Inflatable for shore dives(budget dive boat)

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I've been really pondering the idea of picking up an inflatable between 11-14' to get around to the various shore dives my area offers locally. Getting to any one of these dives by car is fairly easy, but the mobility a boat like this can offer allows us to traverse from one site to another with quite a bit more ease.

I do have a vessel liscense, as it was part of our driver's ed. course 8-9 years ago in high school, however, I've never been in the market for a boat... mainly due to cost. My LDS brought to my attention that a small inflatable could get me and a few buddies around quite easily without too much of a burden on my wallet. In most cases, I'd also have the option of packing it up and throwing it in the back of my Bronco, yet another plus of this type of boat.

I've been looking into Mercury inflatables, Zodiacs, Avon's, ect and I've recently come across a brand I had not heard up until this point. Is there anyone familiar with the Sea Eagle inflatable boats? http://www.seareagle.com The prices are actually pretty damned good from what I can tell in comparison to prices of the afore mentioned brands. I didn't really think I'd be able to afford a 14' but the Sea Eagle has a 14'er for a very reasonable price http://seaeagle.com/transom/14SR.asp and they also have a 12.6' model for cheap as well http://seaeagle.com/transom/126SR.asp

They are advertised to be able to handle a slightly larger motor than the Zodiacs of the same size, which is a nice feature for me since I plan to use this thing in semi-choppy conditions and run it a few miles parrallel to shoreline in either direction of where I launch...

Just curious if anyone has had any experience or comments about these boats? They seem reasonable, and are kinda making me itch.

 

[ChrisA]

I've been really pondering the idea of picking up an inflatable between 11-14' to get around to the various shore dives my area offers locally. Getting to any one of these dives by car is fairly easy, but the mobility a boat like this can offer allows us to traverse from one site to another with quite a bit more ease.

I do have a vessel liscense, as it was part of our driver's ed. course 8-9 years ago in high school, however, I've never been in the market for a boat... mainly due to cost. My LDS brought to my attention that a small inflatable could get me and a few buddies around quite easily without too much of a burden on my wallet. In most cases, I'd also have the option of packing it up and throwing it in the back of my Bronco, yet another plus of this type of boat.

I've been looking into Mercury inflatables, Zodiacs, Avon's, ect and I've recently come across a brand I had not heard up until this point. Is there anyone familiar with the Sea Eagle inflatable boats? http://www.seareagle.com The prices are actually pretty damned good from what I can tell in comparison to prices of the afore mentioned brands. I didn't really think I'd be able to afford a 14' but the Sea Eagle has a 14'er for a very reasonable price http://seaeagle.com/transom/14SR.asp and they also have a 12.6' model for cheap as well http://seaeagle.com/transom/126SR.asp

They are advertised to be able to handle a slightly larger motor than the Zodiacs of the same size, which is a nice feature for me since I plan to use this thing in semi-choppy conditions and run it a few miles parrallel to shoreline in either direction of where I launch...

Just curious if anyone has had any experience or comments about these boats? They seem reasonable, and are kinda making me itch.

I looked at the seaeagle web site. They do not say what the boat is made out of. They say "1000 Denier". But what fiber is the fabric made with and what is the coatiing. Heck it could be vinyl coated polyester. They don't say.

Avon by far has the best material and you can count on 10 years of solid frequent use out of an Avon. Zodiac uses PVC coating and is not as good with UV light as Avon but lasts maybe 2/3s as long. Both are good.

With an inflatable after size, material is everything. You pay more for a material that will take abuse and the Sun's UV radiation.

By sure to plan you budget for Radio, GPS, Flairs and other signalling devices. an anchor and plenty of rode. Nav lights and battery
The anchor is a safty device that
will keep you from drifting either int the surf or to China when you
engine quits.

 

[scubadoguk]

The British club divers have used inflatables for decades as dive boats from small ones like your looking at, and the big Ridged inflatable boat(RIB).
The ribs are some times used to cross the English channel, 25 miles and are rigged as such, two 200 hp engines, GPS, extra fuel cells and so on and are very sea worthy and one heck of a ride better than Disney and 6 flags put together these boats seats 8 divers - the drawback is they are 30 ft long.
As someone said Avon and Zodiac (just like Cousteau used) make a good boat, there are lots of others just a note! always have at least one person who is not diving on board who knows how to operate the boat and use a radio, just in case and have a great time.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Thanks for the advise, I will look further into the SeaEagles in order to find out what material they are constructed from.

