Which Inflatable?

Stemar

Stemar

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My less than venerable flubber has finally driven me to the point of giving it its P45, so I need a replacement. The current one is 2m30 long, and lives rolled up in a store room. It's a bit of a squeeze, so I'm thinking of going up a bit, 2m60 maximum. It will have wheels, but I'd still have to deflate it and carry it 30m or so, so weight is an issue, though I do have the option of keeping it (partially) inflated in an outside storage rack.

The ability to carry 4 people would be a bonus, but isn't essential. Toughness is, however; any tendency for towing eyes to tear or pull off is a dealbreaker (looking at you Excel!), as we usually tow it, though there are plans for davits.

It'll mostly be powered by a 3.5HP OB, but I do row it, which means no Zodiacs unless their rowlocks have vastly improved since I got my first one 20 years ago. A dryer ride than the current one would be nice, as Portsmouth Harbour can get lumpy.

Any thoughts - makes/models to go for or avoid, etc?

Thanks in advance.
 
I agree about the Zodiac rowlocks, unless they have improved. I found them positively dangerous on my old Zodiac and always had new spares on board. One dark November night with a tide running, the outboard stopped on the way to my mooring and I couldn't row the thing hard enough to stem the tide without the rowlocks popping out. I ended up getting a cheap budget inflatable which was in an end of season sale in a chandlers on a trip round the coast. SunSport. I did zero research and I'm not saying it would be my first choice but it was £250 and 6 years later its going strong. I use it a lot, often row or tow it and at least it has decent rowlocks and valves. The floor boards are too wide so its a pain to roll up, its relatively heavy but so far its robust and doesn't leak air or water.
 
I had a Quicksilver 2.8 for 11 years, all in Mediterranean sun, mostly towed. I sold it on and it lasted another 2 years. It was a little too big so I replaced it with a Sunsport 2.3. This was a bad move, it always leaked even after replacing the valves. I complained to EP Barrus who gave me a good deal on a Quicksilver 2.6, which is excellent but has not been used enough to judge longevity.
 
Mine doesn't leak air at all, even left on a rack for 6 months over the winter. But I don't think I'd get another one as its difficult to roll up neatly and quickly. The Zodiac was better in that respect. I could have paid 5 times as much for a more up-market brand so I'm not dissatisfied.
 
Stemar said:
The ability to carry 4 people would be a bonus, but isn't essential. Toughness is, however; any tendency for towing eyes to tear or pull off is a dealbreaker (looking at you Excel!), as we usually tow it, though there are plans for davits.
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I’d be looking at a good, used, Avon.

The pros: good rowlocks, wooden oars, Hypalon so UV resistant if you’re going to leave it in a storage rack, nothing likely to pull off and they last - effectively - forever.

Cons: Hypalon heavier than PVC, availability of good s/h.

Selection here: Used Inflatable Boats For Sale & Repair Southampton Hampshire UK and not far from Portsmouth Hr
 
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With inflatable I believe you get what you pay for and the starting point is the material and there is really only one choice and it's Hypalon. Avon (part of the Zodiac group) used to offer hypalon but they don't seem to now. My last inflatable was an Avon inflatable Keel and Aerodeck 2.6 may have been 2.8M it was 18 years ago when I bought it on a Boat Show deal, it planed easily with a 6Hp Suzuki outboard.
 
One tip having just bought a 2.3m with separate air floor dinghy.

If your going to be doing regular beach landings, the air floor is a PITA.
Sand and small stones get between the bottom of the dinghy and the traditional floor. Only solution deflated floor and wash out.

My thoughts 2.3m good for 1 ok for 2 no good for any more.

Watching to see what OP chooses as my spec was similar.
 
KeelsonGraham said:
Our Honwave is proving to be very tough and durable, with good rowlocks. Downside is that it’s quite heavy.
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Love my Honwave 2.7IE. If it got lost or stolen tomorrow my first reaction would be to go out and buy the exact same thing. (I could probably manage a 3m dinghy on my davits though, and a hard floor would be nice.)

Rows well, planes well (with 10HP).

onesea said:
My thoughts 2.3m good for 1 ok for 2 no good for any more.
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Agreed.

When I was learning to sail in 2018, I crewed for two different people who had 40' boats and 2.4m dinghies - I think people must buy such small dinghies because they don't use them much.

Each time there were 3 of us going to shore, jammed together like sardines. I regard this as a rather unacceptable size of dinghy for 3 people - only ok for very short trips.

2.7m is quite comfortable for 2 people, probably would manage 4 in sardine discomfort.
 
If I were storing a nice new dinghy in the rack, I'd get a UV-proof cover for it.
Otherwise, a PVC dinghy kept out of the sun for 300+ days a year should last a pretty long time.
 
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