Zodiac Zoom 260 S

[Grot]

I recently bought a vacation home on a lake in central Florida. The house is on a lake and includes docking rights.

I would like to purchase a small boat that can be moored on the dock whilst I am on vacation, then stored in the house when I leave.

I see on this board that the Zodiac 260S with a 5HP Honda has been offered for $2499 (Currently out of stock however) which would be within my budget.

The boat size would fit my plans and the but I am wondering whether the motor would as the boat is rated up to an 8 HP motor. What sort of performance could I expect from this combination in terms of speed bearing in mind I weigh around 190 pounds ?

If on the odd occasion my wife were also on board adding a further 170 pounds what would be the effect on the performance ?

 

[dunhi11]

Re: Zodiac Zoom 260 S

hi, i have a similar boat and i think 5hp can barely provide enough power to get the boat on plane, even with 1 person.

if the portability is your major concern, i think Nissan 6hp is not a bad choice, it weigh only 55lbs.

by the way, the price 2500 for a zodiac and a honda is not bad.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Zodiac Zoom 260 S

I am wondering whether the motor would as the boat is rated

?

If on the odd occasion my wife were also on board adding a further 170 pounds what would be the effect on the performance ?

the effect of a second person is huge

it should plane with 1 person, not much chance of planing with 2 aboard

with the full 8HP, it should plane with 2 adults, but it won't be a barrel of fun...

for "zipping around", it's a 1 person craft

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: Zodiac Zoom 260 S

The 260 S is not designed to do anything other than go from ship to shore...Slowly. Yes, it can get up on plane with one person and enough hp, but with two people in the boat it sits so low in the water that you are unlikely to get it up on plane with anything. You really need to go to a boat about 6 inches longer and you need to keep the weight of the engine as low as possible while getting at least a 5 hp in a 2-stroke or a 6 hp in a 4-stroke.