I have budgeted funds for a bottomfinder, GPS, Radio, Fire Ext, Flares, anchor, rope, Nav lights, fuel tank, and life jackets. At this point, I'm just trying to find the largest inflatable I can get away with the rest of the moneys I have alotted for the boat itself

 

[saintsfan]

I would also look into the west marine brand,they are made by zodiac and are generally fairly cheap.I have an 8' dinghy and its a pretty solid.I have a friend that has a seaeagle and its not quite as good as mine,close though, but if it was cheaper to buy i would have bought it instead.the west marine brand is made of pvc just fyi

Thanks for the advise, I will look further into the SeaEagles in order to find out what material they are constructed from.

I have budgeted funds for a bottomfinder, GPS, Radio, Fire Ext, Flares, anchor, rope, Nav lights, fuel tank, and life jackets. At this point, I'm just trying to find the largest inflatable I can get away with the rest of the moneys I have alotted for the boat itself

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Thanks for the heads up saintsfan, the West Marines look nearly identical to some of the Zodiak models making quite believable that they are made by Zodiak like you stated. Price is up there too.

I'm kinda curious about how much of a difference the material will make if I plan on washing the boat down and rolling it back into its storage bag after every use. I'm trying to get away with not having to buy a trailer

I just tried calling the 1800 number at Sea Eagle, however, they are closed at the moment. I'll call back Monday and see if I can get any information on the material used for the tubes. I'll post my findings here just incase anyone else was curious as to the make as well.

 

[ChrisA]

Thanks for the heads up saintsfan, the West Marines look nearly identical to some of the Zodiak models making quite believable that they are made by Zodiak like you stated. Price is up there too.

I'm kinda curious about how much of a difference the material will make if I plan on washing the boat down and rolling it back into its storage bag after every use. I'm trying to get away with not having to buy a trailer

I just tried calling the 1800 number at Sea Eagle, however, they are closed at the moment. I'll call back Monday and see if I can get any information on the material used for the tubes. I'll post my findings here just incase anyone else was curious as to the make as well.

Looking at the initial cost is just one part of it. Look also at the cost per year. What you pay for when you buy a more expensive material is a longer service life. So if you spend 50% more up front and it doubles your service life you win in terms of total cost of ownership.
But then if you don't have the cash it does not matter.

Really what you want _now_ are large diameter tubes and a decent keel-like bottom shape. What you'll want later are better material and seems and tube/transum connection. But construction quality has no effect on the first few years of ownership.

You could also look for a used boat. They are generally priced based on years of life remaining. So like-new, brand name used boats keep their price but other then that prices are good.

West Marine is a top notch retailer. Their service and pre and post sale support is first rate, but you pay for it. One other place to look is www.defender.com they are a very large inflatable boat dealer who is setup for on-line and phone orders. They carry many brands of boats. I would give them a call and ask them a bunch of questions and for advice. I think they are the largest inflatable boat dearller in the US and still family owned. (No I don't work there)
BTW they have some good "specials" running now like a 10ft Avon for <$2k

One other thing - you really want a four stroke engine. Well worth it. In California you can no longer buy a two stroke. Air pollution laws have effectivly banned them. That's fine by me, no more mixing oil with gas, no more loud noise, no more smoke. The ban will extend to the entire US in a few years. CA always leads on these issues.
The CA laws reads basically "The 2006 fed. standards shall apply in
CA in 2004".

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

I've contacted Sea Eagle, the tubes are made from 1000 denier PVC.

Thanks for the link to defender, I will definately check them out and also for the information on motors - I had been kind of leaning to the 4-stroke motors anyway, but your information has ended the consideration of a 2-stroke all together. I'd love to get an Avon, but I'll have to find a deal on something larger than the 10'er. Knowing the defender website will allow me to keep an eye out on future deals though - I appreciate it!

 

[Diverdar]

Check out DUX. www.seawolf.biz

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Pretty cool, a bit more expensive than I'd like though

Defender has some excellent pricing, wow!