Bargain Bombard Aerotec 380 package for sale

[Max...]

Nothing to do with me (and buyer beware as always) but just received an alert from Apollo Duck:

Bombard Aerotec 380 for sale UK, Bombard boats for sale, Bombard used boat sales, Bombard Inflatable Boats For Sale BOMBARD 3.80 AREOTEC, (ZODIAC) - Apollo Duck

Includes wheels (worth around £150 second hand) and Mercury 10 hp (£1000+) all at £1395.

Aerotec's really need a 15 hp but sell the engine on and it means you're getting the boat for £150! Sadly the slower grey version but you can't have everything...

If I was up that way I'd snap it up double, double quick.

[Fenlander]

Phoned out of interest and seems it's sold. Someone got an interesting deal!

[Max...]

Yep, potentially one of the SIB deals of the year. If someone here got it would be great.

[Landlockedpirate]

Originally Posted by Max...

Yep, potentially one of the SIB deals of the year. If someone here got it would be great.

Thats as long as the Zodiac Pritt Stick is still holding it all together, not something I would bet on with a nearly 20 year old boat

[Fenlander]

>>>Thats as long as the Zodiac Pritt Stick is still holding it all together

Yep it's all a gamble with older SIBs and the Zodiac PVC glue thing... price vs remaining life and all that.

I worried a bit about our Zodiac 340 (which is either 11 or 12 this year - I forget) when we bought it last year but I've pulled at all the glued seams and so far so good. In general I've gained the impression the Aerotecs have lasted even better?? Might just be Aerotec owners don't tell though :-)

[Max...]

Buyer beware as always. Regardless, most of the boat is thermowelded and even *if* the transom/tube interface say was showing issues which would soon be obvious on inspection its still an outfit to buy and split and make a tidy profit towards another boat. No reason to think it is iffy though but worse case scenario and it fails a month later it's still more than a good deal and salvageable.

[Fenlander]

Perhaps the grey ones are slower as they have more glue?

[Landlockedpirate]

I did have a 380 which was a 98/99. It was grey and had no sign of glue degradation, but a red 2003 had glue as sticky as mayonnaise.

Ive also noticed that the red Futura's i've had are more prone to glue failure,non of my white ones have ever failed, could be just coincidence ?

I have a completely non scientific theory that the darker boats absorb more heat in the sun and speed up the glue failure ?

[stray]

have a completely non scientific theory that the darker boats absorb more heat in the sun and speed up the glue failure ?

I like your thinking, but what sun are you on about? I've been out about a dozen times this year and my sun glasses have stayed firmly in the bag. Todays light showers ended up as quite a downpour.

[Fenlander]

>>>Phoned out of interest and seems it's sold

>>>If someone here got it would be great.


Not in my nature to be deceitful but until the money is handed over and you have the goods nothing is certain so....

I did buy it and we collected from Warwick this weekend. Totally honestly described over the phone by seller as a well used example with some patches (one tube, two floor skin i.e. not HP floors). It's been on davits as a tender in the past so has some ugly extra ring patches. But all tube chambers and both floor sections have held pressure since I inflated it here which is a good start.

So way off a minter... just workmanlike used condition.

Looks like I'll have some glue to do at the end of this season or before next... but in the overall package the boat was a very small cost using my man maths so happy to do that.

Outboard is a typical low hours near mint Mercury 10hp with original documents from new and has just had plugs, gear oil & impellor. Pumps water like a good un, starts easily and ran smoothly in the guy's test tank. Obviously a bit small for the 380 but I already have a really nice Mercury 15 to use with it.

I've said before the Aerotec was off our list as the Mrs has some early onset joint problems and struggles to step in on the angled floor.... but at long last she had an opp earlier this year that seems to have removed this issue so we wanted to experiment.

We're taking both this Aerotec and our Zodiac 340 Acti-V to the Scottish west coast for 2wks in July so we'll see which suits/performs best.

Obviously thanks to Max for mentioning this advert or I'd never have seen it.

[Max...]

Well done David, glad it's gone to a good home and that's a super deal.

We've been out all day in ours playing in silly big waves outside the harbour thinking what are we doing in this?! but once again the Aerotec never fails to amaze, it really is an incredibly capable boat.

[Fenlander]

Thanks Max.

Plan at the moment is to take both SIBs and both outboards for the July 2wk holiday (staying the width of the village road from a slipway and SIBs will be left inflated for the whole 2wks - luxury for us). We will use the 340 Zodiac with the 10hp and one teen.... the Aerotec with self and Mrs using the 15hp.

Should give a fairly level performance for some fun outings plus boat to boat photo opportunities... hopefully not one of daughter capturing the moment the Aerotec transom falls off!

[Max...]

It will be interesting if you can do a speed comparison back to back too with the 15.

My old Zodiac 340 Fastroller with Tohatsu 9.8 used to hit 17.5 kts on a good day 1 1/2 up with minor gear. The Aerotec (due to it's more draggy much deeper V 'hull' compared to the Zodiac's 'skaty' flat hull as I understand it) is a bit more demanding of power and needs the Mariner 15 to match this. It's touched 18.5 but usually tops out at 17 ish with the same load.

You'll need a 20mm raiser block on the Aerotec with the Mariner 15.

[Fenlander]

>>>You'll need a 20mm raiser block on the Aerotec with the Mariner 15.

Thanks for the reminder... I'll make up perhaps three as we'll be away from home when testing with no chance to make/alter anything... 20mm plus one a bit less and one a bit more.

[Fenlander]

>>>speed comparison back to back too with the 15

Yes we certainly will. I don't have the GPS figures to hand at the moment but oddly the current 340 Acti-V seems slower and less lively to hop on the plane than the 360 Fastrollers we had. The slowest of all SIBs we've used with the 15hp obviously was the heavy Honwave 3.5 alloy floor.

[Max...]

Pic of mine below, I think any higher and you have the usual issue of the clamps being too high + cavitation in tight turns.

http://www.rib.net/forum/f50/making-...els-68175.html