matt_weagle asked this question on 5/18/2000:
Hi everyone, I live in an urban apartment but would love to be able to get out on the water. Weekend trips and inland lake recreational use for 3-4 people, etc. Also, I'm totally new to boating and would like not to drown myself.
Because of obvious space and skill constraints, I was looking into foldable inflatables by Zodiac, Achilles, and AB (among others). I've read some about the pros and cons of these boats, but would like to get some real-world advice. How do these boats compare to regular boats and/or non-foldable inflatables? Are they well constructed? Is it reasonable to expect that I will be able to break down the boat on a regular basis in a short period of time? What kind of price range am I looking at? Any and all responses would be great. Thanks very much.
fwct gave this response on 5/19/2000:
Inflatable boats like the ones you mentioned are very expensive. Unless you need the "luxury" of deflating the boat, you may pay even more than a regular plastic-bag*, wooden or steel boat.
Construction of these inflatable boats are very construed, and you can actually loose up to 50% of the air in it where-ever (the sides are made up of several compartments), and still stay afloat.
You do not normally want to go out in the open sea on an inflatable boat, but stay near coast lines. Only very skilled people goes out in open sea, and even then it is a risky affair - remember: They can tip over, and even though you are down south where the water is warm, it doesn't take long for your body temperature to get chilled when in it - COLD CAN KILL!
Get a real boat.
*Plastic-bag is referring to the boats built of fiberglass. If you put water in a plastic-bag, you can see the water in it. If you look from the inside of a fiberglass built boat (where of course you can see the actual fiberglass), you can see the water through here as well.
matt_weagle asked this follow-up question on 5/19/2000:
It's sort of a tradeoff, since I understand that the "luxury" of getting an inflatable is something that's going to be pretty expensive. But since I live in an apartment, I thought it might be something to look into.
I live in the NW US and would likely take it to the lakes in the area, not the open seas. With this in mind, do you think that getting a hard boat and arranging storage & trailer is still a much better option than an inflatable? If so, can you recommend a couple of manufacturers & models that I can look into? Thanks again for the information.
fwct gave this response on 5/19/2000:
Matt,
If you want an inflatable, get an inflatable. It will still take up a lot of room in your apartment - even deflated.
Storage isn't so bad for smaller boats - say possibly $25.00 monthly with StorMore or something like that. I am in Tacoma, and have a 34" wooden boat - this requires it to be in the water at all times (unfortunately) because the marina is charging me $195.00 monthly to have it there.
Normally the boat comes with a trailer, so that shouldn't be a problem.
Manufacturers? No - I have no idea of who produces these boats, but if you like what you see, let me know, and we can discuss what the good and the bad about the boat you like possibly could/would be.
The average rating for this answer is 4.
matt_weagle rated this answer a 4.
Thanks for the reply. I'll probably start looking into small crafts instead, since there isn't much room in the apt right now. If/when I decide on a model or two you might see another one of my poostings floating around :) Thanks again.