Rigid Inflatable...

[MeredithMan]

...Anyone use a rigid inflatable that they would recommend? Primary use would be as a tender to go back and forth from the mooring. I want something that is lightweight that I can put in the water and take out myself. I do not have a beach, so it would entail lifting it out when not in use. Had an aluminum rowboat, but that was impractical, as it was too heavy to wrestle in and out of the water by myself. Kayak has proved to be unsteady.

I think a 10-11' rigid inflatable would fit the bill. I haven't found a marina around the lake that carries them. I've looked on the West Marine website and they have a number of options, but I am reluctant to drop a couple grand without being able to see it/touch it in person, although I've heard they have a store in Portsmouth?

Appreciate any opinions/thoughts.
Thanks.

[8gv]

By "rigid" do you mean a rigid hull made of fiberglass?

That sounds heavy to me.

My mooring transport is a 7'6" inflatable with a slatted floor.

It weighs 53# and cost $360.

It is propelled by a 1979 Minn Kota 15# thrust electric motor and a lawn tractor battery.

With the lines I have set up on it I can attach it to my boat very quickly.

With it attached I can stand on the either of the inflatable's hull tubes with no fear of falling.

I realize this is a far cry from what you spec'd out but the concept still works at a minimalist level.

[Descant]

What you have on the shore is not clear. Small dock? rocks, steep bank? Are you aiming for lightest weight or most rugged bottom to drag on the ground? Will you be rowing or some sort of power? I.e. what weight is your goal? Do you need to gt multiple passenger to/from the boat or only one to bring the boat to a day dock?
There seems to be doubt as to whether an RIB is the best choice as they are usually too heavy for the lifting you describe, especially if powered. If you have your mind set on an RIB, I suggest a homemade set of 2x4 carpeted rails with a trailer winch to bring the RIB out of the water and stop messing around with lifting.

[garysanfran]

I've got one I used as a tender for my sailboat. It rolls up with a rigid floor with folding joints. I handled it by myself with ease. Highly recommended. Not sure I'd sell mine but would think used, it would be worth around $800-900. I put a 4 hp outboard on it.

[MeredithMan]

....What 8gv and Gary have described is what I have in mind. A Zodiac-type inflatable, although not the Zodiac brand, as they are super expensive. I don't need a motor and it will just be me in it, going back and forth to mooring from dock, which is maybe 75-100' each way, if that.

I did look at one at the Boat Show back in Feb and the sales guy got into a whole dissertation about rubber...the rubber on his brand of inflatable was American, which is much sturdier than the foreign rubber on the West Marine brand, so the sales pitch went.... His inflatable was about 4+ grand...I don't need such great rubber....ha

[fatlazyless]

For a low price, about one hundred dollars, there's the Intex Sea Hawk or Intex Excursion. The Sea Hawk is sold by Ocean State Job Lot in Meredith.

To make the Sea Hawk a rigid inflatable you cut out a piece of plywood that fits tight, down on the vinyl floor, and it becomes a rigid inflatable, making it a lot easier to step out and up onto moored big boat.

[Leoskeys]

I bought a 12.5 foot inflatable off of amazon 16 months ago. The brand is BRIS. It’s great! Watched many reviews on YouTube before buying. I use a trolling motor in spring/fall and a 20hp Mercury in Summer. They sell many that are smaller that would be great for you. The 9.8 foot is $799. Mine was $1100.

[Dave R]

I have an 11 foot RIB with 15HP as a tender on my cruiser. It's way too much boat for what you plan to do. As others have said, get a PVC inflatable with a floor stiffeners in the 8 to 9 foot range. I think they are like 600 bucks at West Marine and come nicely equipped. My marina neighbors have one and it rows easily. It also goes pretty good with 3.5 HP, so of you ever wanted to use it to explore longer distances, you can easily toss a little outboard on it for little money and head out.

[joec]

I had a 10 foot 5 inch rigid inflatable that was an Avon rebranded West Marine boat.
The boat weighed 160, add 90 for the outboard, another 50 for the launch wheels, then the gas tank and you are over 300 lbs pretty quickly. Pulling that out of the water up a slope in soft sand is tough even for people in decent shape. If you have any health problems or are not up to it, forget the rigid inflatable.

You also have to think about storage. Will you store it indoors or out? Rigid inflatables are harder to store. They are great boats for specific purposes but I think you would be better served with a different boat.

How many people will be in the boat? What kind of gear will you be bringing back and forth to the mooring?

The materials used for inflatables are hypalon and pvc. The hypalon is either Achilles from Japan or there is another French make that Zodiac uses. PVC is from several sources be careful of cheep chinese junk. Hypalon is the best but expensive.

Your best bet would probably be shopping PVC inflatables, looking at the material, warranty, and reputation of the manufacturer. Maybe looking at a rigid floor like wood or aluminum that you can disassemble and literally store in a closet, or a rollup slat floor.

Inflatables don't row well at all. If you are only rowing a hundred feet or so you'd be fine.
Store your boat under a cover when not in use. It will last longer.

Also, pay attention to the inflation. There is a huge difference in pressure between a hot and cool day. If you inflate it fully on a cool day and the temperature rises to the mid 90's,
The boat's seams can fail so you should back off the pressure when not in use and top it off when you use it. Some boats have a pressure relief valve just for that.

Inflatables can be really light, totally stable, carry tremendous weight for their size, and unsinkable but you have to pick the right one for your use.

Hope this helps.

[garysanfran]

My Avon has an inflatable hull that forms a bit of a V. It helps greatly with rowing. With a 4hp, it was a perfect tender and I and my girlfriend would take it from anchorages and explore shorelines, restaurants and fish when we sailed up The Sacramento Delta.

[8gv]

This is the inflatable I own.

I bought it from Amazon for $360.

There are none of them there now but I found one for more money on eBay.

I doubt the materials used to manufacture it are as good as the more well known brands but this is season number five with zero issues.

I do keep it inside so sun resistance doesn't matter for me.


https://www.ebay.com/i/352276397913?chn=ps

[Cal Coon]

There is what looks like a pretty good deal on Craigslist right now in Sutton, NH for an 8' inflatable with an aluminum floor, that comes with 2 engines (that both need "minor" work) for 500. IF both those engine's really do just need minor work, it is a pretty good deal...