Advice on purchasing a Zodiac

spearomurray · 11 March 2016, 06:49

Hi guys,
I'm looking into picking up my first inflatable. I'll be primarily using it as a dive boat with a few buddies. I found a 16' Zodiac with a Tohatsu 40 on the back. I think it's a 1981 MARK 2 out of hypalon, HIN is XDC-897-M81D. The seller is asking $2500 with the trailer. It looks to be in pretty good condition. I've attached a few photos for reference. Do you guys think this is worth it? I would appreciate any advice.

office888 · 11 March 2016, 13:13

Boat is worth about $300 - $500 by itself. How old is the outboard?

spearomurray · 11 March 2016, 20:57

Not sure - the owner doesn't know how many hours it has. He has mentioned it starts first pull, and he has had no problems with it. He has a few photos with the cover off. From what I can tell, no oil leaks, wiring all looks like new, and don't see any cracks in the hosing.

spearomurray · 17 March 2016, 03:08

Update: Just went to check the boat out. It is indeed hypalon. Structurally, the boat seems ok. Everything non-structural seems to be coming unglued. i.e., the tape along the sides of the boat that holds the line on. The stern plate is secure and sound, the floor is ok. The black rubber tape along the seam that runs the perimeter of the boat is run with small cracks. Most of the Zodiac stickers are cracked and peeling off. However, all the seams running the diameter of the tube show no signs of coming unglued. The hypalon material itself did not appear to have any cracks. The motor started up second pull. I got the guy down to 1500, but walked out. Do you think it would be worth heading back?

tworotorturbo · 17 March 2016, 06:01

Where do you live? I look on CL all the time in my area and Sibs in that size are a little rare compared to the 12-14' ones. I couldn't see the pics but its only $1500 so it sounds like a decent deal if the motor and trailer are in good shape.

office888 · 17 March 2016, 13:41

Quote:

Originally Posted by spearomurray

Update: Just went to check the boat out. It is indeed hypalon. Structurally, the boat seems ok. Everything non-structural seems to be coming unglued. i.e., the tape along the sides of the boat that holds the line on. The stern plate is secure and sound, the floor is ok. The black rubber tape along the seam that runs the perimeter of the boat is run with small cracks. Most of the Zodiac stickers are cracked and peeling off. However, all the seams running the diameter of the tube show no signs of coming unglued. The hypalon material itself did not appear to have any cracks. The motor started up second pull. I got the guy down to 1500, but walked out. Do you think it would be worth heading back?

The boat is 35 years old.

I would expect some issues.

Do the baffles isolate the chambers properly? Is the bottom of the transom soft?

If not, $1500 is probably fair...$1000 engine / $500 boat?

Squid Boat · 17 March 2016, 15:55

If what office say's checks out, I would pay 1500 for a boat, trailer and motor I could use for the summer. If the boat needs too much work to keep her alive for a couple years, you still have a trailer and motor to go with your next project. I have a Mark I sport boat from 1981 I bought new that I used on many adventures that only just needed a floor re glued. The boat was washed and stored out of the sun and still looks new, Zodiac builds a amazing product.

Cheers, Don