Will this boat work? And additional questions.

[Scared Silly]

HAHAHA ... did you notice that the thread was over a year old? I bet he already has a boat by now.

 

[mitsuguy]

HAHAHA ... did you notice that the thread was over a year old? I bet he already has a boat by now.

I realize this is an old thread, but I do have to comment on it...

Looking for a smallish, inflatable, I completely agree with one of the previous posters here, check out the Patten Inflatables... We have two that are a little over 5 years old each and they still work great... We are extremely tough on them, but with a little maintenance, and a few replacement pieces here and there, they are exceptional, especially when you talk bang for the buck...

The Patten's are made of Elvaloy, which is their own PVC/Hypalon type material - it holds up great - we never store ours indoors or underneath a cover, and they are just as bright yellow as the day they were new (except where I spilled oil on one)...

We use them for small dive groups or for shuttling to our Newton dive boat...

They are acceptable for use in seas up to about 6' with a full load of divers/gear - I've had them out in 10' seas with two passengers (not clients)... One of the beauties is that we put them right on the beach and launch them from a modified jet ski trailer - we essentially build a flat wooden platform for the trailer... They come out of the water every single day - granted the dive shop is directly across the street from the boat ramp, the only modification we do if we actually have to drive them somewhere is to strap them to the trailer... The whole boat can't weigh more than 1200 lbs, most likely much less - we have used a 50, 60, 70 and 75 hp motor on them - fully loaded, the 50 and 60 get ya through the water, but not efficiently - the 70 and 75 have power to spare - once you get up on plane, you can back off throttle a lot...

They deal with most of the things that people don't like about inflatables, you can even store them rolled up if you like - you can deflate one in about 60 seconds, and inflating one takes about 3 minutes with a scuba tank (takes about 120 cf to fully fill one)...

here's a pic of me beaching one in front of the shop with our big boat in the background...

 

[EAN]

I'll also add some updated information for people who are reading this thread and considering the Dupont Hypalon material which is now discontinued. Here is the info from their website:

"DuPont™ Hypalon®

Update as 04/20/2010

The DuPont Performance Elastomers Hypalon® business has ceased operations as of April 20, 2010. The planned closure was initially announced in 2009, and the plant operation was extended to support the needs of customers through the transition process.

We are no longer offering Hypalon® product for sale. If you are interested in a replacement product, please view the broader DuPont portfolio for other Elastomers that may fit your application needs. "