Joining the Inflatable Ranks.

[Depth.Charge]

Greetings everyone,

First off, thanks to everyone who posts info about inflatables, it helps the rest of us make informed decisions. I'm going to be purchasing and inflatable for fishing soon, and I had my choices narrowed down somewhat between a few brands, some new, some used. But the more I dig up info, the more dealers I find, or brands/re-brands etc. I'm sure this is a familiar path that many of you have been down before. Then I ran across this ad on CL for inflatables - sizes ranging from 12.5' - 19' and some change on another post. I'm going to call the guy either tomorrow or the day after and try to source some info from him about the boats. My questions are, what should I ask about in terms of the boat itself and if I go to view one, what should I look for there as well? Does it appear similar to other brands out on the market already? Seems like a great deal if the boat is actually quality, but like most people I would prefer not to get burned, you know what I mean. Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

http://seattle.craigslist.org/tac/boa/2935452250.html

The only info I could gather from it was based on the model number that is posted, which comes up with a boat from ParSun? Anybody heard of/have a ParSun inflatable?

Respectfully.

 

[Mlmg]

Re: Joining the Inflatable Ranks.

I would ask:

Who makes the boat
Where are the warranty stations
What is the warranty
How are the seams held together..
If glued, probably a two year warranty.

I bought a zodiac b/c of local and nationwide service, weld their seams and have a five year warranty. It is PVC, so I expect a 5-8 year life.

 

[likalar]

Re: Joining the Inflatable Ranks.

Call me a skeptic, but I would be cautious. The CL ad shows 3 videos, but none of them show the boat that is for sale. The poster says his boats are "similar" to the ones in the video. Yes, they are all inflatables, but claims like this are misleading. The first video shows a boat with a traditional shaped bow and 3 rectangular handles on each side. The for sale boat has diamond-shaped handles and a very squared bow. Then, he alludes to pro quality by stating: "The military uses them, Coast Guard and law enforcement. " He never really states which military or that the Coast Guard uses them. He just mentions Coast Guard and law enforcement. I can't imagine the Coast Guard using anything but the best that money can buy, built to Coast Guard stringent specs. Good luck in your search.

Larry

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Joining the Inflatable Ranks.

Parsun is a Chinese engine manufacturer, they buy their boats to some manufacturer and just place their logo on them as most of the products now a days. The link seems has ben removed, no longer visible.

Happy Boating