how to inflate west marine dinghy

without the motor. They can slide fore and aft, but testers found it difficult to adjust them. The keel seemed to bite better than the Zodiac, allowing it to deliver a smoother ride. The slower leaks, called bleeds, were permeating through the material. It rows just fine as a flat bottom inflatable, yes it slides around a bit, but I can deal with that. I sanded the whole topsides with 80-grit sandpaper to remove some of the paint that had been applied years ago and was now loose. PS testers examined grab and carrying handles, oars, lifting rings, seating and storage, drain-plug design, and towing eyes. When it was inflated with a commercial compressor to the correct pressure, the leaks immediately began to bubble up. Enter your email address to be added to the waitlist. I ordered a quart of gray and a pint of blue for $70. I contacted Dan OConnell, owner of Inland Marine in Cape Coral, South Florida. (Testers got no help from the manual here.). Dan, I appreciate you sticking your neck out as a WM employee. Love the air floor . I also painted the Dolphin logo on the bow and the Caribe logo on each side, highlighting them with white paint. Location: Australian living on "Sea Life" currently in England. In a test of seven small roll-up boats with inflatable decks and keels, the Zodiac Cadet 310FR ACTI-V was the favorite. Most of this time its been in direct sunlight and/or hanging from my davits. All rights reserved. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); You have entered an incorrect email address! I decided to roll the paint over this large area with a 4-inch nylon roller. One bonus is the flat high-pressure floor, which makes it easier to keep your footing. After completing the restoration work, Roger launched the dinghy and rowed it to the stern of Britannia. I contacted Caribe Nautica, Doral, near Miami, Florida, and bought two blades for $61. The next step was to paint the whole of the topsides of the tubes. Ride quality was not as good as the West Marine boat. No matter what I end up doing, a cover will be a must, to prevent water if left in davits, and to prevent UV degradation if left upside down on the foredeck. It's never bothered me that my dinghy has a flat bottom. Belvoir Media Group, LLC. BTW, seven months of UV exposure isn't good for the dinghy. Get the repair adhesive from a discount supplier clean off the old adhesive and re-glue the floor. I do not have davits. The Fora platform includes forum software by XenForo, WEST MARINE PRU-3 Performance Roll-Up Inflatable Boat | West Marine, http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-ce-wood-floor-sportboat--14272462?recordNum=7, Help Rodd & his family Recover, organized by Jay Collins, Odyssey Air Roll-Up Yacht Tender | Walker Bay, Saturn SD260 portable and affordable inflatable dinghy motor boat from BoatsToGo.com, Page 3 of 4 for New and Used Inflatable and Rib Boats for sale on BoatTrader.com - BoatTrader.com, Zodiac Wood Floor 8' 6" Lt. Gray / Blue PVC, 2015, VerticalScope Inc., 111 Peter Street, Suite 600, Toronto, Ontario, M5V 2H1, Canada. That doesn't look like UV damage, but more like an adhesive failure, where the adhesive holding the bottom to the tubes has failed. The West Marine is longer than the Zodiac by a half-foot and narrower by 4 inches. (Local store has a couple in stock.) Excess liquid dries to a light film on the insides of the chambers, helping to prevent future porosity problems. Finally, we rowed each boat. For what it's worth we just got a West Marine. I bought a Zodiac Zoom 2006 on Craig's List.

The WM videos looked OK, but one spot where the guy was making a turn (1:55) made it obvious how the flat bottom slides sideways: Yet another reason for a cover for the dinghy is the rain. The entire bottom of the West boat is shaped like a V and permanently connected to its tubes. Furthermore, part of my calculations involve how long the dinghy will last forwhether I will have to buy a new one in 7 or so years when I move to a bigger boat and full-time cruising or whether I can hope that the whatever I purchase now will still serve me then. Because the West Marine HP-V 350s deck is integral to the V-shaped hull it is slanted. I went to WestMarine this afternoon to see the PRU-3, since their website said they had two in stock. The West Marines seat must be installed when the boat is partially inflated, but the attachment seems more solid than the Zodiacs. The oars can be feathered, and they slide inboard and outboard, giving the rower better control of the boat. I wasnt optimistic; used RIBs usually sell for more than that, so I was pleasantly surprised to receive a reply from a fellow named Chris. I just row it.

