Help a newbie out please please

[Whgoffrn]

So I’ve always loved the inflatable boats. Always been drawn to them I guess from my sailing says when I had a small 10 ft dinghy. Even when not sailing I loved taking it out fishing despite having a bigger fiberglass boat meant for fishing
I’ve always owned the SIBs anything from 10 foot ones till just last year I bought the 18 foot Saturn with the aluminum floor and honestly I’m a little disappointed. Took it out and those aluminum floor boards bang and clank around A LOT when hitting chop. So I’ve considered a rib. Being new and also not having that deep of pockets and being on a budget I’ve been looking at 18ish foot used ones. My budget that I’m hoping to stay in is around 15k-20k. Most of these boats are obviously old and I know the replacement cost for tubes would be a lot. Except I’m kiss now finding out zodiacs the tubes can be replaced at home. That a regular person can diy a tube replacement for a zodiac. Is this accurate. Are there any other boat manufacturers that’s tubes can also be replaced by a diy instalation
Is this a bad idea or can anyone give me any insight into if specifically searching for used zodiacs to save on cost of tube replacement is the cheapest route ??

[Easedalenovice]

I don’t know about tube replacement but I am surprised you Ali floor clunked about as you say. I have had a few Ali floored sibs and this did not happen. My current Honwave T35 which cost only £1,275 also does not clunk.

[Iankristy]

Originally Posted by Whgoffrn

So I’ve always loved the inflatable boats. Always been drawn to them I guess from my sailing says when I had a small 10 ft dinghy. Even when not sailing I loved taking it out fishing despite having a bigger fiberglass boat meant for fishing

I’ve always owned the SIBs anything from 10 foot ones till just last year I bought the 18 foot Saturn with the aluminum floor and honestly I’m a little disappointed. Took it out and those aluminum floor boards bang and clank around A LOT when hitting chop. So I’ve considered a rib. Being new and also not having that deep of pockets and being on a budget I’ve been looking at 18ish foot used ones. My budget that I’m hoping to stay in is around 15k-20k. Most of these boats are obviously old and I know the replacement cost for tubes would be a lot. Except I’m kiss now finding out zodiacs the tubes can be replaced at home. That a regular person can diy a tube replacement for a zodiac. Is this accurate. Are there any other boat manufacturers that’s tubes can also be replaced by a diy instalation

Is this a bad idea or can anyone give me any insight into if specifically searching for used zodiacs to save on cost of tube replacement is the cheapest route ??

The Zodiac system is pretty niche. Bear in mind most folk hardly use their boats(-100hrs a year) so look for one that’s been covered or stored indoors. For 20k you’ll be able to find a really decent 6mtr(ish) rib with tubes you don’t need to worry about.

[Whgoffrn]

Originally Posted by Iankristy

The Zodiac system is pretty niche. Bear in mind most folk hardly use their boats(-100hrs a year) so look for one that’s been covered or stored indoors. For 20k you’ll be able to find a really decent 6mtr(ish) rib with tubes you don’t need to worry about.

I found a guy with a zodiac 550 bay runner 4 year old tubes and good running Yamaha 75 for $12k really thinking of pulling the trigger
Just wondered though about if zodiac is the only one that has a diy tube replacement ability

[Dadeo]

If the floor is rattling the boat is probably not inflated enough, or the floor isn't installed properly. Something is not right. You need to check your air pressure, and double check that you've got enough air in the bladder under the floor. Double check that the side stringers (that hold the floor boards) and the floor boards are properly attached to each other.

[Easedalenovice]

Originally Posted by Dadeo

If the floor is rattling the boat is probably not inflated enough, or the floor isn't installed properly. Something is not right. You need to check your air pressure, and double check that you've got enough air in the bladder under the floor. Double check that the side stringers (that hold the floor boards) and the floor boards are properly attached to each other.

I agree I have never had one of these 'Rattle'

[Matt]

There's a time and place for everything - but if it's practical, a rigid hull is always going to perform better in bigger boats. You just can't get the rigidity & shape of the hull on a SIB. But you also can't roll up a rib and put it in the boot of the car. It's horses for courses.

One of the worst performing boats I've ever been on was a big sib with a mariner 50 on the back. Rigged as a full on rescue boat, it really looked the business. But if I needed to rescue someone, the better tool for the job was the knackered club rescue boat which was a dory with an evinrude 18 on the back, ruined prop, wobbly transom, pull start, rope steering and so forth. But I knew it would get me to the casualty quickly and I knew I could position the boat with absolute precision to provide the best assistance.

