Inflatable Boat Brands

Pete14

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Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
8
Hey guys i bought a sea eagle inflatable...sea eagle 9 (its not a high pressure boat) and i'm looking to upgrade to an inflatable that's better. I'm looking at the 14ft sea eagle($2350), but then i found a saturn boat 14ft boat ($1300). I know both these boats are pvc and not as durable as hypalon, but for $1300 i think the pvc is probably more cost effective than a $3700 hypalon boat. i will mostly use the boat in lakes w/ trolling motor, but i will buy an outboard in the future. If i use the boat in freshwater lakes, will it possibly last 10 years? I also deflate the boat and keep it out of the sun after each use. Also keep in mind the saturn has the same 5 year warranty as zodiac, so tell me what you guys think.
 

STeveZ

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Sep 10, 2003
Messages
31
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

If you want a great price on a PVC dinghy, go to ebay and google "dinghy". Then find the auctions by the seller Affordable Inflatables. They sell excellent quality imported infatables under the brand name Baltik. I am pleased w/ the quality and performance of mine so far.
 

Pete14

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May 16, 2006
Messages
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Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

steve, how long have you had your baltik boat? i found that boat on ebay and it is the same exact boat as the saturn...same features and specs. what size boat do you have and is there anything bad about the boat?
 

STeveZ

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Sep 10, 2003
Messages
31
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I bought mine early last summer. Its 8.5' and I got it for under $650 shipped. I opted for the inflatable (non-wood) floor and am glad I did. No glaring weaknesses or omissions. The pump was only serviceable, I bought a second valve to use w/ my Coleman double action pump.<br /><br />I don't know much about inflatables but felt like the Baltik was pretty well built, especially at its price point.
 

Pete14

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Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
8
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

What's everyone's opinion about pvc vs. hypalon? Is it worth it to buy a hypalon boat if i'm only using the boat in freshwater lakes? i would think the biggest downfall to pvc is that the sun and salt water probably wears down the pvc, but since my boat will not be in salt water or stored in the sun...the question is will pvc last a considerable time under these conditions? by the way, which of the 2 materials is more puncture resistant?
 

Luna Sea

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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May 20, 2002
Messages
1,070
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Hypalon looks like rubber, like a divers dry suit. PVC looks more like cloth. The Achilles hypalons only a few hundred bucks more. Do a search here on inflatables, I've posted several good links. I like to save money here and there, but things that are required to hold air- tires, tanks, inflatables are worthless when empty.
 

swist

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
678
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Actually it is not that obvious that Hypalon is either far superior to PVC or more expensive. Several of the top name brand inflatables use PVC, Zodiak comes to mind (and as someone said, it's a PVC cloth, not just plain plastic like on water toys and real elcheapo inflatables - Sevylor etc).<br /><br />It would also appear that there are several types of PVC cloth, whereas Hypalon is Hypalon, so there is no simple answer.
 

cobra 3.0

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Jul 31, 2003
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Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Are you putting a motor on it? If so what size?
 

Pete14

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Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
8
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I was thinking of getting a 25-30hp 2stroke or a 20hp 4stroke, i know weight can be an issue so i'd like to keep it down a bit. I would mostly use the boat for lake fishing w/ a trolling motor, but i do plan to buy a motor in the future (for larger lakes). I'm not sure if this saturn company is any good (korean made), but if the boat lasts 10 years it would be worth it. also would it be safe to deflate the boat after use to store it? i would not keep it inflated, so i hope this will not do any type of damage.
 

whywhyzed

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Feb 1, 2005
Messages
1,871
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Not all Sevylor's are plastic pool toys. I actually have a 21 year old Sevylor and it's 1100 Decitex PVC (called Sevytex) boat. I run a lightweight 7.5HP on it and it does 22.5 Km/h (14mph) GPS.<br />Sevylor owns Zodiac.<br />I would look at PVC including the newer Sevytex boats. One of those Baltik's for $650 would be a good choice. that's an awesome price.<br />Nothing in that price range will take a 20HP though..., but I wouldn't be afraid of PVC... my 1985 Sevylor has been inflated, deflated, in the water, out of the water, and spent many a summer buried in the weeds with the sun beating on it.. it has about 5 patches which it accepts well. I have just started applying that 303 aerospace protectant. It's apparently the best thing for inflatables - Armourall is a big NO-NO, if you ever want to patch... it'll be a nightmare and may not be possible at all with armour all.<br />I think they're all pretty much made in Korea or places such as that overseas, Zodiac included.<br />For 20HP I'd look for the beefiest looking transom among your choices, and you definitely want 2 stroke. <br />Here's my boat at age 21: (the motor is 41)
OMC2006042.jpg
 

