SIB seen on ebay, any good?

[MCL]

Seen this on ebay

zodiac rib and mercury 8hp outboard for sale | eBay

hoping to view it soon.

Owner states the following via email.

we bought the inflatable about 6 years ago and no we dont have a receipt for it as we bought it second hand its in immaculate condition no patches or leaks and we had it inflated for a full weekend about 2 month ago as we took it to the lakes to check it all out , the tank is 12 litres and has fuel hose to outboard and you have to mix fuel and oil yourself the outboard we had it all cleaned and serviced not sure what work was done it was too long ago now for me to remember but all i can say its all in excellent condition

Do you think it is priced well? I can't quite decide as the owner doesn't know how old it is.

I was going to obviously view the boat and check it over including the seams, compression test and see the motor running.

Any constructive comments or opinions would be appreciated!

[Tedskee]

Hi,


Not sure if the smaller Zodiac have the same info on the Serial Number plate as the larger Hulls, however if it does I believe its 2009.


Have a look at the following link
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct...241,bs.2,d.d2s


Apologies for the size... however should open up a PDF giving details on what the information refers to on the Plate. Hope this helps.

[MCL]

I looked up the same info myself today and pondered the same thing.

So any zodiac owners able to confirm if the last 2 digits on the serial number (09) correspond to the year of manufacture ?

or should there be an additional hull identification number somewhere?

[Tedskee]

Ops sorry.. done a bit more research and found this for you:


Cadet FR340 Acti-V


Westport Marina, Zodiac Model Numbers and Years,


I am way off, if info is correct its 2003, apologies for false info.

[Tedskee]

Originally Posted by MCL

I looked up the same info myself today and pondered the same thing.

So any zodiac owners able to confirm if the last 2 digits on the serial number (09) correspond to the year of manufacture ?

or should there be an additional hull identification number somewhere?

If you look at the first photo on ebay there appears to be another plate on the outside of the Stern, right side of the outboard plate, this may give a Serial Number.

[MCL]

fantastic, thats really useful info. thank you.

So any ideas with the above information if its well priced?

My understanding is a SIB is "typically" meant to last 10 - 15 years. I suppose this might be reaching the end of its usable lifespan!

[Max...]

It's a 2007 model. Price seems ok but depends what you're want to do with it, 8 hp is ok for rivers but will struggle at sea.

Regardless, you must view, examine, inspect, satisfy yourself as to the legitimacy of the vendor and see running (the engine) of *any* rig before committing a penny to it!

[MCL]

thanks max,

I though it was manufactured in 2003, after cross matching the serial number with this link

Westport Marina, Zodiac Model Numbers and Years,

Use will be on rivers/ calm waters with the wife and dog. and also on the sea on my own. I was ideally after 10 or 15hp 2 stroke.

If it all checked out and the motor was down on power after testing it, how much could I expect to get if I just sold the motor?

I agree that the best way to determine the value of any boat is to thoroughly inspect it but of course opinions of people in the know with the information I currently have is also invaluable.

[stevo]

looks a good price for that , if motor was sold on its own got to be worth at least 450 if it all looks good i would take a punt on that outfit.

[jeffstevens763@g]

a new boat on its own 1300 - 1400 look at Ron hale marine activ 325 & 350 for prices new.got to be worth 700 if engine runs OK and no patches on the boat

[MCL]

thanks everyone, the advice is much appreciated.

I have organized a viewing so hopefully will be able to report back in the future with positive news after a thorough inspection of the boat and motor.

[stray]

Ask the seller for the HIN (hull identification number) it's on the thin metal strip on the back of the transom. the last 2 numbers are the year of manufacture.

It'll look something like this;



Last 2 numbers are the year of manufacture.

More info here.

I think they stopped making the Fastrollers with the pointy cones around 2005.

[Searider]

Originally Posted by stray

Ask the seller for the HIN (hull identification number) it's on the thin metal strip on the back of the transom. the last 2 numbers are the year of manufacture.

Last 2 numbers are the year of manufacture.

More info here.

That information on boatsafe is only for boats built in the USA and not sold into Europe.

From 1998 the Hull Identification Number (HIN), now Craft Identification Number (CIN) is formatted as follows and detailed in an ISO Standard for international use:


AA BBB CCCCC DE FG

AA = Country code for example FR for France
BBB = manufacturers code
CCCCC = anything the manufacturer wants to put
D = month of manufacture ie A=Jan, B=Feb, C=March etc
E = year of manufacture
FG = model year

Often the model year will be a year later than the build year if the boat is built after about June or July.

[Fenlander]

I've had as couple of these 340s and several examples of the very similar 10/15hp engines. Very light SIB and very easy to set up/pack away. I would say as long as they are in at least fair/good condition the boat and engine would sell for £450-£500 each next spring so the current price is very fair. In fact in the peak season I've seen very clean examples of this engine sell for £600+.

I'd really want to see the engine started from cold & running plus see the boat fully pumped up (just a little odd not to inflate the floor in the sales image). Check all the seams where the floor joins the tubes and around the transom as these can peel away.

There were two versions of this boat around the early 2000s. One had a high pressure floor with a "hole" in it where you inflated a lower pressure keel through a valve. The later one was called an Acti-V where the keel was a high pressure type connected to the floor with a hose and all inflated through one valve, The data plate says this SIB should be an Acti-V. On these the hose that connects floor to keel the is prone to leaking with age due to distortion of the bosses or relaxing clamps. A replacement is around £30 and easily fitted.

I wouldn't worry about the odd patch at this age/price... as long as they are fairly neat and not peeling away at the edges.

[Max...]

My mistake earlier stating a 2007 - as someone posted above the Zodiacs have a separate short metal serial number with the date year at the end.

[MCL]

fenlander,

thank you, I hadn't even considered why the floor wasn't inflated in the sales photo! Although the description does state "it has a inflatable floor which is solid when inflated"

I certainly feel much better equipped to go and view it now. Can anyone tell me what I should expect from the compression test. I was going to walk away if it was any less than 100 psi for either cylinder or more importantly a variance of 5% or more between the two cylinders.

[MCL]

well the listing has just ended and someone has brought a boat unseen.

good luck to them... hopefully it isn't a bag of nails.

Back to the drawing board.. good things come to those who wait, fingers crossed for a 2 stroke 15hp tohatsu package

[Fenlander]

In truth at that price I would have bought unseen... with the ultimate option of walking away "not as described".

Just bear in mind the Tohatsu is heavy for a 15hp compared with pretty well every other 2-stroke.

[jeffstevens763@g]

yep think you missed a good one there & as Fenlander says.