Inflatable for shore dives(budget dive boat)

[Stoo]

As others have posted, the material, and the workmanship is everything in an inflatable. The traditional fabrics like hypalon are very durable, but expensive. The advantage is that they are easily repaired, often by the user, with the right adhesives. Less expensive boats are typically made from fabrics that are electronically welded, which makes them less expensive to manufacturer, but almost impossible to properly repair. The only boats I am aware of that still use hypalon are Zodiac Hurricane and Avon RIBs. (Avon is owned by Zodiac BTW)

A couple of other things you should consider... Size: I wouldn't suggest anything smaller than 14' if more than 2 divers and a tender are intending to use it. A 25HP will push this fine. It'll smoke with a 40, but then you have weight considerations if you are not using a trailer. Floors: Aluminum. Wood will break and rot under normal diving use. Keel... Make sure the boat uses an inflatable keel otherwise you'll get smacked around pretty hard.

Be prepared for the onset of "foot-itis". My first inflatable was a Zodiac Mk II Compact (11'6"?), then a Mk II Grand Raid (14'), then a Mk III RIB (15'9") and I currently use a Hurricane 590 (19'6") with a 150HP. The boat kicks butt and is IMHO, the ultimate dive boat for personal use. It cost more than my first house mind you... but it will get you out and back in almost any weather!

Happy shopping!

 

[jagfish]

I thought the SEA EAgle were priced right, but lacking in qulaity. I ended up going with a SOAR. Website www.soar1.com

These things are expeditoin weight, stable as all heck and just bullet proof.

We got the S-16 foot, which holds like 4 adults plus kids and a gazillions pounds of gear. http://www.soar1.com/soar_16.htm
But they have a 12 and 14 footer as well.

Good luck, I'm sure you 'll have a great time with whatever you buy...

JAG

 

[NOVIZWHIZ]

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'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'm a little confused....you're looking at an inflatable because it's cheaper?? and easier to haul around by throwing in the back of your truck? Well...maybe. Man, I don't know too much about inflatables other than a buddy of mine had one (for a short time) and it was a PITA....unpacking and filling the thing with air was a pain, mounting and unmounting the motor was a pain, loading gas tank, anchor, dive gear and all the rest of your stuff.... -deflating it was a pain...., then you get it home, you have to reinflate it, rinse it off, dry it out before you re-packed it. Then patching holes...It was about a 16 ftr, would only handle a small motor - and trust me you planning on anything offshore - 25 hp ain't gonna get it. It was too small for anything more than 2 divers. He finally bought a trailer - kinda defeats the whole purpose to me- because it was such a pain. Also, they are fairly expensive compared to a normal boat (comparing hp to length). I'm assuming you don't have access to boat ramps, that would make beach launching an inflatable more practical. I run a 16 ft, center console Scout, (fiberglass) with a 50 hp four stroke Yamaha. Launch it from a trailer, load it back on, run by the carwash and spray it down...I'm done. Handles 2 - 3 divers, can take choppy waters if necessary, can keep most of my necessary gear aboard ALL the time...might just be me....but I wouldn't want an inflatable.....

 

[Damselfish]

A friend of mine has an inflatable - far too much of a pain to set up to do it on a regular basis. It gets set up for the season and trailered. Deflating it made it easier to store for the winter, that's about it. There may be other reasons to get one of these, but I wouldn't count on casually tossing it in the back of your truck being one of them.

 

[Stoo]

- far too much of a pain to set up to do it on a regular basis.

I don't disagree with this. If you are going to be using the boat a lot, you will find it much easier to pull it around on a small trailer. Other than my first inflatable, I trailed them all. But if you don't have space to store a trailer, you can stick these boats under your bed for the winter!

Pound for pound, a small inflatable will carry more gear, more safely than a comparable size "real" boat. They are extremely stable, but more fragile. Having said this, any boat can land you in trouble. I bought my boat slightly used from a local SAR team. They had flipped it end over end before abandoning it! SUpposedly, the waves were about 12 feet, and the boat was way under-inflated...

 

[jbm]

I recently picked up a Quicksilver 380 (12.5 ft.) which I intend to trailer and use for both diving and fishing. My question regards inflation pressure and temperature swings.

If I inflate it to the point of being very firm on a cold day, do I have to be concerned with over expansion on a very hot day? Is there a risk of rupture?

I am aware it is a good plan to deflate slightly when travelling to higher elevations, but should I be concerned about diurnal temperature swings?

Thanks in advance; jbm

 

[scubafrank]

i ahve a couple of sit on top ocean kayaks, that allow me to go off shore, where are the shore dive locations in alabama. i am in atlanta, ga.

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

One of my buddies actually just purchased an Ocean Kayak. Those things are great! However, I'm looking to go a little faster with a few more people.

There are several beachable dives in the area. Mostly jeddies, or rock piles, but you there are atleast 3 beachable shipwrecks, and some car bodies in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach/Perdido(FL) area.

I've come upon a used Zodiac Zoom 10'2" complete with oars, floors, motor, tank, anchor, ect for a very reasonable price. I think I'm going to pick it up if its still for sale. Not quite as big or as strong as I was looking for but the price is a bargain!

Gonna get another tank and rig it to use for inflating tbe boat

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

On the way back from Biloxi yesterday, I came up on this rig in Mobile.

Looks like the motor will point the boat up and the propeller will do the rest of the work to make this thing a VTOL(Vertical Take Off and Landing) Zodiac!

 

[SwimJim]

I've owned small boats for years. I currently own and dive out of an 18 foot Searay. I've never owned an inflatable, but have used them. Personally I think that although they accomplish the basic mission, they are the most uncomfortable craft known to man. My advice is to find someone who owns one and dives it and go diving in one. If you like it great, then go ahead and lay down your hard earned cash. You may discover though that they aren't what you are interested in after all. In that case you'll save yourself a "boatload" of grief.
Best of luck and dive safe. BTW, if you do become a boat owner, do yourself a favor and take a Coastguard boating saftey course and learn the rules of the road. Thats another thing that can save you alot of misery down the road. Perhaps your hide too.

Jim