Inflatable Dinghy Tips?

[rat_catcher]

Anybody got any tips or experience with buying, storing and using an inflatable dinghy on their trailerboat? My sons and I spent a few days at Keppel Island last week and they got tired of having to swim into the beach! ;D My eldest (13) suggested I buy them an inflatable dinghy and small outboard.

I really have no idea where to start.

Before I spend hours on research, anybody got any tips?

[joeT]

My first boat was a 2.6m inflatable with 4hp yamaha I used to fish the mouth of the Manawatu river in NZ. Inflatables are incredibly stable and I used to stand 2 people and fish from it. Inflating and deflating can be a biatch and take a long time, I would invest in an electric pump or a really good hand pump.

Material its made from is really important, the cheap ones are just glorified pool toys and will become useless after a few years. The good ones like the zodiacs are quite pricy and can still be quite bulky when deflated.

If its only a short distance they need to swim, perhaps an inflatable kayak of some kind would be more suitable?

[freefish]

Agree with above. Had one as a tender for the yacht. Best left inflated if possible but be careful if using high capacity compressor as they do not take kindly to high pressure. Definitely use motor as they are hell to row. Very stable but can be a wet ride. Better stowed not towed as they can flip in moderate winds. If towing tie off as short as possible even to having bow against stern of mother boat. Great fun for kids. Mine couldn't care less about sailing but sent hours amusing themselves with the tender: 2 mtr with 2.5 hp Mercury. Of course if used for fishing watch the knife & the hooks Bill

[Homer_Jay]

I got a 2.4 mt one. I use it for just that... getting over to the beach. I keep mine inflated all the time as they are a pain to inflate. Just a few pumps to top up the pressure each time i take it out. I stow it on the hard top as i havent had too much success towing it, although i havent tried it much. But it is still fairly heavy to get on and off the roof, more to do with the bulkiness of it then the outright weight. I only row mine as I dont want the hassel of carrying an outboard and i dont find it hard to row, but wouldnt want to row it for miles either! You can get them with and without inflatable keels, the ones with will row alot better.


Aaron

[SnapHead101]

I recently bought an Aer Marine 2.7m air deck from this mob www.waves.com.au (http://www.waves.com.au). Set me back about $2000, however it's ok for four people (still waiting for compliance plate though !) has an airdeck so rows nicely even against a 2 knot current, and can take up to 10 hp outboard. I keep it inflated and on the hard top, weighing 26 kg I can get it down single handed no probs. They also have a zodiac airdeck although its slightly bigger. Would certainly go the airdeck, your back will remember it long after your wallet has forgotten it.

[Brumby]

I'm in much the same position - need a tender to get around swimming to the beach. One problem that I've come up against is where to carry the thing when it's inflated. On my boat the nose can rest on the targa, but I don't think the bimini is going to appreciate carrying the rest of the weight. Might have to arrange some sort of roll bar over the back end as well. I've carried one of those glorified kids toys before and even that is a royal pain to inflate on a regular basis.

I'd be interested to see what you come up with.

Cheers

[Fish Guts]

could be a bit of a hassle trying to store an inflated one on your 702 rat catcher. probably suggest going for one without a ridgid hull mainyl due to storage. we found quicksilver inflatables to be the best value at around 2200 for a 2.8 m one (ridgid fiberglass hull). you can pump them up via the 12volt pumps. and when your looking at outboards try and get one with the built in fuel tank in the cowl.

[rat_catcher]

Material its made from is really important, the cheap ones are just glorified pool toys and will become useless after a few years. The good ones like the zodiacs are quite pricy and can still be quite bulky when deflated.
Talking about the material it is made from, I have seen different names listed, but they don't mean a whole lot to me. What should I be looking for?

[rat_catcher]

Great fun for kids. Mine couldn't care less about sailing but sent hours amusing themselves with the tender: 2 mtr with 2.5 hp Mercury.
Yes this is definitely part of it too. They can only spend so much time swimming and playing on the beach and think that getting them to learn how to use the inflatable and outboard will not only give them something else to amuse them, but also be part of their boating education. I know they can use up to a 6hp outboard without a license.

