Opinions on JP Marine?

ajrunke · 09 August 2011, 18:35

Hi all,

I just ordered this boat:

JP Marine 430 (14'0") Patrol Series Inflatable Boat

and was curious if anyone had any experience with them. They have a brick and mortar building located in California. The tubes are 1.5mm thick and have a double layer (3 mm) for the bottoms of the tubes. The tubes are Korean PVC, but it is assembled in the U.S. I will be getting it this week so I may post some photos, but in the mean time, I was wondering if anyone has knowledge of JP Marine.

Also, do you guys allow your dogs in your inflatables? I have two 85 lb dogs that I'd love to take fishing/camping with my girlfriend and I, but I'm worried about their claws damaging the tubes. I've never owned an inflatable before, so I don't know the durability of them.

Thanks !!

achilles2011 · 10 August 2011, 02:55

Nice looking boat- construction seems quite heavy duty. There is another owner of a new JP Marine over on iboats that has reported on his experience- sounds very good
My New 12.5 Ft. SIB w/ Pictures!

ajrunke · 10 August 2011, 04:08

Thank you. I appreciate the link! But I've already been there and read that thread! I was just hoping for more opinions over in these forums since they're more active. My boat did come today and it took me forever to set up. 2 hours. It seems like it's good quality. I'll post some pics in the next few days. So much for thinking I can pack it up and toss in my vehicle. I'm already looking at trailers!!

Pack Rat · 10 August 2011, 14:57

I run around 3 hours set up with mine ajrunke. Oh...and you'll never get it as small as it came out of the box.

Dino89 · 10 August 2011, 16:07

looks really nice. shame about setup time, sort of defeats the object of having a sib!

SDDiver5 · 10 August 2011, 16:11

Damn fine looking SIB. When I first started looking at SIB's I checked JP Marine out and they seemed pretty rad. Just a bit Pricey. Enjoy it!

D

ajrunke · 10 August 2011, 18:47

They are pricey, but I got a great deal. I went through their ebay listings and they have a Best Offer option. I used that and got a substantially reduced price. They don't come with oar locks but I requested some and they charged $100 for them with the oars. I have it inflated in the garage and it held air overnight. It was as firm as when I first pumped it up (as it should be).

(I promise I'll get pics soon!)

theboysmiffy · 10 August 2011, 18:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pack Rat

I run around 3 hours set up with mine ajrunke. Oh...and you'll never get it as small as it came out of the box.

That seems a very long time! we take about 30 minutes max to assemble a mkII Zodiac with wooden floor.

ribraff · 10 August 2011, 20:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pack Rat

I run around 3 hours set up with mine ajrunke. Oh...and you'll never get it as small as it came out of the box.

Use a Vacum cleaner to suck the air out.... surely everyone's got one in their back pocket!

ajrunke · 11 August 2011, 03:12

Some shots of the new boat! Now I just need a trailer!!

thornbackflound · 11 August 2011, 14:59

very nice,nice heavy duty as well,so should last

Pack Rat · 11 August 2011, 23:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by theboysmiffy

That seems a very long time! we take about 30 minutes max to assemble a mkII Zodiac with wooden floor.

I know...I had the Mark II Compact too with wooden floor 30 years ago and it didn't seem to take more than an hour. Perhaps the problem is it was a lean and mean 25 year old setting it up back then?

Hey ajrunke what engine are you going with? I have to use a scissor lift table with my bad back. Just can't manhandle 160 pounds anymore.

ajrunke · 12 August 2011, 03:21

I am actually going to use an electric trolling motor until I can save up for an outboard. The 14ft is rated up to a 40 hp, but I don't want to go any higher than 30hp since the weight on the transom bothers me. I fear that the bouncing weight of a big engine will speed up the process of splitting the transom from the tubes.

I've also given up and realized I have been vanquished. I'm getting a trailer. Being 26, lean and mean, I thought I could man handle the boat with my girlfriend/friends, but it's not possible. They say it weight 253 lb, but I swear it's more than that.

I also have some home made transom wheels that I am welding tomorrow. I'll get some pics posted. It's nothing special to look at, but it will be rugged as each tire supports 300 lbs and I used thick, steel framing.

Pack Rat · 12 August 2011, 11:06

If you could find a used 40 HP 2 stoke it will weigh about what the 30 HP 4 strokes do I think. My Mariner 28 HP was 98 pounds and I literally carried it one handed downed to the water and put it on. Not so today with the top heavy 160 pound 4 stroke I have.

A 30 hp will be plenty of muscle for the 14.5 footer. They'e running around $3700.00 US I see. When you do look for an engine check out JP Marine again on ebay. I was surprised to find a Mercury 25 HP 4 stroke EFI through them for under 3K with free shipping. They really did beat everybody else out on price.

