Thinking of buying a boat.

[Rollout]

Thinking of buying a Zodiac- any feedback?

I have a colleague selling a 14' Inflatable Zodiac (w/h 18 hp 2 stroke engine) that I was thinking about buying. I would just be using this to take out freediving and exploring (southern California), and maybe do a little fishing.

I just wanted to hear any feedback, positive or negative, that any of you have regarding experience with Zodiacs.

Cheers.

 

[foxfish]

Zodiacs are about as good as they get for inflatables, but a 2 stroke would not be my choice however the Tohatsu range is reliable.

 

[quasimoto]

i would go for it!

my friend has a zodiac zoom 340 (about 12 feet), and i have taken it out freediving plenty of times, its good to get to the hard to reach spots on the coast, and if you can get it to any of the channel islands its great for exploring.

they dont have a ton of room, but are worth it for what you pay.

 

[watts]

I bought a Zodiac 3.8m virage which is the futura now. Its a great first boat for me and the family. Its got a 40hp on the back so it really moves along with not much weight on board. It isnt the best boat in rough seas though unless your keen for some big bumps. Inflatables do require some care though and its best learning how to repair holes and things yourself as repairs arnt that cheap. Heres some pics.

Nat

 

[ADR]

...So that's how you clean the boat from all the cowebs it gathers in the driveway:head

 

[Rollout]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

The engine is actually a Tohatsu, and he says that he can get it on a plane no problem, but its a pretty rough ride when there is a significant bump on the water.

Watts,
How difficult is it to repair a hole? Is it similar to patching an inner tube, or more like plugging a tire?

I'm leaning more and more toward buying it. Maybe I'll have him take me out in it first.

 

[Peter P]

Well if your're thinking about bying a boat just makes me wanna give you my idea...

I had the idea of getting a zodiac aswell, but I came across a pontoon-boat!
Go to Apex Marine and see.
some might say that it is not suitable for going to sea, but I have been using it for a few years here in Denmark and have found out that those days where I wouldn't take the Gillgetter to sea - I would defenately not take ANY boat to sea.
The Gillgetter is very stablile, has a nice platform where you can walk around throw your gear ;-) and my boat which is similar to the Mod 615 will take 3 people and still be very manouverable. The bigger versions (7...) will easily fit 6-8 people with gear.
I have a 20 hp 2-stroke that will make it go max 17-18 knots.

In case that you want to try out sledge diving it is easy to build a crane to fit to the boat!

I don't understand why these boats are not more popular, since I have enjoyed mine SO much.

Best regards...

Peter P

 

[Rollout]

Thats pretty interesting. I think I would be a little hesitant to take a pontoon boat out into the pacific ocean, but if it works for you...how rough do the seas get where you live?

 

[GreekDiver]

Buy a used boston whaler. You can beat the shit out of it and it will be fine. I had a 13' and 15'. They also float extremely well and dont sink. You can buy a used one for about $750 to 1,200. Power it with a small 4 stroke (30-25 hp) and you got yourself an awesome small boat.

 

[Peter P]

Well the sea doesn't get Atlantic-rough in Denmark, but the conditions can easily get so that noone would like to go out.
I put it this way...
In case that the sea is too rough for my boat -I would not be freediving anyway!
And I give up WAY before the boat ;-)

Remember again that my boat is one of the smaller versions. If you get a 7-series (wich I highly recommend!!!) You can get into conditions that are VERY bad and still be safe.
-And because of the better bouyancy of the bigger pontoons on the 7-series you don't need that much of an engine. I would say that 20hp is enough for the sea and 10-15 on a lake!

Peter P