Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

[gobigkahuna]

I've been debating this for a while now, maybe some advice here will help me decide:

I want to get a small boat that I can use for both work and play. For work, I'll need to carry two adults and take a very small gas generator (40 lbs) and some electronics equipment (in a waterproof case, another 50 lbs). For play, I'll need to carry two adults, plus surfboards and maybe some other toys. I'd guess that I'd use the boat 60% of the time just cruising around, 30% of the time hauling surfboards to a remote destination (5 miles away) and 10% of the time for work.

I live on the Outer Banks of North Carolina and the boat ramps I'll be using are either 1 mile away, 5 miles away or 15 miles away. My vehicle is a 4 cylinder Nissan Frontier 2WD. I have just enough room in my driveway for a 14 foot fiberglass boat and trailer. My total budget for a boat with motor is roughly $2 - 2.5K. I'm looking at either a 14' fiberglass skiff or 12' inflatable. I've seen a fair number of suitable fiberglass boats in that price range, most need some work and look pretty heavily used. I'm an experienced mariner and handy with fiberglass, but I'm not really looking for another project.

I'd get a fiberglass boat except I'm concerned about:

a. the additional wear and tear on my little truck pulling a boat up and down a ramp,
b. the additional work / upkeep a used boat & motor requires
c. fairly large motor requirements and the gas it will burn (most boats this size have a 30 or 40 HP).

The advantages to a fiberglass skiff I think would be:

a. lots of room in a 14' boat
b. better durability for beaching and hitting sand bars oyster shells

I'd get an inflatable boat except I'm concerned that:

a. for its size it lacks much space for gear (my surfboards are 9' long and where would I put a generator that wouldn't be a fire hazard?)
b. the additional hassle / time / work to pump up and rig an inflatable boat

The advantages to an inflato boat I think would include:

a. easily transported in the back of my little truck
b. pretty easily launched from all sorts of spots, not just boat ramps

As you can probably tell, I've thought this out a fair bit. Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

Thanks!

 

[jnewtonsem]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

gobigkahuna: Welcome to the forum. I'm also in NC but down on the SC border. I had a 16' V-hull ski boat before buying a 15' inflatable. The V-hull was definately more comfortable, better ride, faster etc. But I was always having to watch the tides, concerned about sholes, etc. Found it a real pain. With the inflatable, I can put it in almost anywhere, go anywhere up to about a foot of water. If you run up on a sand bar at speed, just hop out and push it off. Can get out into the ocean anywhere there is an inlet. I've taken it out in the ocean through small inlets and high waves that I wouldn't dare take my other boat. Just bounces right over them. In that regard inflatable is great. Downside is the traditional inflatable beats you death in choppy water. Not so bad where waves are spaced. I understand the cat hull inflatables have a much better ride but more expensive.

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Looks like you have thought out your options pretty thoroughly. I own a zodiac futura mk11 that is 13' 9" with a 40hp EPTO Nissan. The boat weighs 191lbs, the motor weighs around 180 and there is a couple of hundred lbs in equipment onboard. Depending on what you buy you may find that loading and unloading from your pickup is possible, but not in any way easy. I have a trailer. Your 4 cylinder truck will pull even a full size inflatable pretty well, but you may find the 2 wheel drive aspect a bit of a pain on wet steep ramps and beach launches. Going with a solid hull boat you will be towing a LOT more weight for the same size hull. Starts, stops, hills and ramps will become a real issue if you don't manage your load with a solid hull boat on a trailer. There is the trade off between durability and weight, but my inflatable was worth it for me so I could comfortably tow to Mexico. Too many hills and four wheel drive roads for a heavy boat/trailer combo. Nice to be able to easily beach launch too.

Figuring you will go with a smaller vessel? It wouldn't require a trailer and a smaller motor would suffice. However, the tubes on an inflatable suck up a lot of what would be floor space. I see people out surfing the Point here in San Diego in some pretty small inflatables when the water is calm, but we are not talking comfort, quickness or stability around larger swells and rough water in a really small inflatable. I'm not sure what kind of work you are doing, but the tight floor space in smaller inflatables will not be conducive to a whole lot of activity. Go stand in one first and try to judge if you will be overly restricted in a smaller inflatable. There is a thread I started on Zodiac Mods. You will find some posts where a contributor shows a rack that he straps on top of the tubes. The rack is suspended across the boat. That is the kind of thing you could do to raise your generator onto a platform where the exhaust would vent away from the tubes. A mount like that would be easy to remove. Just a suggestion.

