Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

[bloke911]

Hi Guys,


I'm looking to buy a 14'+ SIB or RIB for family fun and fishing. It will be used for fresh and saltwater use, I'm in NH. My wife has allotted me $5k to $6k for a purchase. I'm not really looking for a project, I have two young kids and work about 65 hours a week. I would like a boat to take to the local Islands and lakes we have in NH.

I know that the older boats can have problems, is there a checklist of question and items I should go over when looking?

I'm looking at a 17' Zodiac Futura III, 1984 tomorrow and the seller is asking $3K. Is it worth looking at or is it too much of a hassle fixing up.


Cheers, Ben

 

[ssobol]

Re: Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

Hi Guys,


I'm looking to buy a 14'+ SIB or RIB for family fun and fishing. It will be used for fresh and saltwater use, I'm in NH. My wife has allotted me $5k to $6k for a purchase. I'm not really looking for a project, I have two young kids and work about 65 hours a week. I would like a boat to take to the local Islands and lakes we have in NH.

I know that the older boats can have problems, is there a checklist of question and items I should go over when looking?

I'm looking at a 17' Zodiac Futura III, 1984 tomorrow and the seller is asking $3K. Is it worth looking at or is it too much of a hassle fixing up.


Cheers, Ben

For the Futura you mention, '84 is very old for PVC tubes. It is old for hypalon tubes. Ask the seller if/when the tubes were last replaced.

If the boat has an engine, find out the total # of hours on it, when was it last serviced, and what exactly was done.

Here is a Zodiac RIB for sale. It is a little bit more than your budget, but it is very good shape and ready to run.

Zodiac 470 PRO II Rigid Inflatable

Might be a bit of a drive for you though.

 

[ronaldj]

Re: Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

Hi Guys,


I'm looking to buy a 14'+ SIB or RIB for family fun and fishing. It will be used for fresh and saltwater use, I'm in NH. My wife has allotted me $5k to $6k for a purchase. I'm not really looking for a project, I have two young kids and work about 65 hours a week. I would like a boat to take to the local Islands and lakes we have in NH.

I know that the older boats can have problems, is there a checklist of question and items I should go over when looking?

I'm looking at a 17' Zodiac Futura III, 1984 tomorrow and the seller is asking $3K. Is it worth looking at or is it too much of a hassle fixing up.


Cheers, Ben

You did not mention if that deal comes with a motor and how old the motor is or what condition.
That is alot of money for so many unknowns. Since you are in NH why not go over to Coastal Inflatables.
They are local to you and you will have a local place for service.
You could get a new sib in the 12 to 15 ft range a new engine to go with it and a hf trailor for 6k and still have change left over

 

[bloke911]

Re: Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

For the Futura you mention, '84 is very old for PVC tubes. It is old for hypalon tubes. Ask the seller if/when the tubes were last replaced.

If the boat has an engine, find out the total # of hours on it, when was it last serviced, and what exactly was done.

Here is a Zodiac RIB for sale. It is a little bit more than your budget, but it is very good shape and ready to run.

Zodiac 470 PRO II Rigid Inflatable

Might be a bit of a drive for you though.

Thank you for the advice. I'll keep the eyes open and look for something a little newer.

 

[bloke911]

Re: Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

You did not mention if that deal comes with a motor and how old the motor is or what condition.
That is alot of money for so many unknowns. Since you are in NH why not go over to Coastal Inflatables.
They are local to you and you will have a local place for service.
You could get a new sib in the 12 to 15 ft range a new engine to go with it and a hf trailor for 6k and still have change left over

Thanks, I'll definitely go check them out. Didn't even know they were here.

Cheers!

 

[ronaldj]

Re: Newbie looking to buy14'+ SIB or RIB. What should I look at when buying used?

Thanks, I'll definitely go check them out. Didn't even know they were here.

Cheers!

Not a problem
Glad I could help
The owner there is a great guy
I talked to him a couploe of times on the phone and he talked me through what I was trying to do.
He was all set to order a boat just for me and ship it to me . I did not get it because I went to a boat show in Annapoli and the Zodiac dealer made me a very very sweet deal.
I could not pass up local service
It is alot easier to get something fixed locally than to have to ship thingts out by mail to get them fixed