[rat_catcher]

I keep mine inflated all the time as they are a pain to inflate.
What is the pain with inflation? I would have thought with a 12V pump it wouldn't be too bad. I was thinking of keeping mine deflated and stowed when travelling, but then when anchroing up inflating it for use. Then deflating it again when travelling home. Of course if I was just moving around a bit out wherever we were staying I would leave it inflated.


I only row mine as I dont want the hassel of carrying an outboard and i dont find it hard to row, but wouldnt want to row it for miles either!
This has been a thought too, as I would still have to find a place to stow the outboard.

[rat_catcher]

I recently bought an Aer Marine 2.7m air deck from this mob..........
Thanks for the link. Will give me another site to use for research.


has an airdeck so rows nicely even against a 2 knot current........
What is the advantage of the airdeck? From reading I am thinking the airdeck is an inflatable floor, is this correct? What are the alternatives?

[rat_catcher]

I'd be interested to see what you come up with.
No problem. I haven't made any final decisions yet on what to get or even whether to do it at all! Will post to this thread if I go ahead and let you know how it turns out.

[rat_catcher]

could be a bit of a hassle trying to store an inflated one on your 702 rat catcher.
Was thinking of storing it across the rear duckboard on its side when inflated. Behind the stainless rails and ahead of the engine. See in the attached pic. I know I probably would not be able to raise the engine fully with the inflatable stored there, but would deflate it and store it away for launching and retreiving and if I did have to raise the engine I could always drop the board over the side or put it on the foredeck for a bit. Thoughts?


we found quicksilver inflatables to be the best value at around 2200 for a 2.8 m one (ridgid fiberglass hull). you can pump them up via the 12volt pumps. and when your looking at outboards try and get one with the built in fuel tank in the cowl.
Thanks for this. Good feedback. As for the outboard I am looking at a 4hp Suzuki 4-stroke simply because I have a good local Suzuki dealer and am extremely happy with the engine on the 702L. Haven't done any research into weight etc. so not sure this will work, but that is the idea at a high level anyway. This way I don't have to carry oil and mix it with the fuel and can also get it serviced at the same place I get the main engine serviced.

[joeT]

Talking about the material it is made from, I have seen different names listed, but they don't mean a whole lot to me. What should I be looking for?

The materials vary a lot, and you might need to do some research, this provides some basic info:
http://www.allinflatables.com/support/fabrics.html

I'd stick to name brands like zodiac and quicksilver.

The pain with inflation and deflation is that it takes longer than you might think. Inflation is ok because the pump does it for you, but deflation requires you to slowly squeeze out all the air which can take ages. The first 80 percent of air is easy, but the last 20 percent requires all sorts of squashing and rolling.

The airdeck is like a solid floor made of air when you pump it up. The alternatives are having a solid wooden/fibreglass/aluminium floor, or a foldable floor with the same materials. Of course, the more hard materials you have in the inflatable the less compact it will be for storage and heavier, so its a tradeoff. The theory with an airdeck is to provide a solid floor without introducing any hard materials. I had a 3 piece ply folding floor in my old boat.

[FrankFWM]

I own and use a Zodiac...

It is my second one and am very happy with it... I have heard that they are no longer as good in terms of quality as they are no longer made in france - not sure if that is true though.

What I can say si that some friends of mine in the boat club I am part of have over the last 6 months began using a brand called calypso which is imported by a guy who is on the main road in Stiglietz on the way to Horizon Shores Marina.

They are around half the price with an airdeck and appear to be quite good quality for the money. I would consider one next time with the view that even if they only last half as long, you still can't lose.

I believe Grand is an excellent brand in terms of quality but like Zodiac - they are fairly pricey.

My friends with "grand" inflatables are very happy also.

[SnapHead101]

An airdeck is an inflatable floor and keel/hull as well. You can go fibreglass, but the airdeck is made from the same material as the rest of the duck and is thus lighter but not as sturdy. The hull shape gives a faster duck if that's important.

[Timmy94]

Tohatsu 3.5Hp 4stroke is $1245 at Currumbin Marine

[marco]

genisis from wynnum marine is a good one as well , got the 2.4mtr roll up and it fits nice on the bow when inflated .

i got the 3hp yamaha 2stk and that has more power than needed as it has a flat bottom so the dingy doesnt go any faster from half throttle onwards . i would go the four stk suzi so you didnt have to mix oil which is a pain .

about 1200 bucks for the inflatable

[joeT]

Perhaps you could consider one of these:

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/SEV/SEVSVX2020.html

I'm looking to get one to fish from. Its an inflatable kayak which can fit a 3.5hp outboard. Would be great fun for the kids when not using the main boat too.

