Reply With QuoteTohatsu 3.5Hp 4stroke is $1245 at Currumbin Marine
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.
Tohatsu 3.5Hp 4stroke is $1245 at Currumbin Marine
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
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.
Guys this is all excellent information. Thanks for the feedback it is much appreciated. Have to do a bit of reading and research now.
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.
I just picked up an Aristocraft 2.4m with inflatable keel and aluminium floor insert for $1250. Just need to decide on which motor.
Originally Posted by FrankFWM
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
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.
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.
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!
Good info. Thanks Rando.
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.
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
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.
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