To summarize my spin, smaller boats are really small, trailers are a good thing and inflatables with 4 cylinder trucks are a good pairing.

I haul my Brewer longboard around on racks.

 

[gobigkahuna]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Thanks for the feedback. You don't have to sell me on the seakeeping qualities of an inflatable. I worked on research ships and drove RHIB's in the middle of the ocean, they're great. The problem I see is how in the world would I carry and operate a small generator without burning up my boat? I was thinking about a plywood floor or metal frame, but I'm not sure how well that would work and it would probably be a pain to carry around.

I'm in Morehead City, BTW. I'm guessing you're in Wilmington? I thought about getting a bigger inflatable (the 14' is not much more expensive than a 12') but then I'd have to keep it on a trailer and the outboard it would probably be too heavy to carry down to the beach (for non-boat ramp launching).

 

[jnewtonsem]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

I think the gnerator is an issue. If you are running a generator in the boat, gassing it up etc. may be a problem especially with PVC. Gas will eventually melt PVC. Not so bad on Hypolan. An alluminium floor would probably be a necessity. I have mine on a trailer and easy to get in and out/ pull with a small car. I'm in Chapel Hill, have a place in Sunset Beach.

 

[gobigkahuna]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Thanks Nobransd. I used to live and surf up in Carlsbad, surfed Mexico and drove boats out of San D. harbor all the time. I know your neighborhood pretty well.

The situation here is a little different, I'd probably be in protected (ie. flat) water most of the time. No plans on taking it outside in anything other than flat conditions.

I'd like to have a bigger boat than 12', but if I do that I'll have to keep it on a trailer and all the costs start to skyrocket. For now I'll have to either get an older glass boat or a 12' inflato.

Yup, I saw the "mods" thread and the top mounted rack you're talking about. I'd have to build it out of aluminum for the saltwater here, so it might be a bit pricey, but I like the concept. I also like your surfboard racks idea, could I get a peak at some higher res. photos of how the surf racks mount to the boat? What did you make them out of? I'm riding my 11' board more often than not, it'll be challenging to fit that on a 12' boat, huh?

 

[paulpost]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Thanks Nobransd. I used to live and surf up in Carlsbad, surfed Mexico and drove boats out of San D. harbor all the time. I know your neighborhood pretty well.

The situation here is a little different, I'd probably be in protected (ie. flat) water most of the time. No plans on taking it outside in anything other than flat conditions.

I'd like to have a bigger boat than 12', but if I do that I'll have to keep it on a trailer and all the costs start to skyrocket. For now I'll have to either get an older glass boat or a 12' inflato.

Yup, I saw the "mods" thread and the top mounted rack you're talking about. I'd have to build it out of aluminum for the saltwater here, so it might be a bit pricey, but I like the concept. I also like your surfboard racks idea, could I get a peak at some higher res. photos of how the surf racks mount to the boat? What did you make them out of? I'm riding my 11' board more often than not, it'll be challenging to fit that on a 12' boat, huh?

I've just bought a saturn 365(12') with air deck. I picked it up and at the wharehouse. there was an 13' with a canvas bimini top that loked sturdy enougf to hold two surf board properly fastened.
Regarding the generator, if it has it's own gastank and can fit in an big kooler and close the lid on top of it would be a good choice.
Just my sugestions.
Paul

 

[gobigkahuna]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

This is the generator ( http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200313480_200313480 ) weighs 45 lbs. I don't think a cooler would work as it needs air for intake, cooling and exhaust.

 

[paulpost]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

sorry for the confusion my suggestion is for an cooler with a lid that can be closed i case the generator cots fire

 

[gobigkahuna]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

How about an aluminum floor boat? It would be heavier than an inflatable floor boat but not as heavy as a wood floor. On that topic, anyone know anything about "Delphinus" inflatables? They're sold out of California.

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

I always wish I had three different boats... I will still try to sell the idea of the bigger inflatable, particularly if you want to carry any gear. My zodiac would certainly zip around just fine with a smaller engine. I see good trailers for $500. If you plan on getting much use out of the boat you will get tired of dealing with the set up every time. May not be possible or practical for you right now, but I graduated from a little Avon pretty fast. Still had to go with a boat smaller than I wanted so it would fit my garage...

