Portable 2-3 Person Boat - Page 2

office888 · 21 January 2015, 13:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by kestrel452

What would be a ballpark estimate of how much it'd cost to have a Futura re-glued by a pro after it starts pulling apart in 10 years?

10 to 14 hours to delaminate, clean, prep, refit, and reglue a transom.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyasaki

I don't think the Chinese rebadges really have the time in service to be ab;e to compare to the "classic" brands.

There's only a handful of Chinese inflatable boat producers. The major problem I've seen with off-brand boats is poorly bonded thermoplastic rubber-to-pvc. Also, cloth components (Strings, lifelines, seat retaining straps) have poor UV resistance and disintegrate in about 1-2 years.

Peter_C · 21 January 2015, 17:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by office888

10 to 14 hours to delaminate, clean, prep, refit, and reglue a transom.

I have close to 40 hours into removing the floor and transom of my boat. Even though I own plenty of power tools I choose to remove all the glue by hand (Did power sand the transom), so it took a lot of time getting everything spotless. Plus there were more than a few other items that needed fixing and service. If I did it again I am sure I could cut about 1/3 of my time and using power tools even more (Although if it were my own boat I would do all the prep by hand again).

jrzmotorcycle · 21 January 2015, 17:53

Hey Kestrel 452.....I think I have your boat problem COMPLETELY solved!!!! Ever heard of Sea bright inflatables out of Nova Scotia Canada??? This company has a great owner, thermobonded seams, top of the line materials, can get hypalon, OR PVC, ....will ship to United States reasonable. I should know... I have the 12 ft. 6 in. Boat (PVC), and never looked back. Has held up well for almost 3 seasons now. 5 year warranty. But the most important thing is......inside space right??? Well....compare all the other company's, and then look at Sea bright... No one has a 9 ft. Length, inside, and a 3 ft. 2 inch width inside.....in a 12 ft. 6 boat Anywhere!!!!!!! Call them up.... look at there website. You won't be disappointed. And you will save about $2000.00 over that Zodiac to boot. Good luck. Jrzmotorcycle.

kestrel452 · 21 January 2015, 17:54

Well I called up a whole bunch of the dealers on Zodiac's list top performing dealers, they pretty much told me the Futura is *not* a boat that lends itself to portability and urged me to look at the 360 Fastroller instead. I think that is sound advice and will save me $2500, pretty much settled on that now.

jrzmotorcycle · 21 January 2015, 18:03

Give Sea bright a look too. You won't be disappointed. Look at the length and width of the inside of each boat and compare. Most only have a 30 inch inside width. This is 38 inches. Makes a huge difference!!!! The inside length too. 9 ft. In a zodiac???? Not happening!!! You need all the inside room you can get in a inflate able boat....TRUST ME !!! Joe.

office888 · 21 January 2015, 18:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peter_C

I have close to 40 hours into removing the floor and transom of my boat. Even though I own plenty of power tools I choose to remove all the glue by hand (Did power sand the transom), so it took a lot of time getting everything spotless. Plus there were more than a few other items that needed fixing and service. If I did it again I am sure I could cut about 1/3 of my time and using power tools even more (Although if it were my own boat I would do all the prep by hand again).

I wouldn't doubt it. Every transom I've done has been a pain in the butt and required additional prep due to accumulated biofouling.

But, that would be "book hours" I listed. Actual vs billable is a whole different ball game.

philpot · 21 January 2015, 23:53

Interesting point regarding inflation / deflation after every outing causes stress to the joints. It is very rare for me to leave a boat inflated unless on holiday next to the lake of course but very pleased to say that I have never had any issues with seams.

Having no experience of this problem leaves me unable to make an informed comment but I would ask a question, if an inflatable boat is designed to be folded away after use and fits in the car boot, as many adverts have done over the years so with that in mind why would the seams fail.

I find this rather interesting.

Phil

kestrel452 · 22 January 2015, 00:25

The Seabright 380 air floor looks a little roomier than the Cadet 360, a little heavier though at 130lbs vs 97lbs for the Zodiac. How does the quality compare between the two? The Seabright is $700-800 cheaper which is nice.

weimed · 22 January 2015, 01:14

@philpot. I never had a seam problem. The only issue i had was glue failure around transom area including handles becoming unglued.

beerbelly · 22 January 2015, 08:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by philpot

Interesting point regarding inflation / deflation after every outing causes stress to the joints. It is very rare for me to leave a boat inflated unless on holiday next to the lake of course but very pleased to say that I have never had any issues with seams.

Having no experience of this problem leaves me unable to make an informed comment but I would ask a question, if an inflatable boat is designed to be folded away after use and fits in the car boot, as many adverts have done over the years so with that in mind why would the seams fail.

I find this rather interesting.

Phil

I find it worrying as the main reason I went from a hard hull to a sib is the portability

Chopperbill · 22 January 2015, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by kestrel452

Good to know about the Zodiac. I had a dealer tell me that the Saturn boats were just as good if not better quality than the Zodiacs he used to own/sell, which I was skeptical from the start about. I think what I'll do to make sure the air floor stays hole-free and clean is to cut a piece of marine grade carpet to go over, with some underhanging flaps that fit snugly around the edges and under the floor it to keep the carpet in place.

