I have an IA330 on offer for a good price. Its an air floor, we just sold our zodiac 310 solid floor as we need an air floor for constantly packing away.
My main concern is fabric quality, it could be one of those cheap and nasty ch made inflatables?
It is a Chinese made inflatable, I have seen one in action at my local boat ramp and it looked ok but flexed a lot under way, was a 3.65m from memory. They're made of PVC which degrades in sunlight more readily compared to Hypalon inflatables. RRP on the model you're after is $1,300AUD new and the company also imports Parsun outboards (also made in China and direct copies of Yamaha). As a point of comparison a brand new Quicksilver/Mercury Hypalon 3.4m inflatable is $3,000 with a 5 year warranty. Add a 15hp Mercury 2 stroke 'super' and you have a package for $5,000 brand new (I was quoted by a NSW dealer recently). I'd see it as a gamble buying a relatively unknown inflatable but ultimately the choice is yours.
well there are good and bad PVC boats. PVC has many benefits over hypalon, including price. if they need to be left in direct sunlight then yep hypalon is a good choice, otherwise PVC is often a better bang for buck imo. of course im refering to quality pvc. have got a zodiac currently but want an air floor, at a good price mind you. so this might not be the right choice.
Yeah you're spot on there, not all PVC boats are created equally. Plenty of older model PVC zodiac/quicksilver boats still around that have been looked after and not left out in the elements which is the big killer for them. When I priced the hypalon Quicksilver's I also priced a PVC for comparison..$2000ish for a 3.1-3.4m. The materials and heat weld quality would be better on the Quisksilver/Zodiac I would think. Other option is to find a good second hand Hypalon QS 340 but these are rare (I have been searching for sometime) or an Achilles one (also rare). Was the slat floor that much of an issue when packing up? The panels just fold up relatively small? I know there is an Achilles on Gumtree on the Sunshine Coast but I think it had an aluminium panel floor.
yep solid floors are a pain in the butt to store, carry and install compared to a high pressure air floor. they do obviouslly had some rigidity and performance, but the PITA factor just makes me want to get out less often. if i had space for a trailer it would be a non issue, but if i had that i would be buying a rib. it all depends on how often you have to break it down, for me that is every time. the main issue for me though was size, it just wasnt big enough. the difference between 9ft4 and 10'6-11' is huge as far as planing and sea handling go, along with streaks more internal room. however i need a cheap option hence why i was considering the island inflatable for a single season. they do have 3 years warranty i think. its not a long term investment, but more worried about the quality for a year or so.
I have a zodiac that was hard floored but wanted a soft floor for transport reasons. After a bit of research found that my zodiac is about 7kgs lighter than the equivalent island. So I bought a island inflatable floor and fitted it to my zodiac and Bobs your aunties live in lover.
I have had mine for a little over 6 years now and rate it highly. 2.6m with the big diameter tubes and air deck floor. Rated to 10hp. Can't fault it.
"Elempi" American Bertram 33, 3208T Caterpillar power
midnight you have an island inflatable?
easyrider i did consider doing that, but the zodiac is just a bit too small in the first place.
Yes, Island Inflatable. Can't beat it for value for money. Very happy with mine.
"Elempi" American Bertram 33, 3208T Caterpillar power
well thats positive feed back. how do you find the air floor?
I love it no chance of pinched toes and no need to disassemble I just deflate boat, floor and keel and roll the whole thing up. You can stand on the inflatable floor and it is as stable as the timber floor.
sounds positive. the 3.3 i have my eye on is only $700 and its never been used but is 1 year old.
I wouldn't have one without the air deck floor. It is great. As is the inflatable keel, it makes the boat better in chop and it steers properly, unlike those without it.
Cheers,
Myles
P.s for 700 bucks, you can't go wrong
"Elempi" American Bertram 33, 3208T Caterpillar power
our hard floor Zodiac is a PITA as we have to break it down every time, which is daily. otherwise id go a hard floor again, but then if i had room to leave a boat inflated id be buying a RIB, much better than either.
yeah i figured $700 is not exactly high stakes.
Just edited my post above, I wouldn't have one without the air deck floor after having owned this one
"Elempi" American Bertram 33, 3208T Caterpillar power
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