The sib drove like a hovercraft and if you were in any chop, it just wobbled & flapped it's way along, regardless of how hard you pumped the tubes up. Now I know this is an extreme case and a modern newer sib would be infinitely better - but I use the example to make the point.

In your case, I note the comments above. Are you sure you don't just need to pump the tubes up a bit more?

If 15-20K is your budget, in the UK you're easily in the range of being able to buy some nice & tidy ribs, ready to go. I also wouldn't worry, in that price & size range, about the tubes - you'll be able to buy something with at least a decade of life left in the tubes, and more if you look after it. Acknowledging the FX rate difference - is the US rib market similar?

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Matt

There's a time and place for everything - but if it's practical, a rigid hull is always going to perform better in bigger boats. You just can't get the rigidity & shape of the hull on a SIB. But you also can't roll up a rib and put it in the boot of the car. It's horses for courses.

One of the worst performing boats I've ever been on was a big sib with a mariner 50 on the back. Rigged as a full on rescue boat, it really looked the business. But if I needed to rescue someone, the better tool for the job was the knackered club rescue boat which was a dory with an evinrude 18 on the back, ruined prop, wobbly transom, pull start, rope steering and so forth. But I knew it would get me to the casualty quickly and I knew I could position the boat with absolute precision to provide the best assistance.

The sib drove like a hovercraft and if you were in any chop, it just wobbled & flapped it's way along, regardless of how hard you pumped the tubes up. Now I know this is an extreme case and a modern newer sib would be infinitely better - but I use the example to make the point.

In your case, I note the comments above. Are you sure you don't just need to pump the tubes up a bit more?

If 15-20K is your budget, in the UK you're easily in the range of being able to buy some nice & tidy ribs, ready to go. I also wouldn't worry, in that price & size range, about the tubes - you'll be able to buy something with at least a decade of life left in the tubes, and more if you look after it. Acknowledging the FX rate difference - is the US rib market similar?

I agree with everything Matt says here, even a modest rib will outperform a sib of similar size in every way with the exception of fitting in a car boot

[Fenlander]

Re the "rattle". Even at correct pressures if you drive a hard floor SIB with enough enthusiasm in a sharp chop maybe not a constant rattle but you can get clacks (alloy) and creaking (wood) from the floors. We've experienced it with Honwave and Zodiac models.

Given the OP was referring to an alloy floor SIB 5.5m long and of generic far east build I'm not that surprised it rattled.

[Whgoffrn]

Yeah the tubes are inflated to the psi they are supposed to be. I dunno if it’s just because it’s a large sib at 18 feet long and at that length the aluminum floor shows it’s weakness. I’ve even seen YouTube videos where there are two others with a 16 and 18 ft saturn saying they can’t take waves well because of the floors bending. I haven’t bent mine but they sure do bang around and clank around a good bit when hitting waves and chop

[office888]

Originally Posted by Whgoffrn

Yeah the tubes are inflated to the psi they are supposed to be. I dunno if it’s just because it’s a large sib at 18 feet long and at that length the aluminum floor shows it’s weakness. I’ve even seen YouTube videos where there are two others with a 16 and 18 ft saturn saying they can’t take waves well because of the floors bending. I haven’t bent mine but they sure do bang around and clank around a good bit when hitting waves and chop

Saturns are a low cost boat. Something has to give.

Floor fitment has a lot to do with what Zodiac called “floor grip”.

For a SIB that size, the floor needs to be about 55mm longer than the space between the bow pocket or thrustboard and the transom. That way, when the floor is installed, it physically stretches the material.

I assume you’re Charleston, SC, not WV? I’m over in Summerville. Feel free to reach out if you’d like any input.

I do have an early 90s Zodiac Pro System 420 that will be up for sale at some point, but it’s a back burner project for me currently.

[Whgoffrn]

I’m actually in Charleston wv. I’ve had it up in summersville as well. It did ok in summersville due to small lake and while there’s some slight chop in the more wide open areas for the most part it’s a pretty flat lake and the Saturn handles those waters just fine. When I took it down to Florida and fished on it in the mosquito lagoon is where it showed it’s weakness. Not sure if your ever been on the icw down in Florida but the chop is prob twice what summersville gets and that’s when you hear the loud clunks of the aluminum floor boards.

[Peter_C]

I am used to the chop and swells of the San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean where the 4.2m Zodiac I had creaked and groaned as it twisted around. An air pressure gauge is the only way to determine the proper pressure. So I would consider the noises normal.

My RIB hull rides quiet, but the water bottles, and other hard sided accessories around the boat bang around. Yesterday was a very rough ride too.