Inflatable Tender

[ausaviator]

Hi All,

Thought I would post this as a matter of interest.

Bought this recently off Ebay:

New 3.0M Inflatable Boat Fishing Tender Yacht Aluminium Floor with Oars Pump | eBay

For the 3.0 metre they wanted AUD$750 buy it now, but I got for AUD $550 at auction and the reserve was AUD$500.

It's 3.0 metres, PVC coated polyester (not Hypalon), weighs in at 46kg's or 100 pounds, is rated to a maximum of 12hp, has the proper builders plate for certification and registration, aluminium seats (possibly not that strong), aliminium floor etc. Seems to be pretty much an exact copy of the Zodiac with the 3 piece aluminium and 1 piece ply floor, inflatable keel etc.

Also avaialble in smaller sizes as per their advert on Ebay.

Seems to be a good machine, performs well, folds up. I'm thinking that even though it's not Hypalon at that price it's good value. My local boat shop has a 3.0 metre Hypalon one for $3k with a fibreglass floor so it makes this one seem like good value.

Would be interested to hear how long a PVC inflatable lasts when left outside permanently as a tender?

[zeehag]

it should last about 5 yrs max.if you make it some pontoon covers and keep those on... is a great idea for immediate use. have fun

[avb3]

Seeing Dupont no longer makes Hypalon, the only alternative is Toso-CSM (second item on page).

Does anyone know of any manufacturer that actually uses Toso-CSM?

If none, then we are all stuck with PVC, at least for now.

Thoughts?

[Sabbatical II]

Originally Posted by ausaviator

Hi All,

Would be interested to hear how long a PVC inflatable lasts when left outside permanently as a tender?

Well we're I live, not 10 mintes. I've had 3 tenders stolen in 2 years and they were old ones

[ausaviator]

Oh really, I thought Australia was better than that!

[Ctrich]

Bought a 4 year old PVC zodiac in fantastic shape which I used as the primary dingy when crossing the Pacific. Stored it out side full time. 3 years later it still looked fantastic the day it was stolen in Sydney harbour in Australia. (chained to a dock ) . Almost lost it the first night anchored in hen and chicken bay but caught the guy.
Lost 2 more dingys in 6 months in Sydney.