[rat_catcher]

Guys this is all excellent information. Thanks for the feedback it is much appreciated. Have to do a bit of reading and research now.

[on-one]

I've got one of the calypso inflatables frankfwm mentioned cost me $950 in June last year and lives in the sun on my duckboard. So far no problems with so i figure even if only lasts another couple of years I'll more than have my money's worth.

[searay215ec]

I just picked up an Aristocraft 2.4m with inflatable keel and aluminium floor insert for $1250. Just need to decide on which motor.

[FrankFWM]

I own and use a Zodiac...

It is my second one and am very happy with it... I have heard that they are no longer as good in terms of quality as they are no longer made in france - not sure if that is true though.

What I can say si that some friends of mine in the boat club I am part of have over the last 6 months began using a brand called calypso which is imported by a guy who is on the main road in Stiglietz on the way to Horizon Shores Marina.

They are around half the price with an airdeck and appear to be quite good quality for the money. I would consider one next time with the view that even if they only last half as long, you still can't lose.

I believe Grand is an excellent brand in terms of quality but like Zodiac - they are fairly pricey.

My friends with "grand" inflatables are very happy also.


Rat_catcher,

A Quick update...

I was asked by a mate of mine to help him decide on a 2.6M inflatable this week so I went to the local Zodiac Dealer and did some research.

I found out that the new Zodiacs ARE MADE IN FRANCE - the original dealer who sold me mine and recently told me that they are not was not telling the truth - I saw the new Zodiac's and they are still stamped made in France so I appologise for passing on the missinformation.

The Calypso's are now $1100 - they went up a few months ago.

My friend has decided to buy Zodiac because the Calypso can only legaly cary 2+1 where as the Zodiac's come in larger sizes ie. he chose the 2.6M which is 3+1 people.

Depends on your needs I guess...

Frank

[rat_catcher]

A Quick update...
Thanks Frank. I have been O/S for two weeks, so I have done nothing further on this front. Still have some more reading and research to do. But I am probably shying sway from getting a proper inflatable and just getting the boys a cheaper toy-like boat they can be towed on and also use to get ashore. My biggest concern is storing the outboard.

[rando]

Hypolon is the fabric you need, it is more resistant to UV.
I have two inflatables , the one that is not Hypolon has become porous and self deflates. I am not sure what type of fabric its made from .
If you are inflating /deflating, as has been said its a bit of a chore. An electic pump will speed both operations. Get a big fast pump , not a compressor you want volume not pressure. And make sure you can reverse the pump and pump the air OUT when you want.
That space on the rear deck might be a bit skinny, they take a fair bit of room.
But they are great .Ive got a couple of 2 horse motors under the house that are for sale if you are interested.

[fender22]

I just bought a little 2m aquapro as a tender and got it for a good price and it's in great nick but if you buy secondhand make sure you get all the bits with it. I got mine around half the price of a new one but after buying a seat, oars and lock in rowlocks it's not looking like such a bargain any more!

[rat_catcher]

Hypolon is the fabric you need, it is more resistant to UV.
I have two inflatables , the one that is not Hypolon has become porous and self deflates. I am not sure what type of fabric its made from .
If you are inflating /deflating, as has been said its a bit of a chore. An electic pump will speed both operations. Get a big fast pump , not a compressor you want volume not pressure. And make sure you can reverse the pump and pump the air OUT when you want.
That space on the rear deck might be a bit skinny, they take a fair bit of room.
But they are great .Ive got a couple of 2 horse motors under the house that are for sale if you are interested.
Good info. Thanks Rando.