I looked hard at transom wheels too, almost bought the "BeachMaster" set out of New Zealand Boat Wheels, Inflatable Boat, Inflatable Boat Wheels, Beach Wheels, launching Wheels, Boat Launching Wheels, Dinghy Wheels, Transom Wheels - BEACHMASTER Boat Wheels, Dinghy Wheels and still might...but I made a poor man's dollie which set me back about $100.00 I guess.

Here's a Youtube video of my dollies guys/gals:

P6040004.AVI - YouTube

Cliff Monson · 12 June 2015, 23:08

I purchased a brand new JP Marine 12' patrol series from JP Marine in San Diego a little over 3 years ago. It only has about 6 hours of use on it and has been stored semi deflated in my garage, never left outside. I went to use it the other day and after inflating to the proper psi the front 2 seams on the tube failed simultaneously. Upon inspection I found that the glue holding the seams together had failed and could easily be pulled apart. The warranty says 5 years for all air holding fabrics. I called JP Marine and they said that they were bought by another company and their new name is now Inmar and instead of JP Marine they are now JC Marine. The website looks pretty much the same and they are still in SanDiego. They said they would not send a replacement however I could buy a new boat for $1500 ($2495 new) plus about $400 in freight. In my view they are not standing behind the warranty. When I told them I will post my experience online they threatened to sue me if I did. I say bring it on. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this so I am posting my experience. I would never buy from a company that does not stand behind their warranty.

Cliff Monson · 12 June 2015, 23:10

Looks just like the boat I'm stuck with. I purchased a brand new JP Marine 12' patrol series from JP Marine in San Diego a little over 3 years ago. It only has about 6 hours of use on it and has been stored semi deflated in my garage, never left outside. I went to use it the other day and after inflating to the proper psi the front 2 seams on the tube failed simultaneously. Upon inspection I found that the glue holding the seams together had failed and could easily be pulled apart. The warranty says 5 years for all air holding fabrics. I called JP Marine and they said that they were bought by another company and their new name is now Inmar and instead of JP Marine they are now JC Marine. The website looks pretty much the same and they are still in SanDiego. They said they would not send a replacement however I could buy a new boat for $1500 ($2495 new) plus about $400 in freight. In my view they are not standing behind the warranty. When I told them I will post my experience online they threatened to sue me if I did. I say bring it on. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this so I am posting my experience. I would never buy from a company that does not stand behind their warranty.

cgoing · 13 June 2015, 01:59

I saw one at a show a few weeks back. They tried telling me it was Hypalon and welded construction. I told them that I thought only PVC could be welded and they told me they had a special method to weld hypalon. Having worked on inflatables for 25 years plus it was very obvious the guy had no clue what he was talking about.
From my experience the particular boat I saw had shoddy construction. The seams were not straight on the bottom, rather wavy and the boat was not a heavy duty as the salesman was claiming.

paintman · 14 June 2015, 00:45

Sometimes over here a company will go bust then start up again under a slightly different name.
If it was a limited company you then have no comeback against the 'new' company in respect of what you bought from the old one & you can only sue the old one which is a pointless exercise.
Does a similar thing happen over there?

Cliff Monson · 14 June 2015, 21:44

When you buy a company with all of its assets you also inherit its liabilities and responsibilities. I wonder if they merely changed their name in order to avoid all of the warranty claims and liabilities

office888 · 16 June 2015, 16:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cliff Monson

Looks just like the boat I'm stuck with. I purchased a brand new JP Marine 12' patrol series from JP Marine in San Diego a little over 3 years ago. It only has about 6 hours of use on it and has been stored semi deflated in my garage, never left outside. I went to use it the other day and after inflating to the proper psi the front 2 seams on the tube failed simultaneously. Upon inspection I found that the glue holding the seams together had failed and could easily be pulled apart. The warranty says 5 years for all air holding fabrics. I called JP Marine and they said that they were bought by another company and their new name is now Inmar and instead of JP Marine they are now JC Marine. The website looks pretty much the same and they are still in SanDiego. They said they would not send a replacement however I could buy a new boat for $1500 ($2495 new) plus about $400 in freight. In my view they are not standing behind the warranty. When I told them I will post my experience online they threatened to sue me if I did. I say bring it on. I don't want anyone else to have to go through this so I am posting my experience. I would never buy from a company that does not stand behind their warranty.

Yikes.

That's pretty standard in this industry. Most manufacturers do a 5 year warranty as a 3 year full + 2 year pro-rata. Although it is only legally enforceable if it is stated in the warranty paperwork. Most of the big names will work to produce a satisfied customer.

Post some pictures of your boat as it sits?

Was it stored deflated partially with the engine on it?