Inflatable quality

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Colin Campbell

I am in the process of purchasing a Hunter for which I will need an inflatable, I have been told that the only infatables worth having are made by Zodiac. Is this true, or are there other good makes out there?
 
Dec 2, 1999
15,184
Hunter Vision-36 Rio Vista, CA.
I would disagree

Colin: The first thing I would recommend is for you to take a look at an old copy of Practical sailor where they have done their reviews on inflatables. Probably the BEST brand for quality is Avon. IMHO the ONLY inflatable I would ever purchase would be made from Hypalon. I had 4 Quicksilvers (replaced under warranty) and they do not hold up in the sun. They are a PVC material. They are good if you put them away after each use but will NOT hold up in the sun. I know several others that have had similar experiences with the same and different brands. The next thing you need to determine is if you will want a hard bottom or soft bottom dink. If you can tow it or have davits, the only way to go is a RIB (hard bottom). If you need to stow it go with a soft bottom. The RIB's are heavy and difficult to get on deck. We have a 10' Caribe RIB with a 18hp Nissan O.B. It will do about 15-20mph with one or two aboard. Not quite fast enough to water ski but close<g>. Happy hunting.
 
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