[toecutter]

For storing in confined spaces I would recommend a hypalon 'donut'. There are models available from achilles and avon in the 2 - 2.6 meter size. These models don't have the solid transom so pack up in a small space. I have an old 2.6m avon which is used to get to the beach and back. For this purpose I don't worry about the floorboards and dont find it a problem using it without them. Can't speak for all models, but the avon only takes about five to 10 mins to pump up with the foot pump, and I find it easy to deflate. What I tend to do is "mostly" deflate it and loosely roll it up where it can still be stored while not taking up too much space. One word of caution with donut style dinghys - dont sit too far back on the tube if one up - they are less tolerant to flipping then hard transom dinghys with extended rear pontoons.

On the outboard issue, I would stick with a two stroke for the reasons of lighter weight (even 13 kg becomes heavy trying to manhandle an outboard from boat to dinghy or vice versa in a bit of chop), easier storage and the fact if you manage to drop it in the drink but can recover it you will have a reasonable chance of salvaging it. Not too sure about 4 strokes on the last point. It is a pain to mix two stroke. My solution is to carry a one litre bottle of oil and a small measuring cup and refill from my 4 strokes tote tank, adding the oil straight into the tank of the dink motor.

[PWCDad]

I just went through the inflatable exercise .... the kids love driving the boat (8 and 13 yrs) so decided to get them an inflatable to crab the area where we camp on sth straddie.

Some info after buying. carrying and now using the inflatable ....

I went for the genuine Zodiac after seeing its quality ... model purchased was a Cadet 260 rollup (2.6 metres) with ply floor that rolls up with it (no need to remove). Max power is 4 hp ... it is legal to carry 3 adults and 1 child and has a 300kg payload.

This model is the latest and has full pontoons to the rear, as against tapered, so is rated for 4 stroke motor weights. Weight limit is 25kg on transom.

Cost was $1700 from Zodiac dealer in Brissie.

Motor

I went for a 4 stroke, 4 hp (max rating for 260rollup) in Yammy brand. Great little motor and weighs 22 kg. Has reverse gear, provision for external tank and 2 year warranty. Cost was $1544 via local dealer. Fuel tank is 1 litre !!!!!! hehehehe

My 5.0 metre Centre console is the transport boat.

I made a small mount in timber so the motor sits on the floor with carby up for travel. Used a 5 litre plastic fuel container as fuel supply for 1 litre tank.

Zodiac travels in rolled up form in its bag ... weighs 33 kg and is about 1 metre x 550 x 450. It sits on ARB space case that carries gear (front of console).

Inflating

For inflating I grabbed a great pump albeit expensive. Its a 2 stage pump ... it pumps volume to 90 % of set pressure then flicks to a compressor type for remaining top up TO SET PRESSURE. This pump you can set inflating pressure and it auto switches off at set pressure.

Pressure for the 260 is 3.4 psi but in practice I used 2.5psi at midday and it was fine all weekend.

Pump draws 30 amp .... and runs for around 45 secs to inflate one side. Duty cycle of pumpo is 15 mins on 30 mins off ... so is way over rated for job and will last ages as such.

Cost was $300 from dealer

Deflating

Deflating is very easy I thought ... undo two valves and fold sides in and roll it up.... place on top of bag and do the bag up and away you go. Time in a real world ... about 10 mins maybe a tad less actually.

A mate has had one of these models for 4 yrs and rolls it up wet (salt water) and it stays stored til next use ... not washed or inflated when home it just sits in bag in boat .... it looks great still ....

Kids had a ball this past weekend ... taught them how to start it and set some very strict safety rules and away they went !!!

My 8 yr old girl picked up and carried a sand crab for the first time in her life !!!

Cost of exercise was around $3600

Seeing my kids playing in a rubber ducky ... then crabbing (both girls) ... dropping over to local island with friends for cast net session (caught a nice mullet) .... PRICELESS !!!

Regards
PWCDad

[rat_catcher]

I just went through the inflatable exercise .... the kids love driving the boat (8 and 13 yrs) so decided to get them an inflatable to crab the area where we camp on sth straddie.
Excellent post thanks. Mine are two boys aged 10 and 13 and I can just imagine the fun they would have with one of these things! Good info here too.

[hoga]

i went throug this a few years ago ended up with 2 of them the one i use the most is the lightist it was a s/hand metletzer easy 2 blow up & deflaite drag up beah etc use a small 2 stroke light & u can ligh it down on any side but normaly hang it of the burly bucket if u tow one dont leave any thing in it you canot aford to lose