I have the opportunity to get one cheep but don't know if its a good dink. I Cant find any reviews on the net. Zoom 310 s has Wood floor & inflatable keel. Any draw backs to this dink ?
Who owns a Zodiac Zoom ?
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Under normal use and UV exposure, the lifetime of any PVC inflatable is approx. 10 years - maybe longer if babied. Having said that, I have a 310 which is 10+ years old and still going strong which is more than I can say for the outboard to which it is attached. It easily planes with a 5 hp motor and 2 or less people. If you want a good quality durable inflatable, look for a Hypalon made one.
We have the exact same model which we bought in 2002. It is still going strong and, when cleaned, looks like new. We store it out of the sun and living in Seattle UV is not much of a concern. We had a Tohatsu 6 horse motor which was overkill for a dinghy and are now using a Torqeedo 801 which get us around fine at low Marina speeds. Oars are not very good so plan to motor.
I got a great deal on one from a co-worker who bought it new in 2006 and never used it. I got it last season, it was still in the original box never opened. It is an inflatable floor & keel. I am happy with her but she is new. Time will tell.
We bought a 2006.....
....out of Florida on Craigs List. It is the 285. We like it a lot, but rowing it is a real pain. I usually paddle it from the bow and I'm going to try a kayak paddle this year. Ours has the wood floor and inflatable keel also. A friend of mine told me to get the inflatable keel if I was going to have to go in and out of breakers. Don't know if that is true or not.
From what I know the "Zoom" name came about as Zodiac made them for I believe Boaters World so they could carry them under a name only use by them.
I raise the...................
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/outboard on transom.jpg
.....transom on ours so that we could use a long shaft outboard better. We wanted the long shaft so that we would have a backup outboard with us for the Mac.
I have the transom mod and some other stuff about it here.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/zodiac-index.html
We bought a lower pitch prop to use on it so that it will work on the Mac better than the high pitch one. I could get on plane with the 5 HP by myself in the boat, but not with both of us, so the prop change hasn't hurt the dingy performance as we are both in it usually if we take it anywhere other than tying shore lines and such.
c ya,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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....out of Florida on Craigs List. It is the 285. We like it a lot, but rowing it is a real pain. I usually paddle it from the bow and I'm going to try a kayak paddle this year. Ours has the wood floor and inflatable keel also. A friend of mine told me to get the inflatable keel if I was going to have to go in and out of breakers. Don't know if that is true or not.
From what I know the "Zoom" name came about as Zodiac made them for I believe Boaters World so they could carry them under a name only use by them.
I raise the...................
.....transom on ours so that we could use a long shaft outboard better. We wanted the long shaft so that we would have a backup outboard with us for the Mac.
I have the transom mod and some other stuff about it here.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/zodiac-index.html
We bought a lower pitch prop to use on it so that it will work on the Mac better than the high pitch one. I could get on plane with the 5 HP by myself in the boat, but not with both of us, so the prop change hasn't hurt the dingy performance as we are both in it usually if we take it anywhere other than tying shore lines and such.
c ya,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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As far as as owning a hypalon boat for many years at the price i'm paying, I could buy 5 of the zooms.
I plan on getting a motor, but whats the problem with the oars?
How much did you pay?
Your the only person i know that has a professional family photo of their dinghy.
Zoom
My Zodiac Zoom has been used/abused for around 5 years and still looks like new. Has inflatable keel, wood sole, and transcom. I've underpowered the dink with a 2.5hp, because of the O/B light weight. Also I flip the dinghy upside down when not in use for extended period of time. I don't disassemble because it's very time consuming replacing wood planks. Great dinghy, rows like a garbage barge, but beats waiting on launch.
My Zodiac Zoom has been used/abused for around 5 years and still looks like new. Has inflatable keel, wood sole, and transcom. I've underpowered the dink with a 2.5hp, because of the O/B light weight. Also I flip the dinghy upside down when not in use for extended period of time. I don't disassemble because it's very time consuming replacing wood planks. Great dinghy, rows like a garbage barge, but beats waiting on launch.
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Re: Zoom
Just to clarify, oars like crap because dinghy oar attachment is in soft middle of pontoons, it flexes as you row, unless dink is over-inflated. There is no real design flaw, but if you row a hard dink, you'll see immediately the difference. Hard dink directly distributes force to oar.
Just to clarify, oars like crap because dinghy oar attachment is in soft middle of pontoons, it flexes as you row, unless dink is over-inflated. There is no real design flaw, but if you row a hard dink, you'll see immediately the difference. Hard dink directly distributes force to oar.
