New Boat Question

[Dry Diver]

Hello,

I am looking into purchasing a new boat for the summer. I currently have an Achilles 16' w/40ph merc SS tiler. The boat is a 1984, I think that it is getting tired and that it is time to replace it. I will be using the motor and trailer that I already have for the new boat.

I was thinking about the Saturn SD430. http://boatstogo.com/inflatable_boat_sd430.aspDoes anyone have any personal experience with these boats? If so what are your thoughts.

If not the saturn then I was looking at a boat at www.coastalinflatableboats.com The model there that I was looking at is the XHD430. Does anyone have anyexperience with them as well.

Looking for a general consensus of what people think. I am new to the inflatable world. I will be using the boat for scuba diving. Also what are the thoughts of the wood vs alum floor, pro's and con's? I have a trailer that I will be keeping the boat on. I will not be inflating and deflating. One the boat is aired up it will stay that way.

 

[surfga]

Re: New Boat Question

I have a Saturn SD385 with the inflatable floor. I really like the boat and we have enjoyed the time we have had with it. I run a 25hp Yamaha 2-stroke which is a good match.

The boats are versatile and boatstogo has lots of cool accessories that make life easier. We have the bimini, underseat storage, and 12v pump from them. I made a seating console from scratch(among many other custom mods), but will still buy the aluminum console they offer before next season. It's a much better design and much lighter than mine. ;-)

I initially bought the boat with the intention of keeping it deflated most of the time, hence the air floor. Now it stays on a trailer full time. If I had to do it over, I would get the aluminum floor that they offer and have gone bigger with the SD430 or SD470.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Saturn.

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: New Boat Question

Saturn is a low end PVC fabric boat....Nothing wrong with that at all. But, you need to budget three additional times to replace it if you want another 26 years of boating. Your old Hypalon Achilles was/is a premium brand that can last a very long time. Low end PVC boats just will not have a long service life.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: New Boat Question

Thank you for the heads up on the length of life.

Here is my situation. I am a little limited as to the weight of a boat that I can tow right now. That is why I am going the inflatable route. I originaly bought my Achilles for $400.00. I knew when I bought it that I would not be getting any "real" life out of it. It was more of a means to an end. I wanted to know if I would be ok or like diving out of an inflatable boat. I have answered the question. Yes I am fine with it. If my truck was not a limiting factor then I would see myself in a 21-27' CC. That "is" where I will end up eventually.

I am getting married this Saturday and the woman that I am marrying (really hard to admit this because of my pride) has a truck that would be able to pull the boat that I mentioned above. The only thing now is the timing and money to purchase said boat. The Achilles that I have really does not like to 40HP merc on the back of it. I think that the transom is moving around far too much and fear that it may at any moment in time decide it wants to be an anchor instead of a motor. Just for the record....that would be bad! The person that I bought the boat from was using it for fishing on a lake and had a little 5hp motor on it for just putting around the lake with no current no tides or water movement other than that caused by other boats passing by. So there was certainly no issue with stressing the transom. The boat would still be perfect for that type of use and I may instead of putting the boat to rest try to sell if for $100-$200 to be used for just that same purpose, sorry that is beside the point.

We will get a bigger boat in a few years, but I still want to be able to dive out of a boat till then. That is where the lower end and cost inflatables come in. I don't mind spending the money (less than $2,000) on the boat because I know how often we dive and the cost of chartering a boat cost way more in the end. And with that you have to go where everyone else wants to go and you are their time frame. I plan to get two to three years diving out of it before we will be ready to buy what we really want. Is that a reasonable amount of time to expect out of a cheaper model of a PVC boat?

She is also a scuba diver as well so she is on board so to say "Pun intended" with the whole boat purchase. There are just a few things that we need to get sorted out as a newly married couple before we want to drop 10K or more on the CC that we both want.

I know that I am being long winded here and probably giving way more information that I need to. Just trying to paint an accurate picture here of what my needs are now and what they will look like in a few years as to the purchase of this boat or any other that I might make in the near future.

As always thank you in advance for all the insight that I know that I will receive here. Looking forward to hearing anyone opinion...

You guys are great! Thanks

Dan

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: New Boat Question

Saturn is the high end of the low end Realistic service life is between three to six years depending on the exposure level to UV. Warranty stations probably will not be available to you, however, I wouldn't be overly concerned about that based on the price. Think of this boat like a car tire that is supposed to last 36,000 miles. If you were to get 20,000 miles on it you would feel screwed, if you got 30, 000 you would probably feel like you got your monies worth. So, if you got 4 years of trouble free service out of a Saturn you should feel like you got your monies worth, fives years would probably put you ahead of the game and if you can get six out of it you probably saved money over the long haul. It's a cost versus service life issue rather than a feature issue.

 

[Dry Diver]

Re: New Boat Question

Thanks for the answers.

Still looking for more feed back. Has anyone every owned one of the Coastal Boats. You mentioned warranty issues. The Coastal company is about 2hours from me so It would certainly be easier to get service if need be. Still up in the air about the two. Any advice or feedback from a coastal owner would be great.

Thanks

Dan

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: New Boat Question

Thanks for the answers.

Still looking for more feed back. Has anyone every owned one of the Coastal Boats. You mentioned warranty issues. The Coastal company is about 2hours from me so It would certainly be easier to get service if need be. Still up in the air about the two. Any advice or feedback from a coastal owner would be great.

Thanks

Dan

Nothing against PVC sibs and Saturn brand, why don't you go instead for a Quicksilver 430 alum floor sib, excellent as diving platforms, will acept a 30 HP. Had a pvc Quicksilver 340 for 10 years, sold it inmaculate to uprate on to a larger sib, still sibbing around with new owner

If warranty is an issue, go for a Quicksilver...

Happy Boating.