Inflatable Boat Sealant, topside paint: Inland Marine in Cape Coral, FL www.inlandmarine.us, Scoprega Bravo 7M Foot Pump: Defender, #454219 www.defender.com, Halkey-Roberts latching adaptor: www.amazon.com, Scupper drain: West Marine, #1930353 www.westmarine.com. Furthermore, part of my calculations involve how long the dinghy will last forwhether I will have to buy a new one in 7 or so years when I move to a bigger boat and full-time cruising or whether I can hope that the whatever I, We recently (18 months now) bought a west marine folding transom dinghy (compact. BTW, seven months of UV exposure isn't good for the dinghy. Sailing Nervous "episode #60 our little dinghy" is the title. Not everyone has indoor storage for their dinghy most set them on davits or on the hard on top. No warranty and no one would repair it. The boats integral air floor/keel are removable. Theres also a vinyl bow bag, which a more intelligent life form should be able to install. Roger has documented more projects on his website: schooner-britannia.com. If you are going to frequently inflate and deflate the boat, wed suggest investing in a regulated, high-pressure pump with pressure gauge. I would not drag it on the shoreline because of the fabric floor. I have had it for over 5 years and it is still going strong. IT weighs 56 pounds which is about as much as I can lift over the lifelines alone. West Marine and Zodiac V-bottom Inflatable Dinghies Put to the Test. I was wondering if Dan or anyone else would mind answering a few questions about the SB-275. And I wanted one made of Hypalon because it is more resistant to sunlight and abrasion than the less- expensive alternative, PVC. We just got back from our 5 day trip. It's not "enjoyable" to row, I use a Honda 2 hp and remove it when towing. . The blades of Caribe oars clip to the shafts with a spring-loaded button, but they were missing. It's firm to step one, stiffens the whole boat, and allows for an inflatable keel which improves rowing and tracking under power. A thick, abrasion-resistant fabric protects the hull bottom, but if it or the floor is punctured, repair can be expensive or impractical. Larger tubes generally mean a drier boat, and the Zodiac tubes are 2 inches larger in diameter than those on the West Marine, but the latters tube are higher at the bow, which helps deflect spray.

Roger Hughes has been sailing for nearly half a century as a professional captain, charterer, restorer, and happy imbiber on a lot of boats. Both boats are a pain to inflate using the manufacturer-provided manual air pumps (particularly the Zodiac), in our opinion. Testing was done in two stages.

After a local inflatable-boat shop fitted patches (visible by their paler color) on the bigger leaks, and Roger made other repairs, he painted the dinghy with a special topside paint and highlighted the rubbing strake in blue to match the hull color of his Down East 45 schooner, Britannia. Five Years, One Year Parts and Accessories, Two Years Floor Attachment and Fiberglass Hulls of RIBs, Three Years Transom, Inflatable Boat Cover, 113"-124" L, 60" Beam Width. Cover is the key. Most notably, the bow rise upon acceleration from a dead stop was not as severe as the Zodiacs. In fact we use it all the time. I then emailed a couple of pictures to Dan, who suggested I should just paint the boat with their topside paint, which is available in seven colors. I bought this dingy in March of '16 for use during summer cruise. . The keel, higher and thinner, forms a deep-V, similar to the shape of the semi-rigid boats.. It happened to my Zodiac, which was repaired under warranty. There's some decent deals on Defender like this one.

The author reveals his own frustration and unravels the mystery for us all. It's still under warranty, and they will help you deal with it, or replace it if seams are leaking. We're not full-time cruisers, so our dinghy usage is fairly light, typically one "big" (well, big for us) trip per summer, as we just returned from, and several short/overnighters as well. The boat also tracked and turned well. Talk to the Manager or Assistant Manager at the store. I began by masking all around the rubbing strake, then gave the strake two coats of blue, using a throwaway brush. I plan on rolling it up ant re-inflating it when we get there.

I then ordered a dinghy foot pump with a built-in pressure gauge from Defender for $36. Four handholds attach to straps on the tube tops. I had bought a cover to protect the dinghy from the harsh Florida sunlight, but stretching it over the front and rear of the tubes, then hooking it to the lifting lines through the grommets I had sewn in the cover, proved very awkward while the boat was in the water. Applies to standard shipping only within the contiguous United States. Maybe dinghy davits. He recommended I start with their Inflatable Boat Sealant, which is injected into the boats chambers through the air valves to seal leaks from the inside. For dry storage aboard, the Zodiac has a plastic container in a compartment in the bow. You can change your cookie settings through your browser. With 2 people and a dog the RU-260 is loaded, and since the side tubes are all that is providing any rigidity even a modest amount of chop has the tubes bending and the bow starting to hop. Posted by Roger Hughes | Maintenance, Projects. Do the math: Is a "disposable" boat really worth it? The V-floor has a balance of pros and cons. Even in the davits, Looks like new . Both boats were inflated and evaluated at our shop. The transverse seat sits in two slots on the sides of the tubes. Delivery time varies typically 23 weeks. On the first day, after going ashore for a while then returning to the boat, the floor of the dinghy (West Marine RU-260) began to peel away, eventually becoming almost completely detached as we slowly motored back to the boat. Rigid and Portable: The high-pressure roll-up floor is made with multiple cross layers of copolymer fabric with thousands of drop stitches per inch. I considered the types of inflatables available and decided I wanted a rigid inflatable boat (RIB). Delivery is only applicable within the contiguous United States. If in fresh water PVC is fine. More than once, I nearly fell in when leaning over to stretch the cover over the aft ends of the tubes.

