Picked it up yesterday from Central Marine Services in Ilkeston, Derbys - who gave excellent service with a really professional run through all I needed to know about both the boat and the engine.
Zodiac 310 Cadet with a plywood floor and a Mariner 9.9 4 stroke. Having had three 2 stroke motors in the past I was impressed with how smooth and quiet the 4 stroke was when he ran it in the test tank. The boat looks good too. It's about a foot smaller than my previous 2 inflatables, but I think a far better package than the others which were second hand and a bit make do and mend.
It's not the best time of year to be buying a boat and it may not get used much before spring but it's good to know it's there and ready to use. Let's just hope a mouse doesn't eat holes in this one.
Before buying it, I spoke to several dealers and Central Marine Services came out tops on service over the phone, friendliness, and value. Apart from offering the best price, they simply quoted me for what I asked for and didn't try to sell me something completely different.
Insurance arranged via Porthcawl Insurance Consultants after Google searches. They gave good service too.
Is there ever a Bad time year for a new Boat!??
Pluss It gives you the winter now to tune..refine,and kit it out for your needs.
Best of luck with the New Steed!
I had some great times in my Zodi
__________________
A clever Man learns by his mistakes..
A Wise Man learns by other people's!
The Road to HELL ..is Paved with "Good inventions!"
It has some rather nice transom wheels - stainless legs which fold up and can be removed if required, and inflatable tyres on wheels which coincidentally seem to be identical to those on my kayak trolleys, It's all very neat indeed. Hoping to practice assembling and disassembling it tomorrow a couple of times - make sure that there are no nasty surprises with the floor boards or stringers. If the weather holds good we may have a little shakedown cruise on the Trent this week.