I can put up with the flexing. It is the articulating (or whatever the right word) design of the oarlock assembly. They flop up and down on the hinge points. If you get going and in a rhythm and the oars are out just to the right place it isn't too bad. I guess at 65 I"m just not as coordinated as I use to be :cry:. I loved rowing when I was a kid.
We got what I thought was a pretty good deal when we bought ours because one oar lock was broke.....
...... I ordered another and it never came, so I.....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/zodiac-1.html
....... fixed it myself. Spent way too much time on it, but it works as good or bad as the other side. A couple months later they called and said your oar lock came in and we charged your card and have sent it
. So now I have a spare.You have to be very careful in heavy winds with the dingy because they can be impossible to row or paddle in......
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-5-Powell-09.html
.....some cases. We will probably leave the outboard on it most of the time when we are in Florida. We have the put-up and take-down to less than 15 minutes, but we don't look forward to doing it :cry:.
c ya,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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Hi PK,
In 2009, Zoom began building boats in China. Zodiac's Chinese plant was using the same PVC fabric as the earlier welded seam Zoom product that was previously being built in Toulouse, France. There was a fair amount of cost savings in the glued seam approach, which does not hold up as long as the welded PVC product.
All Zodiac Zooms with 2009 and 2010 production years were/are built in China with a 2-year warranty and glued seams. Zodiac Typhoons are built in China (2-yr warranty).
All "Zodiac" branded boats are built in France (Toulouse, welded seams). 5-yr warranty.
All 2010 Bombard AX models, MAX models and Compact RIB models are built in Toulouse with a 5-yr warranty.
If the Zoom that you are looking at is older than 2009, it is welded and could go 10 years (if pampered, avg life is 5-7 yrs). If it is a 2009 or 2010 Zoom, it is glued and it's life expectancy is much less.
Somewhat confusing, but that is about how it breaks down.
The 2009 and 2010 Zoom product looks very different from the earlier model year product shown in some of the links in this thread. 2009 image attached. Shown in my response is the 2009 & 2010 Zoom 310S, which is grey & blue, has glued PVC seams and only a 2-yr warranty. For a short term boat at a decently low price......a fine choice. For the long term investment...well.....one does not get what one opts not to pay for.
Cheers,
Stephan
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Thanks for that info. When we are talking about life expectancy is that if the boat is out in the weather all the time like I see some at the marinas tied to their sailboats or is it like the tire issue that was discussed a while back where they tend to deteriorate if they are used or not?
I see that the new models have a different aft end to the tube, but the same oarlocks :cry:. I mentioned that the Zooms were made for Boaters World and what I meant to say was I think that the 285's were made for them at the time.
Regardless of my problems rowing one it fits our needs well and has been dependable and I've run it into rocks and brush without a leak to this point. We carry a repair kit though. It did contribute to me getting....
http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/MacgregorTrips-3-Powell09/09-10-9-Powell-09.html
.... a fractured shoulder, but I can't really blame it. I should of been looking at the possibilities of what could of happened. I will now stay up-wind of anything that can run over me
,Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
Our Mac Pages
Mac Links
Sorry for the length of this, but I have a few minutes to kill before killing the lights and heading home.
Actually, life expectancy is dtermined by many factors. With glued seam PVC boats, the most common failure is the floor seam opening, which is caused (about 99.9%) by repeated use with the tubes under-inflated. The adhesive used for the seam fails because it is more stressed when one operates the boat with not enough pressure.
In fact, that holds true of all inflatables. If not properly inflated and repeatedly used in that state, there is so much wear on the boat that seat patches fail, oarlocks fail, transoms fail.....etc. Simple rule of thumb (and I picked that appendage for a reason) is to inflate the boat until you cannot easily depress the tube with your thumb. Most boats requiring 2.8psi - 3.2psi are full at that point.
The other issue is the fabric itself. PVC is a plastic elastomer and requires plasticizers in order for it to remain flexible. Those plasticizers can (and will) leach out over time [whether stored or not], but UV exposure can speed up that process. Whether the boat is PVC, Hypalon (chlorosulfonated polyethylene or syntheitc rubber) or Polyurethane.....you should always use UV Tech or Protectant 303, which are non-silicone based sunscreens to protect inflatable boats and other coated fabrics.
So, in a nutshell, a stored boat is less likely to break down in a shorter period of time, but the nature of PVC fabrics is that the stabilizers come out and the fabric can weaken.
