Wetline 290 inflatable

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jim2003

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Hi, I am looking to buy a Wetline 290 inflatable with the wooden floor option, its available at www.Piplers.co uk for £550-00 plus £15.00 delivery charge...does anybody know of a better deal?

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pay the extra for the inflatable floor. great dinghy. very stable, but hard to get back in from the water!

<hr width=100% size=1>rich :-)) <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.jersey-harbours.com>http://www.jersey-harbours.com</A>
 
Thanks for your responses, I have at the present time a Zodiac Cadet 260 dinghy which has been badly stained by an oil slick in Falmouth Harbour and has totally ruined the appearance of my dinghy which was new in July this year (300 other boats were affected as well as mine). I have pretty much determined to replace it with a 290 Wetline which seem's to be good value for the money, Maxxon and Suzumar boats are made by the same company (SUN SELECTIONS Co.Ltd ) but with a higher price tag, and I suppose variance's in trim, etc. The Zodiac has an inflatable floor in it from a 260 XM inflatable and I was hoping to get better performance with the solid wood floor and inflatable keel combination, I have read of complaints about the durability of the inflatable floors and as I am able to keep the dinghy inflated at all times am not to much concerned about the difficulties involved with solid floors provided they give better performance.....are you saying
the difference in performance is negligable?

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Why change a Zodiac (which is an excellent make) just because of an oil stain, for a Wetline? I have a Wetline 260, which I am fairly happy with, but it does not compare in quality with a Zodiac. Clean the Zodiac, or paint it with inflatable paint, but you will regret moving downmarket to a budget inflatable.

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"Why change a Zodiac (which is an excellent make) just because of an oil stain, "
Oil stain really unsightly and I of course made a claim on the Harbours insurers and they will hopefully reimburse me in full (with the help of Solicitors) and I thought I would take the opportunity to get a boat with the inflatable keel to improve the performance. The Zodiac's speed with Evinrude 4hp is not too impressive... and is there really that much difference in build quality? Zodiac 5 year limited warranty against 4 years on the Wetline. If anybody has any definite complaints against the Wetline then obviously I would reconsider my position but I have never actually read anything detrimental about them and that's not the case with Zodiac although you cannot make a comparison with Zodiac due to its market share

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inflatable floor with inflatable keel gives the best performance short of the mini ally ribs. Although there are also some combined inlatablefloor/keel models appearing which should be right up there with even these.
My inflatable floor/keel modles stayed inflated April to October on weaver davits (until a tleaf aquired the Plastimo this summer) without problems.
Solid floor not as easy to get into /out of as inflatable - if you fall into the tender you can't really get any bruises!
wetline is similar to the plastimo and not as good as the Zodiac or Quicksilver.
hlb has stuff to clean your existing tender and bring it back to as new condition - apparantly. Has been looking for a really tough assignment for months so this looks perfect. Have no doubt he can invoice you as required........../forums/images/icons/smile.gif
The Suzmar looks a great package but you couldn't get them when I was looking earlier this year - wouldn't even add me to a list.
I to have 4 hp and it is fine once it gets going but is on the limit for more than one skipper or a couple of kids to run around on the plane. Now the 9.8 Tohatsu I have on Santas list ..............

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There is a big difference in quality between the two makes, honestly, despite the warranty, the Wetline is not as well built. Mine has suffered from abrasion damage, poor valves and broken oars in a 3 year period. I have also extensivly used Avons, and Zodiacs and know that with similar use that they last much longer. I got my Wetline at a good discount, but in the long term it is probably not my best ever buy.

I'm happy to do a swap!


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Thanks again for your responses..much appreciated..

Well you have talked me out of that then! I must admit I was a bit concerned about
those Halkey Roberts valves myself so I shall have to consider my options as to what I should do......(1) keep Zodiac and some compensation from the insurance company and possibly jury rig some type of inflatable keel to improve the performance or

(2)Take the money and buy a used Zodiac or similar with inflatable keel and floor

So what other brands are considered on a par or superior to Zodiac? obviously Avon but the price puts them out of my league so what else is left ?

