Used Zodiak's for Sale?

[mrsea]

Anyone know of any zodiak's for sale? I want it to explore new sand bars that are a bit too far to paddle to. Or does anyone have a zodiak or similar boat have any feedback?

[mrsea]

I see a bunch of zodiac's for sale on ebay, but I still want some feedback on people's opinions of these inflatable boats for roaming around to find surf.

hey man whatever the ride will do! who give a shit what it is just as long as it get's you there & back, go for it.

RB

Zodiaks are ok, but would recommend a small 16 ft whaler, can handle decent size seas and hold more gear easier, also easier to have marine radios and navigation on board

we just saw a real clean, complete, good running one, full center console for 2500

[mrsea]

Tash -

Is a whaler a real boat or an inflatable? boats are a pain in the ass to find a place to keep it.

I live right on the beach in the north shore and i do not have space for a boat and I want to be able to just push the inflatable boat in the water and go.

yes whaler is a real boat

all depends on what you want in life i guess

[surf1718]

Go to yachtworld.com and do advanced search, you can search the state, type of boat, company, and stuff in one search... its good if your looking for a used boat.

[marops]

There are pro's/con's to both rigid and inflatable hulls. I've owned both whalers & z-birds so I'll give ya some feedback.

If your plan is to leave the boat untrailered at the house and drag it down to the water, load with boards, equipment, surf buds and motor over to nearby break, then your prolly best off with an inflatable. For this purpose I'd stay away from a RHIB (Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat) and keep the bottom flat rubber. Beware, although inflatables are super tough when dragging or bouncing off rocky shores, the biggest enemy is sunlight. UV will destroy an inflatable in 1-2 seasons, so keep it covered with canvas when not underway. Take care of it and you should have low maintanance, treat it like shit and it'll fall apart at the seams...literally. If you've got a good shop-vac, deflating for storage between sessions can be a reality. A 2-stroke 25/35hp outboard will push it fine and be light enough to carry around. You'd be surprised how much cargo you can carry with a tiller-steered inflatable.....and they're easy to right if you get in the shit and find your boat capsized.

A whaler is more durable against rough treatment, but is heavier and definitely a pain in ass if you plan on dragging it down to beach alone. Also, whalers over 12' have steering wheel that makes it more convienient to handle but you lose cargo area. If trailering around, whalers (or whaler-type boats..) are great for inshore boating. If you get in the shit and capsize....you'll need alotta help righting.

Stay away from the skiffs for surfing. They're too tippy to be climbing up the gunnells after a heavy session.

Be carefull buying inflatables used. Bring a big bucket of water and soap, inflate to recommended pressure (a lot more than you think!), and wash with soapy water, checking for leaks.

I like rigid hull boats much more than inflatables, but for the purpose you stated (close to shore, no room to store boat & trailer, light weight, etc) my guess is an inflatable's the way to prolly go.

PM me if you need any more help, I'm breaking my fingers here typing...

[mrsea]

marops - thank you very much for the feedback! as i research more i may send you a pm.

Beware of used inflatables with bad seams on them. I wouldnt buy anything that has had to be repaired. My cousin and I had an interesting experience with that on the last boat that he purchased.

[justApilot]

One wise old man once said.....if it FLOATS, FLIES, or FUCK's, don't buy it is cheaper to rent. Myself...I would buy an old, inexpensive 1980's 17' Whaler and spend the money on a big new engine.

[PtJudithcrew]

Whalers are stupid over priced yuppie shit boats! They have flat bottoms and suck in any conditions other than flat. If your gonna spend $$ on a whaler you mine as well by a REAL boat. Zodiacs can handle anything and are cheap. Look for atleast a 10' with a 10hp enough for 2 people to cruz along at a decent speed.

[marops]

One wise old man once said.....if it FLOATS, FLIES, or FUCK's, don't buy it is cheaper to rent. Myself...I would buy an old, inexpensive 1980's 17' Whaler and spend the money on a big new engine.

Wise words. Money pits; all of 'em.

...but an inexpensive whaler is an oxymoron...unless you buy one with cracked hull. :shifty:

Whaler's ride like cedar shingles, but they're cool for around the inshore and make good ski boats on salt water (ever try running a Mastercraft in 1' chop?). As far as rough water goes, zodiacs(non RHIB-type) ride like shingles too.

Still, for the intended purpose, a 12-16' zbird with light outboard is my choice. Who's gonna single-handedly drag that 17' Whaler & 90Hp motor up and down the beach? (that's ~2000lbs combined weight).

[justApilot]

ooops...my bad...I missed the part where he was going to drag the boat down to the water

[Milf Hunter]

What is your budget?

[Chris M.]

Why not one of these?
http://www.flyingbeachboat.com/
It will get you there faster. :D

[sailoa]

I want one!!!!!!! :clap:

[surf1718]

I have one. :whistle: