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Zodiac 420 Pro II vs. Zodiac Cadet ALU DL 390
Hello everyone. First post here but I have been lurking for a while.
I recently acquired a 2000 Zodiac Pro 420 for using in the bay and river with some short stints in the ocean on calm days. I've been very pleased with the boat and my only issue was it seemed under powered with the Yamaha F20 it came with. I picked up a short-shaft E-Tec 30 to replace the Yamaha and the difference was night and day.
When drilling holes to secure the new engine, I learned that my transom was not in the best of shape. While there are no cracks or stress lines, the wood was quite wet. As a result, I'm working on a contingency plan for my new motor. I think a new transom on the pro is out of the question as that would probably reveal that the stringers need to be replaced and what not.
Looking at RIB options that can support a 30hp short shaft, I noticed the Zodiac Cadet ALU 360-390 with/without bow locker. I like the idea of an aluminum hill for durability and the only down side seems to be that I can only find these with PVC tubes instead of hypalon (my pro has PVC tubes that are about a year old). Do you Think the PVC tubes will go 10 years in non-tropical climate if not left out?
How will the seaworthiness of a Cadet ALU compare to the Pro II, aside from length. I noticed the Cadets have a deep V where I think my Pro is a shallow V. How much of a difference comes from aluminum vs fiberglass hull and "Pro" cruiser vs "Cadet" dinghy classifications?
Thanks for the help.
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