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Zodiac Inflatable Boat Question

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Posted (3 years 3 weeks 1 day 8 hours ago) and read 2030 times:

I own a Zodiac PVC rollup inflatable fishing boat. I would like to protect the bottom of the tubes from abrasion when pulling the boat up onto a sandy beach. Does anyone know of any coatings I can apply to achieve some sort of abrasion resistance? I'm sure I can get creative with a few tubes of out of date PRC, but I'd rather do it the 'right way.'

11 replies: All unread, jump to last

MCOflyer From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 8557 posts, RR: 14
Reply 1, posted (3 years 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 1953 times:

I would go to a local marine store and ask them. Does your Zodiac have a fiberglass bottom or inflatable keel??

KH

Never be afraid to stand up for who you are.

MD11Engineer From Germany, joined Oct 2003, 13369 posts, RR: 64
Reply 2, posted (3 years 3 weeks 17 hours ago) and read 1949 times:

I own an old Klepper Master folding dingy from the 1960s (frame made out of marine plywood with a rubberised canvas skin and two inflateble belts to aid in bouyancy and to give it rigidity). I used ruberised canvas strips, which I would glue over the sensitive spots with rubber cement.
http://www.faltbootbasteln.de/fbb-klepper-master.html

Jan

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Reply 3, posted (3 years 3 weeks 16 hours ago) and read 1913 times:

It has an inflatable keel. The rubberized canvas sounds like a good idea.

PPVRA From Brazil, joined Nov 2004, 8498 posts, RR: 42
Reply 4, posted (3 years 3 weeks 11 hours ago) and read 1853 times:

Consider a light-weight launching dolly, or this interesting concept...

http://www.perneborn.se/products.html

If you're going to use it on the beach, make sure it has a nice big (off-road style) tire so that it doesn't sink into the sand.

"If goods do not cross borders, soldiers will" - Frederic Bastiat

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Reply 5, posted (3 years 3 weeks 8 hours ago) and read 1831 times:

I like the last idea. I've actually seen a similar product for sale at a marine store. My only concern about using them is that you have to drill into the wooden transom below the water line. Will a good sealant be enough to prevent water ingress? It's hard to undrill a hole

PPVRA From Brazil, joined Nov 2004, 8498 posts, RR: 42
Reply 6, posted (3 years 3 weeks 7 hours ago) and read 1805 times:

Talk to someone who does marine repairs, but I don't think it's going to be a major problem. Sealants work very well.

Also, consider if the transom can support the load of the boat. As long as it is in good condition it shouldn't be a problem.

"If goods do not cross borders, soldiers will" - Frederic Bastiat

Fly2HMO From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 7, posted (3 years 3 weeks 6 hours ago) and read 1801 times:

Well the really cheap solution we use for our 10Ft Avon Super Sportster is to just lay out a tarp in the launch area. Much more simple. Though it's not really necessary.

Dunno about Zodiacs but the material on Avons is so thick and tough that you could drag the damned thing for miles on asphalt or a rocky road and it would never puncture.

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Reply 8, posted (3 years 3 weeks 5 hours ago) and read 1786 times:

I already use the tarp method, but its dragging up to the tarp I want to avoid. Granted, the material is tough. But over time I can see it wearing down and getting thin.

MD-90 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 8422 posts, RR: 13
Reply 9, posted (3 years 2 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1710 times:

Quoting Fly2HMO (Reply 7):
Well the really cheap solution we use for our 10Ft Avon Super Sportster is to just lay out a tarp in the launch area. Much more simple. Though it's not really necessary.

I like simple solutions too. In order to pull my canoe out of the water (an Old Town Tripper) over the wooden dock I just lay down one of the boat cushions and slide it out of the water on that. It's easier to do that than to have two people try to hoist such a large canoe directly out of the water.

Fly2HMO From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR:
Reply 10, posted (3 years 2 weeks 6 days 14 hours ago) and read 1701 times:

Quoting UAL Bagsmasher (Reply 8):
I already use the tarp method, but its dragging up to the tarp I want to avoid. Granted, the material is tough. But over time I can see it wearing down and getting thin.

Nah, you'll be fine. We've had the Avon for 20+ years. Barely has any scratches. I will say however, it does seem Avon has much better material than almost all the Zodiacs I've seen.

UAL Bagsmasher From United States of America, joined Sep 1999, 2131 posts, RR: 11
Reply 11, posted (3 years 2 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 1568 times:

Well, I went with the transom mounted wheels. I used the boat this week and what a difference! No leaks and launching is a breeze now. But, I have a new problem

How can you remove algae staining from the bottom of a PVC Zodiac? I've tried all the inflatable cleaners and no joy. I'm afraid of trying anything harsher (i.e. Jet-A)

. I drove through an algae bloom and now my once gray boat is lime green below the waterline. Any ideas?

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