west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

[captaincaveman]

hello everone what do youz guys think about west marine by zodiac? I was considering trading my 16' kawartha square stern canoe with canoe stabalizers (which i paid $500 for 2 years ago these are the good stabalizers from spring creek outfitters), my canoe has just been fully restored back to mint conditon. the only reason i was going to trade because i need a colapsable boat for the kind of fishing i do, i have a 17' doral now but the lake that i mostly go camping/fishing on has smaller lakes around it with short portages, but i don't want to trailer my doral and tie the canoe ontop like i've done before pain in my butt (too much stuff to pack and unpack) so i was considering an inflatable that could sit under my bow till needed, but there are a couple factors involved, i have a dog medium size and a buddy that ussually comes along on these one week trips, i need a boat that will support all three and most importantly not rip with my dog. the floor on the model i was looking at was a slat floor model 8' long i'm sure the size is ok i read the inflatable holds alot of weight so thats no problem the boat packs up nice with the slat floor. but what worries me is i've read some articles about the floor fabric coming unglued from this style and inbetween the slats i see fabric so could my dog puncture this? also i was going to trade cause things are tight right now, but i'm worred about depretiation of value my canoe + sponsons are worth about 7-$800 right now, but there is not a huge market for canoe stabalizers/sponsons nobody seems to want them i can't figure out why, they've obviously never tried them before they are great!! the reason i got them is in the canoe i have my fish finder and all my fishing gear = outboard etc. total $ around $1500 at any given time, my dog doesn't always sit still at full throttle can be touch and go, anyways canoes hold there value well what about inflatables and this brand specifically he was only asking $500 for his inflatable obviously thats not a great trade but what i'm asking is what do youz know about west marine inflatables and is this one worth $500 or not it has several patches aswell, he says were done by zodiac dealer, if you want to view this boat copy this link and paste on your internet search bar http://london.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...e-Inflatable-boat-for-sale-W0QQAdIdZ233178766 i don't know i would appretiate all your opinions on this matter i will try to attach a pic of my canoe it's a triple keel with a 42" beam let me know what you think Thanks! Jesse

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

It's just a Zodiac with West Marine on the side, so, all the crap you hear about Zodiac applies to it.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

The slat floor is the cheapest of all Zodiac's and extreme awfull... A very basic model, an alternative to swimming.

Happy Boating

 

[captaincaveman]

Re: west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

so i've decided i'm going to turn down the trade, would you guys have any suggestions on a portable (light enough to carry through bush couple 100 feet one person) at lower cost somthing that can handle a 2.5 merc and take my dog aswell possibly a second person, so is looking at inflatables a good choice or should i consider instaboat or porta-boat this boat will probabally only be used twice a year for fishing small surrounding lakes and rivers the odd log and rock aswell, i have the bigger boat to pack it either under the bow if inflatable or the larger folding type just sitting along the inside of my boat from boat launch till i get to campsite (only accessed by water northern ontario) then unpack it till i need it, so consider FISHING, ACCESS TO SMALL LAKES, 2.5 MOTOR, AND DOG, ONCE OR TWICE PER YEAR any suggestions would be greatly appretiated Thanks! PS heres a pic of my dog Kuna, full trottle in the old Kawartha near the campsite, cheers

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

If portability and a quick floor installation is a must go for any 310/320 air mat floor sib, check Iboats, Defender for pvc brand models, are well priced and with warranty, preferible buy new as second hand can be a pandora box, full of unwanted surprises. If budget is very low, ($100-200) go for the Intex type models, but those are inflatable toys, nothing to compare against more pro sibs as suggested.

Take you dog for a nice nail trim as he can leave unwanted small nail stripes on top air mat & tube fabric as recently discovered after boating with a hyper medium dog Can place a shaped thick floor mat on top air deck, just in case doggy wants to dig.

PD: Don't go under a 310 size, the weight issue is minimum compared to next smaller sizes and slight larger, the better. Portabote is a expensive water toy and rocks sideways as a nut shell, thumbs down.

Happy Boating

 

[captaincaveman]

Re: west marine by zodiac "whats the scoop"

thanks i'll check into those models, thats a ggod idea about the mat on the floor aswell Thanks for the help!!!!