926]

Hopefully an exchange shouldn't be a problem, especially if they have so many.
I would ask the question about extending the warranty beyond the 2 years upto 5 years foc. Although the tubes are welded there will be some parts which will have been glued. As I previously mentioned, does long term storage the way the manufacturers tightly pack a new SIB, have any affect?

[Jung at Heart]

Thanks Steve, On reflection I think I may go for another manufacturer as there were several small quality control issues in addition to the major issue of the baffles failing.

The dealer contacted me this morning saying that the manufacturer has requested photographs of the faults, other than minor defects which are visible it's not possible to show the baffles not working. My guess is that they may be trying to get it picked up by the supplier and need evidence of defects for that to happen.

I'm hoping there will be no delay as the boxed boat is in my house at the moment and it's huge.

[paintman]

Don't forget that your contract is with the dealer your boat was bought from, not the manufacturer so it's down to them to replace/refund.

I presume this was an all online/mail order purchase & you didn't go to the dealer?
If so then, as you have said, distance selling regulations should apply & you can reject for a full refund within the first 14 days without giving a reason.
www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds
That would be your best option.

[Jung at Heart]

Thanks Paintman, the link will come in handy if the seller ignores their obligations.

I have written outlining the faults and asked for the boat to be collected on the basis it is not fit for purpose or of adequate quality.

The dealer has today to sort out collection before I ramp things up, they haven't been obstructive so far although I did feel that the request for photographs for the manufacturer could be the start of some sort of delaying process, I cooperated because I had already taken the photographs for my own records.

Agreed, the problem is the dealers, if they aren't straightforward I shall remind them of their responsibilities and if necessary chargeback the cost as I used a 0% deferred credit with PayPal to buy the boat in case of issues.

Hopefully they will offer an apology and do the right thing as a boat with the baffles not working is not fit for purpose.

Cheers.

[cgoing]

Originally Posted by Jung at Heart

Thanks Paintman, the link will come in handy if the seller ignores their obligations.

I have written outlining the faults and asked for the boat to be collected on the basis it is not fit for purpose or of adequate quality.

The dealer has today to sort out collection before I ramp things up, they haven't been obstructive so far although I did feel that the request for photographs for the manufacturer could be the start of some sort of delaying process, I cooperated because I had already taken the photographs for my own records.

Agreed, the problem is the dealers, if they aren't straightforward I shall remind them of their responsibilities and if necessary chargeback the cost as I used a 0% deferred credit with PayPal to buy the boat in case of issues.

Hopefully they will offer an apology and do the right thing as a boat with the baffles not working is not fit for purpose.

Cheers.

Some thing to keep in mind is that there are thousands of inflatable‘s that have been stuck in transit from all the manufacturers due to the “pandemic”. Certainly not saying they shouldn’t have told you that it was a 21 but that is something to keep in mind. Some of my suppliers have been delivering me new product that has 21s and 22s but I am completely upfront with all of my customers about the year of manufacture. I will say from the service/dealer standpoint, asking for pictures is common place in the industry.

One thing you may consider doing, would be to inflate any of the chambers on their own without inflating the other chambers. If you inflate a solo chamber, and nothing else inflates, it’s just movement or inverting the baffle. This always seems to be a point of confusion for many people. Not saying that is the case with your boat. Just something to try.

[Blankton]

Originally Posted by cgoing

Some thing to keep in mind is that there are thousands of inflatable‘s that have been stuck in transit from all the manufacturers due to the “pandemic”. Certainly not saying they shouldn’t have told you that it was a 21 but that is something to keep in mind. Some of my suppliers have been delivering me new product that has 21s and 22s but I am completely upfront with all of my customers about the year of manufacture. I will say from the service/dealer standpoint, asking for pictures is common place in the industry.

One thing you may consider doing, would be to inflate any of the chambers on their own without inflating the other chambers. If you inflate a solo chamber, and nothing else inflates, it’s just movement or inverting the baffle. This always seems to be a point of confusion for many people. Not saying that is the case with your boat. Just something to try.

I would second this. I had a boat where I though the baffle had gone (a pvc zodiac) and they were just inverting in the tube. If I always inflated in the same sequence it didn't happen.

[Fenlander]

Yes no disrespect to JaH I wondered this as well. Often there can be a fair fill of an adj section just from baffle movement.

However assuming the baffle is faulty then yes chuck it back to the retailer.

If the baffle turned out to be OK I'd still be looking for a concession for a 17mth old new SIB unless it had been stated and I'd agreed to it. When I bought my Zodiac/Bombard from a main dealer in 2015 it was a 2014 build and had been out of the box once in the dealers. For that I had a £400 discount from retail.

