Zodiac 3.1 inflatable keel

[fastasfox]

Any one have one of these Zodiac Sibs with the inflatable keel?
Does the keel make that much difference with getting up on the plane. I have the 2.6m Zodiac with flat floor and It struggles to get up on the plane with two adults and a child in it.
What should I pay for a good used 3.1 @ 10-15 years old (I do know they can suffer with transom un-gluing but I fixed my 2,6 with no problem).
Thoughts please.
The zodiac is as per the one in the picture (thanks to NiagaraDiver on ribnet)

[jeffstevens763@g]

you need the keel inflated or the hull will be baggie and not perform a 3.1m with a 10hp on will plane i had a 3.1m zoom with a 15hp and it flew a new 3.1 is about £700 lots of secondhand ones on e-bay to get a price comparison.
i also had a honwave 2.5m with a 4hp would not plane 1 adult no experience with engine sizes in between 4-10

hope that helps

[fastasfox]

Originally Posted by jeffstevens763@g

you need the keel inflated or the hull will be baggie and not perform a 3.1m with a 10hp on will plane i had a 3.1m zoom with a 15hp and it flew a new 3.1 is about £700 lots of secondhand ones on e-bay to get a price comparison.
i also had a honwave 2.5m with a 4hp would not plane 1 adult no experience with engine sizes in between 4-10

hope that helps

Would £700 be for a new Zodiac?...seems cheap. or do you mean a 3.1 Chinese craft? Thanks Ps I overwork my 2.6m Zodiac with a 7.5hp mercury 2 stroke so I`am hoping the OB will suit the 3.1 much better. Ta.

[jeffstevens763@g]

look on ron hale marine or barnet marine i got mine from a guy at chesterfield zodiac dealer £695.00 you will proberbly fined the cheap zodiacs are made in china anyway

[Max...]

You might struggle with a 7hp and might need a 9.8 to plane more comfortably with two adults and a child irrespective of flat bottom or slightly less flat air keel - all depends on weight of course - are the adults 20 st together or 30 st etc?

Check the sticky above for info but look at around £400 - £600 going rate for a nice used big brand 3.2/3.4 SIB secondhand on eBay.

Best advice is to sell what you have and buy the below:

http://www.rib.net/forum/f21/honwave...age-67573.html

If that is still available it's one of the best deals I've ever seen on Ribnet. Engine is worth £1100/£1200, trailer £250/£300, wheels £100, boat £600 etc.

[Mikefule]

On a previous boat, I lost the keel. I tried using the boat without. It was slower, but the more serious problem was that in rough water the floor could flex so much that sometimes one floor board would slip and slide under the next one. The keel is not just about speed, it is a structural part.

[SpearRib]

Ive had a 3.1 cadet SIB. Of course an inflatable keel makes a difference, why would they put them in most SIBs if it didnt :-)

Of course it depends on what you are going to power it with, if powering with a 3.5hp, no prob not much difference outside of handling chop a little better, but it will help an appropriate size engine plane a bit better (but nothing compared to a RIB).

I have popped my valve in big chop and its very bang bang without the keel.

Just dont expect too much from a PVC 10ft SIB. Especially a 10-15yr old one.

[Ronaldj]

You never said what you plan to use the boat for

I would not buy a 10 to 15 year old PVC boat.
You have no idea how the seams or transom is going to hold up.
Also these boats were built for 2 stroke outboards.
As to the keel.
Zodiac has two types of keels.
They have a regular low pressure keel
They have a high pressure keel that usually is attached to a high pressure air floor
There is a huge difference between the low pressure keel and the high pressure keel.
The high pressure keel is necessary if you plan on going to through any kind of chop