I have just received in the post some bumph on Wetline from John Bridger Marine and it shows what Wetline call the
Wetline 265 AR ...a "NEW AIR RIB" Looks quite impressive.. 42.5 diameter tubes
Max 8hp Maximum Load 610 kgs "The built in floor has built in trim tabs for high permance" no price quoted. Does anybody know anything on this model?

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Re: Wetline 265AR RIB

Just receieved the following reply from Piplers regarding air rib ....too pricey and not available.. I could probably get a proper rib for similar amount of money.......


Thank you for your enquiry. The new Air Rib is not available in this country until January 2004. Our price is £745.00 inclusive of VAT. Delivery to your address, if required, is extra.
Our supplier advise that If your require one for January, you will need to order soonest as most of those being delivered are already earmarked. Their next delivery will then be March 2004
With regards,
Piplers of Poole


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Quicksilver 270

I'm very impressed with my new Quicksilver. My experience was the same as Duncan's - I wanted a Suzumar that came out as YM's best buy earlier in the year but was told in August or September that there would not be a single one in Europe this year. So I bought the Quicksilver as a close alternative.

Material thickness is good, toughness seems a lot better than the older Zodiac that it replaced, inflatable floor makes the boat extremely rigid. It rows and motors well and has its full complement of D-rings, safety lines, etc. (unlike several others).

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I have a Wetline 265 RIB which I am very happy with except for the obvious fact that it won't fold away in the lazerette. My fault rather than Wetline's of course as I should have thought of that.

Feels very stable and solid except for the fact that the metal transom plate is losing its paint.

I wonder if that would be covered under warranty?

Nick

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2>http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2</A>
 
I did extensive research to replace my 22 yr old zodiac and ended up spending the extra money to get the Zodiac 260 Fast Roller which on look and feel is vastly better than all others except probably the avon (no data as I didnt look at it) The 4hp is supposed to be its max hp, however I know of someone with a 5 who is very impressed. I have a 2 at the moment and will only upgrade to 3.5 due to weight/bank manager problems.

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Thanks again for your responses, Vyv, I have just been back to Maxxon's website to have another look at the Suzumar being assembled there and I can see that it differs in trim quite substantially from the Wetline and there are far more elaborate fittings on the Suzumar, I had assumed incorrectly that they were basically the same boat but with different badges, can anyone suggest a valid reason why the Wetline 290 is rated for a iohp and the Zodiac 285 Fastroller is rated for 8hp although there is £300-00 difference between them, are Zodiac more cautious or do the bodies that certify them dictate what the maximum ratings are?

Nick2, I assume that your Wetline Rib is of a conventional design and not the AIR RIB that I mentioned previously??you say it "Feels very stable and solid " I wish I could say that about my Zodiac....I dont recall ever seeing a conventional Wetline Rib and there is non showing in the bumph I have, one of my problems is that the local Chandlers only seem to stock lower end of the market brands like Plastimo,
Wetline ,XM etc, and I have never seen Quicksilver,Suzumar and the ilk except in the marina or on the water to make comparisons

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Talbot, thanks for response, Fastroller would be ideal for me apart from the price

Fastroller 260
active/vee
£899.00
(inc. VAT & UK Delivery)

by the way max hp appears to be 6 and not 4 but £900-00...too much for me to justify

Model
Length Beam Capacity Floor Max HP Tube dia. weight
Fastroller 260 8' 6" 4' 11" 992 H2P 6 16" 52
Fastroller 285 9' 4" 4' 11" 1234 H2P 8 16" 55
Fastroller 310 10' 2" 4' 11" 1322 H2P 10 16" 57
Fastroller 340 11' 2" 5' 6" 1521 H2P 15 18" 66


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go onto <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk>http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk</A> if you are looking for value. Got my Quicksilver from there and. if you are down south, you have masses of choice at this time of year.

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I would suggest hanging onto your money for the moment; wait a bit and go to the boatshow after the New Year.

cheers,
david

<hr width=100% size=1>This candidate works well when cornered and watched like a rat in a trap.
 
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