Sadly Zodiac post 2014 financial woes and takeover are not the company there were decades ago. In fact they were having issues back around 2010 when I bought two new Aero models and both were faulty and returned. My current 2014 is fine now but the air floor as delivered didn't fit and had to be replaced.

Shame.

Were I looking for a similar SIB I'd be heading over to Boatworld with loads of choice, friendly customer service and £500+ saving.

[Jung at Heart]

Originally Posted by cgoing

One thing you may consider doing, would be to inflate any of the chambers on their own without inflating the other chambers. If you inflate a solo chamber, and nothing else inflates, it’s just movement or inverting the baffle. This always seems to be a point of confusion for many people. Not saying that is the case with your boat. Just something to try.

@cgoing Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge, it's possible that is what's happened although I cannot check now as the boat is all packed away ina sealed box awaiting collection.


I feel justified in returning it either way as the hull was scuffed, one of the seams on the bow tube was coming away slightly, there were some small defects on the hull rubbijng strake and a blob of glue below one of the tubes which worried me.



The process i used to inflate the tubes was as follows:


Initially 50% ish to the bow and then the same to port and starboard which all seemed fine, when I then topped up from the bow it began to inflate the port at the same rate and the starboard possible just a small amount.


When i deflated I started at the bow and the port deflated at the sametime through the valve in the bow.


My presumption was a fault with baffles, it could easily be ignorance on my part. Can i please check that i've understood correctly, if i inflate each section on their own and there is no movement of air between the sections that means the baffles are fine and if they are partially inflated and ir moves they baffles are inverted?



If they are inverted do they rectify themselves? I'm just thinking of i'm out on the water and a tube deflates will the other sectuons stay up in the scenario I mentioned? Excuse my very long way of asking this question.

[chipko]

You may certainly have a problem with the baffles but please be aware the adjacent tube will increase in pressure slightly as the baffles set.

Zodiac recommend inflating in stages starting with bow to set the orientation of the baffles (cone shaped pointing rearward).

Not uncommon for the side sponsons to increase in pressure slightly as you top up the bow section. Also if you puncture bow (or even deflate first) the side sponsons will reduce in pressure as the baffle orientation reverses. This is not necessarily a leak.

[Jung at Heart]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Were I looking for a similar SIB I'd be heading over to Boatworld with loads of choice, friendly customer service and £500+ saving.

@Fenlander Thanks for your reply, helpful as always.



My rational for the Zodiac is the overall weight relative to the useable flat floor area. I wanted a boat that has a flat rather than V internal floor to give space for lounging when we take it down to Spain this year.


I've had numerous health issues and am no longer fit for lugging a large outboard which discounted many SIBS as I think I can use a 9.8 4 stroke on the Zodiac and stand a chance of getting up on the plane with two adults and two small kids, although i'm just going to potter about next to the beach so if i'm wrong and it doesn't get above displacement speeds I shall probably downsize further and get a smaller outboard to lighten the load.


The zodiac was a lot of money versus other similar SIBS, I just couldn't see much to match the weight and packing size when it came to useable floor space and I did get a discount which made it less painful.


I have a RIB which I towed to the Costa Brava last year, highly recommended, however, I can't take it this year as we sold our campervan and bought a ridiculously large tent which will have to be carried in a trailer along with the SIB because after last year I wouldn't want to be there without some way of getting out on the water.

[Jung at Heart]

@chipko Thank you, your post gives me useful clarity. If it's my lack of knowledge rather than a fault with the boat hopefully I won't make the mistake again . Much appreciated.

[Blankton]

Found the thread from when I had this issue.....

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/totall...led-84061.html

[Jung at Heart]

Originally Posted by Blankton

Found the thread from when I had this issue.....

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/totall...led-84061.html

Thanks @Blankton I read the thread and was surprised to find out that your SIB only had two chambers in the tubes, I've checked the spec of the Zodiac SIB that I just bought and it has three which is ressuring as Ibegan thinhking I had misread the spec when deciding which SIB to buy.


My sense at this point is that on my zodiac it's 50/50 as to whether the baffles are inverted rather not working effectively for some reason, I'm interested to see how the replacement performs in comparrison.


I find the issue confusing and am still not sure I can discrimminate between what is an inverted baffle versus a faulty one.


All the best.

[Blankton]

Originally Posted by Jung at Heart

I find the issue confusing and am still not sure I can discrimminate between what is an inverted baffle versus a faulty one.


All the best.

If it's the baffle inverting, you will loose a set amount of air, but then no more. If the baffle has failed, you would keep loosing air.
I would pump up the front section, not hard, just enough to give it some shape, but leave the valves completely off the tube sections. Then leave the boat for an hour. If the baffles were shot the bow section would go flat, loosing its air out through the tubes.