With a small Yamaha generator or other suitcase sized model you could just make a bench out of 3/4 marine ply and set it across the tubes. No place to strap it? They sell those glue on strips with grommets for lacing down avon seats on e-bay. The generator would probably prefer to be mounted high off the wet floor anyways. Fire? What the hell! Haven't had a generator burst into flames yet!

My surf racks are really basic. They bolt to my seat benches. Used to have the back one off the transom, but short boards didn't fit properly. The arms reach wide to accomodate my tractor seats. The rail across the bench front is great for lashing equipment and spreads the load out. Lot's of leverage on that rack arm! The rack tubes attach with a flange to the bench. The rack arm in the first picture is turned in as it is when I drive down the road. All Hollaender Speed Rail Fittings made of aluminum. Adult tinkertoys. Here in SoCal easy to get at Industrial Metal Supply. Putting your boards on a bimini... it better be calm water! Wish I had a t top. I started out using two ethafoam (morey boogie stuff) "bones" that sat on my tubes and I strapped my boards on top. Worked pretty well if you strap the boards right, but was a pain to deal with at the end of a cold surf day. Strapping straight to the round tube top was difficult for me to master and the flex of the boat made me leary of attaching my Brewer like that!

http://www.hollaender.com

 

[gobigkahuna]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Thanks for the pics and link, I'm starting to get the idea now.

The more I think about it the more I'm liking the idea of an aluminum floor boat. Never heard of these guys before, but they're in your neck of the woods and their prices seem pretty good: http://www.dinghyland.com/DL385.html

I also liked how you strapped the board down to the tube with a pair of bonez. I have a couple of boards, but my current favorite is my 11' epoxy. Biggest board I've ever ridden but have really enjoyed it in the overhead swells Hanna gave us. It will certainly be a challenge to strap that puppy to a 12 foot boat. Fortunately, if I'm carrying gear / boards it will only be in relatively flat water and in the sound en route to the point.

I also found your threads and photos of how you installed seats. This is something else I'd like to do but none of the boats I've seen have cast aluminum supports under the bench like your Zodiac does. Is that a retrofit part or do Zodiacs come like that standard? Sure seems a lot stronger than just hooking the bench onto tabs on the tubes.

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: Inflatable or fiberglass advice?

Yeah, Strapping the boards down to the tube works, but be aware that the tube will flex and your board does not. I tried not to strap the board at the very ends and tied them down along a section of my boat that is relatively rigid. The bones kept the rest of the board raised so the front of the tubes could move around without tweaking the board. If the surface is really calm you can just lay the board across the tubes, strap them down and drive like they are airplane wings... have to be careful making turns with a longboard though. My racks let the board float above the tubes. Great when I launch off a big swell on the way to the Point.

The zodiac futura comes with tracks along the sides of the aluminum floorboard. The bench seats are easy to reposition or remove. If you look at the pics my front bench seat is mounted with aluminum brackets I made and bolted down to the floor, I raised the bench height to fit my gas tank underneath. Lots of ways to mount equipment! Nice ideas posted in that mod thread by many inflatable owners. Even an aluminum floor model will be problematic with a generator. Having the exhaust blowing inside the space below the level of the tubes, I'm not sure that would be wise. Heat is not your tubes friend. I'm sure you can work something out, but I wouldn't put it right down on my floor. Heck, I pull my battery up onto my bench and strap it down there in really rough conditions so I don't have to worry about flooding it if I get swamped. I just can't picture anything electronic sitting on my floor. It does take the occasional splash and I do get water in the boat when I climb in.

I definitely like an aluminum floor. Rigid and lightweight. But it is the rail system that makes the aluminum portion of the flooring rigid that is key for me. I have a wakeboard pole attached to my flooring and I wouldn't have done that if it was just wooden sections fitted together along their two adjoining edges. The big rail zodiac uses is firmly captured by the inflated tubes and is a very strong system. Inflatable floors are convenient to pack, but lower your horsepower rating, flex more and don't provide anyplace to actually bolt stuff down. I can keep my tubes safe, but it's also nice not to worry about damaging the floor with tracked in dirt, small sharp rocks and the occasional dropped fish hook.

I think they are a little more expensive, but I was checking out an AMI inflatable at the launch ramp. Sold by westmarine. Very nice. Haven't seen a Delphinus up close.

I am curious what point you are surfing. Not like I'm coming out to add to the crowd! But could you mention the name so I can take a look on Google earth? Good luck with your purchase. You will have fun with whatever you buy. Just remember an inflatable is an ephemeral item that won't last forever and requires a bit of care. If you want a workhorse vessel go fiberglass.