What I didn't notice at first is that the Futura actually takes 20" shaft motors, I've been seeing a lot more long shaft 20HP 2-strokes lying around on the internet than short shaft ones. I think 20HP is the upper limit of what someone can mount onto a transom by hand, Mercury Marine told me the same thing when I called to ask about that.

What would be a ballpark estimate of how much it'd cost to have a Futura re-glued by a pro after it starts pulling apart in 10 years?

Pic of my air floor covered with carpet. Laid the floor out over the carpet and cut it two inches more going around. Tuck it in around between tubes and floor before my final inflation. Never has come out. Makes the boat a lot more comfortable.

beerbelly · 22 January 2015, 16:38

I like that seat

kestrel452 · 22 January 2015, 16:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chopperbill

Pic of my air floor covered with carpet. Laid the floor out over the carpet and cut it two inches more going around. Tuck it in around between tubes and floor before my final inflation. Never has come out. Makes the boat a lot more comfortable.

[IMG]

^That is the *exact* same idea i had! That looks awesome. Happy to see it's an idea that actually works, there really needs to be something covering an air floor. Running it bare seems like asking for trouble.

office888 · 22 January 2015, 20:54

Quote:

Originally Posted by kestrel452

Well I called up a whole bunch of the dealers on Zodiac's list top performing dealers, they pretty much told me the Futura is *not* a boat that lends itself to portability and urged me to look at the 360 Fastroller instead. I think that is sound advice and will save me $2500, pretty much settled on that now.

The Zodiac Fastrollers are good. They're an all welded construction.

The only adhesive on the boat are the pac-man patches on the bottom corners of the transom, and where the floor material overwraps the bottom of the transom.

The only thing I can comment is yes, the air floors are one more thing to maintain...be sure to hit them with 303 protectant on a regular basis.

Also, buy an electric pump. I think I've only met two people who ever inflated their floors to the correct pressure.

philpot · 22 January 2015, 23:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by weimed

@philpot. I never had a seam problem. The only issue i had was glue failure around transom area including handles becoming unglued.

Sorry, I used the wrong term.

Phil

kestrel452 · 29 January 2015, 23:09

Does anyone have experience with the PVC Defender 380? It looks way better built and sportier than the 360 Fastroller. The only thing is it weighs 220lbs instead of 100lbs (slightly more than double the Zodiac).

I don't have a 20 or 25 HP motor to stick on the back, I just can't carry one around by hand each time I go to use the boat. Though I did find a very nice 2-stroke 15 horse Merc. Not sure how fast that will push 2 people along... How much less speed/performance should I expect out of the heavier Defender?

Defender 380, Aluminum Floor, 12' 6", Gray PVC, 2014

weimed · 29 January 2015, 23:49

If i am not mistaking, i believe that is a zodiac brand boat rebadged to defender. I read somewhere that alot of these inflatable companies use zodiac to build boats then rebadge them. Then again just something i read. I could be wrong

kestrel452 · 02 February 2015, 06:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by weimed

If i am not mistaking, i believe that is a zodiac brand boat rebadged to defender. I read somewhere that alot of these inflatable companies use zodiac to build boats then rebadge them. Then again just something i read. I could be wrong

After a little investigation i dont think that's the case. It's a Defender designed and built model. It's just too heavy for its size, and the reps over at Defender are way less helpful than the ones I've encountered at IBC and Annapolis anyway.

The Fish N Hunt 360S at IBC looks very enticing after checking it out again. Has me wondering what makes the air floor of the 360FR anywhere near worth the extra $1.3k. Maybe slightly more space up front because of the nose shape? Though the "sport" nose as the rep called it seems like it'd cut better through choppy waters than the wide Cadet nose. Only other options I see at this point besides those two is the 350 Zoom.

weimed · 02 February 2015, 13:27

I own the zoom 350. Used it for two years do far. The glue on the boats is very poor construction. I had to reglue the right side of the transom and the left side is peeling also. Also one of my valves are leaking (easy fix). Only thing i like about this boat is the wood floor. Makes it super solid to stand on. If i can go 2 years back i would buy something else. Something thats thermowelded instead of glued seams

office888 · 02 February 2015, 13:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by kestrel452

After a little investigation i dont think that's the case. It's a Defender designed and built model. It's just too heavy for its size, and the reps over at Defender are way less helpful than the ones I've encountered at IBC and Annapolis anyway.

The Fish N Hunt 360S at IBC looks very enticing after checking it out again. Has me wondering what makes the air floor of the 360FR anywhere near worth the extra $1.3k. Maybe slightly more space up front because of the nose shape? Though the "sport" nose as the rep called it seems like it'd cut better through choppy waters than the wide Cadet nose. Only other options I see at this point besides those two is the 350 Zoom.

Zoom = Made in China, glued construction
Fish N Hunt = Made in China, glued construction
Fastroller = Made in France, all welded construction except the pie cut patches on the transom corners and where the floor wraps over the transom wood.