Dan was extremely knowledgeable and helpful, even to the point of advising me not to bother with one of his products that an employee had recommended, saving me $150. They needed to be tackled from the inside, using an internal inflatable-boat liquid sealer. I do prefer to have something lightweight due to davit weight limits. I didnt like the idea of a single spring button holding the blade anyway, so I also screwed a stainless- steel self-tapping screw through the blade into the oar for extra safety. Water collects beneath this floor/keel, keeping feet and gear drier. The Good Stuff: The tubes have 16 diameters and the boat is fabricated with five total chambers that are easy to maintain. JavaScript is disabled. Privacy Guaranteed - your email is never shared with anyone, opt out any time. This is a PVC inflatable with 'welded seams'. The West Marine reached a top speed of 15 knots. Restrictions: This item does not ship to a PO Box, APO, FPO, DPO or international address. With our 9.9-horsepower Yamaha, the Zodiac topped out at 17 knots, which is very fast for such a small boat. A forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Bottom line: The boat delivers a smooth, dry ride and tracks very well. Roger obtained the dinghy for nothing, which made it worth his while to try to renovate it. Both the HP-V 350 and the FR340 Fastroller can handle up to 15-horsepower outboards. I masked off the rubbing strake, the oarlock sockets, and all the handles. Not only does it enhance Britannias appearance, but I also feel confident using it. The removable floor-keel construction makes sense, since rips or tears in the keel or floor are easier to deal with. It seems to track OK, but then again, I do have rather low standards. Two coats covered up most of the scratches and left a very presentable semigloss finish. On-the-water testing took place in moderate conditions, with 10- to 12-knot breezes and a slight chop, although there was enough wake from boat traffic to get an idea of their performance in rougher conditions. As days passed with no appreciable loss of pressure, I became confident the leaks were sealed. FYI, West Marine branded boats are made by Zodiac on the same floor and by the same crews, and you should not see any difference in build quality. It is the adhesive that is the problem and it is heat, not sun that causes the problem. There are also two carrying handles in the stern quarters on the outboard sides of the tubes, plus one at the bow, below the rubrail. The Zodiac has a screened scupper with a small lever that opens and closes the screen. Except for the wimpier rubrail and some minor details, construction quality was superior. The West Marine boat has a greater maximum load: 1,984 pounds compared to Zodiacs 1,653 pounds. This inflatable is 'hard used' - dog has to 'go' at least twice per day when traveling.

There is a humorous video review on YouTube about this or a very similar dinghy. Bottom line: Pluses include a smart oar and oarlock design, a nifty forward storage compartment, and an easy-to-use drain. It was a 16-year-old C10X model and decidedly dilapidated. By continuing to use this website, you're agreeing to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The West Marine boat has 12 handholds that passengers can grab while underway. A thick, abrasion-resistant fabric protects the hull bottom, but if it or the floor is punctured, repair can be expensive or impractical. The next stage was to improve the dinghys scruffy appearance. Previously I had a dingy with a Z-fold plywood floor which was a bear to get installed properly in the partially inflated tubes. I had ordered one yesterday just in case of this, and it will come Tuesday, so I can think about it until then, and they'll put the boat into inventory if I don't want it. My main problem with boat fenders is that they appear to violate the cardinal rule of cruising: any object you bring aboard should serve at least two purposes (the way your crewmate's favorite yellow shirt makes a great Q flag). Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. West Marine will email you when your order ships from the vendor. #{}}jc1X6fm;'_9 r:8q:O:8uJqnv=MmR 4 Still seems OK after 3 years of 'hard use'; but, I do keep a large 'patch kit' with me - due to all the horror stories about PVC inflatables. The foot pump enabled me to inflate the boat to the manufacturers recommended pressure for the first time. The transom already had two U-bolts. He had to shift his weight forward to help the boat plane. What is a problem is rowing into the wind. Because it was worth a try, I posted on the CruisersForum website, asking if by chance anyone had a small used RIB to sell for around $500. Testers checked the following performance points: quickness to plane, dryness and comfort, and high- and low-speed handling (also in reverse). That makes for quick and easy setup and takedown. Deys shrimp-kabobs, shrimp Creole, shrimp gumbo, pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried It went on and on-reminding us of the list of inflatable boats on the market today: Deys soft-stern dinghies, roll-up boats, sport boats, wood-floor boats, high-pressure floor boats, rigid inflatable boats, high-pressure V-hull boats, and so on. However a solid floor is much better in use. Hypalon hulls are heavier, but they generally hold up better in the long term, particularly in warmer climates. Both are constructed of PVC and carry five-year warranties (typical of PVC hulls). I bought one from Amazon for $7. I believe that I have an earlier iteration of this one. Adding to the weight was the 1/2 inch of water in the bottom from a slow water leak. We paint the bottom every year since it is always in the water. Ships from supplier, typically 2-3 weeks. Its high-pressure floor/keel design makes sense, and its overall finish quality is better than the West Marine. Get the best sailing news, boat project how-tos and more delivered to your inbox.

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