Defender SIBs, anyone??

MD2Colo · 25 November 2012, 12:51

Does anyone own or have any experience with Defender's line of boats?
I assume they're Chinese by the price ($4300 for a 17.5' CSM-Hyp) which is a little concerning but hey, wth.

How about JP Marine?
Yah, I was just thinking about possible upgrades in a year or two and was wondering if these are even worth a shot.

Here's a link to the Defender boat
Defender First Responder, Aluminum Floor 17' 5" Inflatable Boat

Not seeing much on the web in terms of reviews for both of these companies... A couple hits on JP Marine but nada on Defender.

Thanks in advance

prairie tuber · 25 November 2012, 19:51

Looks to be good, heavy duty fabric (Achilles version of hypalon 1670 dtx). The price is very reasonable for a SIB of this size.

There is a forum member ( slance ) from Defender Industries who posts regularly on the North American forum. You might want to send him a PM to get more information on this boat.

Defender also sells a full line of mil-pro zodiacs, Avons and other brands, so he should be able to give you a fair idea of how their "house brand" SIBS would compare against the bigger name brands.

Locozodiac · 26 November 2012, 14:05

Why do you need a 17.5" sib for ? Defender is a reputed sib/rib dealer, should stand well honoring their warranty. Know the builder, one of the most reputable Asian manufacturers with presence in 45 countries worldwide, that is with different dealers brands names. Use French Orca Hypalon 1.0 mm fabrics.

Personally don't like sibs over 4.60 mtr lenghts, floor rigidity, side joiners issues specially in choppy seas if used as work boats. Check their line of Defender X Pro ribs...

Happy Boating

mister p · 26 November 2012, 15:50

Sea Swift on the south coast have the full range and offer full backup and warranty. Having experienced these SIB's I reckon they punch well above their weight. Look good. Sturdy as hell and over equipped.

prairie tuber · 28 November 2012, 05:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by mister p

Sea Swift on the south coast have the full range and offer full backup and warranty. Having experienced these SIB's I reckon they punch well above their weight. Look good. Sturdy as hell and over equipped.

Which South Coast Are you talking about? How close would it be to the Greater Denver area?

17.5 feet is an excellent & very practical length for a SIB, which would be capable of handling large loads. If you are looking at using it on large inland rivers and lakes for extended camping/hunting trips with 2-3 other guys, this would be good size for that.

If you will be frequently loading and unloading heavy or awkward gear from beach landings (rather than dock) the lower freeboard height of a SIB (rather than a RIB) will be handy. If you will be going through (reasonably mild) rapids along the rivers, the soft bottom of a SIB will be more forgiving.

mister p · 28 November 2012, 08:52

Couple of thousand miles I reckon ;-)

MD2Colo · 30 November 2012, 04:18

I bought the 13'9" Zodiac because it's only 185 lbs and the outboard is about 100 which means that it's a one man operation.
A 17'5" boat would be great for extended trips with more than one person... rafts seem to fill up quick when you factor in all the camping gear, hunting stuff, etc.
My purposes will only include freshwater ops, don't need a big seaworthy setup.

Thanks for the replies!

Locozodiac · 30 November 2012, 11:54

That's a perfect size & roomy sib, neat for a 30 HP engine, congrats!!

Happy Boating

Peter_C · 30 November 2012, 15:24

That is the same size Zodiac as I have. Which model of Zodi? What outboard did you get for it? HP and brand?

prairie tuber · 01 December 2012, 00:45

Congratulations. That is a good size for 2 people with reasonably compact camping gear.

MD2Colo · 01 December 2012, 03:30

Mine is a Zodiac Classic Mk2 HD with a 2004 Honda 20hp 4 stroke.
Previous owner said that the raft got up to 23-25mph with two people in it, and that the honda had more power than than his Yamaha 30. Sounds pretty subjective, but I like Hondas a lot and I'm not towing anything

MD2Colo · 01 December 2012, 03:58

My only thing is that I would like to avoid using a trailer to transport a raft. Some of the trails around Colorado are definitely not trailer-friendly but necessary to take in order to get to those awesome fishing spots...
Not using a trailer means boo-koo time to set up and tear down the raft, a much more tedious task with a 17 footer vs a 14 footer...

Peter_C · 01 December 2012, 04:09

If you haven't already a Bravo air pump will make it a much less painful setup procedure.

We have done three people and a 90 dog loaded with camping gear in ours.

Locozodiac · 01 December 2012, 13:24

If HP is rated at the prop how could a Honda 20 have more power than a Yam 30, sounds out of this world, definitely Yam with tech issues...

Happy Boating

MD2Colo · 01 December 2012, 13:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locozodiac

If HP is rated at the prop how could a Honda 20 have more power than a Yam 30, sounds out of this world, definitely Yam with tech issues...

Happy Boating

Very possible. Not sure

Peter_C · 01 December 2012, 18:10

Wrong prop will change everything...

prairie tuber · 01 December 2012, 18:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by MD2Colo

My only thing is that I would like to avoid using a trailer to transport a raft. Some of the trails around Colorado are definitely not trailer-friendly but necessary to take in order to get to those awesome fishing spots...
Not using a trailer means boo-koo time to set up and tear down the raft, a much more tedious task with a 17 footer vs a 14 footer...

What sort of 4x4 set up are you using I on the trails? If you are using a full size pick up and find you will probably have plenty of cargo space for boat, motor, fuel, accessories and & gear. A smaller pick up or SUV might not be enough, and you might not want gas fumes within the cab area.

In that case, you might want to consider a short, large tired, 4x4 trailer and keep the disassembled boat, motor & fuel in it. You could adapt it to drastically speed up the assembly process and greatly reduce the amount of heavy lifting that would be required in the process.

I have had a friend who is an excellent welder fabricator (does a lot of custom stuff for 4x4 folk) do some custom reinforcing of my trailer to protect both the trailer and boat when it is bashed against rocks and trees. Being full length, the trailer is obviously too long to pull over hard core 4x4 trails, but it is up to the task of what my Nissan Safari (similar to a Landcruiser Wagon) with 32" tires (open lockers) is capable of.