Pete14

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May 16, 2006
Messages
8
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I can't believe that sevylor is 20 years old! Its good to hear a pvc boat lasting that long b/c most people here never have good things to say about those pvc boats. I guess if you take care of it, any inflatable will last. Does it seem like that 11 footer is a little small? I'm looking to get a 14 footer to be comfortable w/ 2 or 3 people fishing. I'm not sure whether to get the 13 or 14 footer baltic/saturn...still hoping someone here can give me a review/opinion on one of these boats. Also would a 15 or 20hp 2stroke be good enough to power a 14 footer...if so how fast?
 

whywhyzed

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Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

That Sevylor is 9' and it's only fun for one.<br />I think a 14 footer would be quite comfy for 3 with enough seating. sitting 2 to abench no fun fishing, but a bait cooler with a seat on it might do (not while travelling)<br /><br />The Johnson and Evinrude 15HP motors traditionally shared the chassis of a 9.9, not sure about newer ones. I have a short shaft 20HP Evinrude tiller that seems awfully heavy... I certainly wouldn't put it on an inflatable rated for less than 20, or maybe 25/30HP rated boat would be better. Lifting it in and out of a trunk or truck bed is doable, but I'm a big guy. 2 person job really. I would go 15HP for the weight reason, unless you really crave speed...then the 20 has so much more power than a 15.. hard to believe it's only 25% more... feels like double on my friends Lund compared to his 15 merc.<br />EDIT - I just went back to grade 7 math for a second, make that 33% more...<br /><br />I would think 2 people in a 14 foot with a 20HP would do close to 30mph, with the 15, I would expect 20-25.<br /><br />You are so close to the water in these things, 20 feels like 50...<br /><br />Prop switching may be required when the speeds get up there....some 9.9 to 20's are propped to push loaded aluminum fishing boats.. a multimeter with a tach function is handy to check that you aren't over speeding the engine too brutally...
 

cobra 3.0

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1,797
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I have had an 18 Merc(same size as a 25 Merc) and now have a 15 evinrude (both two strokes). The 15 is way easier to handle and will easily plane with three people in my 13.5 ft aluminum boat and also will do the same thing in my 12 ft fiberglass boat.
 

Pete14

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May 16, 2006
Messages
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Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I like the video, it looked like you were picking up some speed but hard to see. I just read that the saturn boat i'm looking at has hand glued seems that are double reinforced (4 pieces fabric total). It also seems like zodiac uses a heat welding process...does this make a big difference? But we're also talking about comparing a $1300 boat to a $3700 boat....so i know the zodiac will have better quality but i just wanna see what you guys think.
 

whywhyzed

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Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

hmmm. what I am reading is that apparently the gases that PVC gives off can attack the glues over time... wheras heat welded seams are immune to this.<br />Not sure if that would mean 1/3 the lifespan for 1/3 the price...<br />I'm trying to figure out if my 21 year old seams are welded... I think they are... which would mean you don't have to spend a lot to get welded seams.<br /><br />My watch has GPS...21.9 km/h I think it said...
 

Pete14

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Joined
May 16, 2006
Messages
8
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Does anyone know of any other inflatable boat companies, other than saturn, that glues all seams on pvc boats? i would like to hear if any other companies use this process and if it is durable.
 

Snowdrggn

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Sep 16, 2004
Messages
173
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I have a Zebec inflatable and it is hand glued. The bottom of the tubes are also double layered (I think Sea Eagle does this also), as well as the bottom edge of the transom. Over all I am impressed with the quality of the boat. I've previously owned a couple of PVC Zodiacs, which i sold to people I knew when I bought a new boat. One of them is now 17 years old, the other is 13 years old. Both are still in reliable service today. Mind you they have always been very well looked after and not stored outside. I feel PVC can give good life if looked after properly...<br /><br />Cheers,<br /> Snow.
 

swist

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Jul 1, 2004
Messages
678
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

Hypalon has to be glued. It won't weld.<br /><br />But I don't think this in and of itself is significant. The quality of the construction probably has a lot more to do with the longevity of the seams than the details of how they are done.
 

captmark

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Joined
Aug 17, 2008
Messages
1
Re: Inflatable Boat Brands

I bought my inflatable from a company here in New Hampshire, Coastal Inflatables. They have a showroom in Rye, NH. I first saw the boats at the New England Boat Show in Boston. It was nice to see the boat before buying and to talk to the owner of the company. He is an excellent person to deal with, believes in customer service first. He pointed out to me that Coastal boats has features not found on other similiar boats (davit lift points, splash guards to name a few). I found the quality to be excellent. I bought an 11' with a 6HP Tohatsu for under $2300. It was nice to deal with a company who stands behind their product, returns phone calls promptly and believes in customer service instead of those companys who who hide behind a web site and you can never talk to a "real person".
Another great feature, New Hampshie is a tax free State! :)
 
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