As for the end cones. Yes, they went to rounded end cones for greater buoyancy in the stern It helps handle those heavier 4-stroke motors. The rounded ends also have a greater tube diameter than the old conical ended tubes.
Sum, you are mistaken about the oarlocks. The new ones that are being used on the Zoom and the Bombard boats (attached image) are from Scoprega in Italy. Zodiac buys them from Scoprega. They are diffeerent than the one on your older Zoom.
The Zoom 285 limited was made exclusively for Boaters World. You are correct. Then Boater's World negotiated the exclusive for the Bombard line in the US, placed orders for product......and went bankrupt, so they never took delivery. The 600 boats that were built for Boaters World's 2009 orders ended up coming to the US and were sold to a dealer in New England.
Cheers,
Stephan
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A lot of good info in both of your posts. I'll take your advice on the Protectant and try it out. Now about the oarlocks.......do you admit that the old ones were hard to row and are these really better? Just trying to figure out what to do about that problem. I think I might try locking mine in the up position, so they can't rotate up and down. I also need to get another oar. During that incident on Lake Powell I linked to one oar disappeared never to be seen again :cry:.
As I said before we don't regret for one minute getting the Zoom. It has been great for us.
Do you have any idea how hard it was to get it to sit still for a minute
,Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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Sum,
I agree rowing is a pain. The hinge collapses. I have a 2 HP Honda that gets us around ok. It does row better when inflated hard but over time it seems to loose a little air. When the sun is strong it gets hard again. In the northeast we can have a 30° swing in temperature in a day. I was always afraid to over inflate it.
I got the foot pump with the Zoom. How can I know how much pressure I'm pumping it up to?
I agree rowing is a pain. The hinge collapses. I have a 2 HP Honda that gets us around ok. It does row better when inflated hard but over time it seems to loose a little air. When the sun is strong it gets hard again. In the northeast we can have a 30° swing in temperature in a day. I was always afraid to over inflate it.
Stephen, I had a West Marine inflatable that the floor seam opened while we were coming ashore. Talk about getting wet!
I got the foot pump with the Zoom. How can I know how much pressure I'm pumping it up to?
Or should we all just get a Trinka 10 foot sailing dinghy? Beautiful little boat and will probably last a lifetime. Pretty pricey. If i can get 20 years out of my next achilles like my last one I will probably be at the end of my boating career. You can't beat an inflatable for capacity and stability. We used ours an amazing amount for just putting around, even multi mile trips up rivers, filled to the brim with gear for the beach.
IuSed to keep my inflatable in the water all season. I used bottom paint on it and once in a while would have to clean it of slime and other growth but it was a lot easier than hauling it out and risking ripping the bottom. When my drain check valve failed I founf the boat would fill with enough water to reach equilibrium and that amount of water was not much so I'd leave the valve open to let rain out when I was away. Worked well for a lot of years. It is really sad to see it go, I might have to fish it out of the pickup and try to get another year out of it. A lot of memories and it is like an old friend.
IuSed to keep my inflatable in the water all season. I used bottom paint on it and once in a while would have to clean it of slime and other growth but it was a lot easier than hauling it out and risking ripping the bottom. When my drain check valve failed I founf the boat would fill with enough water to reach equilibrium and that amount of water was not much so I'd leave the valve open to let rain out when I was away. Worked well for a lot of years. It is really sad to see it go, I might have to fish it out of the pickup and try to get another year out of it. A lot of memories and it is like an old friend.
Bob, a pressure gauge is available, but I never use them. You are not alone with your fair to inflate in the morning, because the chamber will expand in the heat. Many people fear that the tubes will explode. In 25 years of selling & servicing boats, with over 30,000 boats sold.......I have never seen a boat it happen. That is not to say it can't.When the sun is strong it gets hard again. In the northeast we can have a 30° swing in temperature in a day. I was always afraid to over inflate it.
Stephen, I had a West Marine inflatable that the floor seam opened while we were coming ashore. Talk about getting wet!
I got the foot pump with the Zoom. How can I know how much pressure I'm pumping it up to?
I intentionally over-inflated a 16 RIB in Spain (I was at an inflatable boat factory) by inflating it until it gave. I recall the explosion took place at about 35 psi and the fabric itself blew out, not the seam. It just will not happen with the standard footpump that comes with any recreational boat.
So, "PUMP IT UP!!". It is better for the life expectancy of the boat and will make rowing easier. I pump until the calves start to ache and I feel the footpump will not push more air. Even with a 30 degree temperature gain, the tubes will not fail because the pressure will not build to enough to do damage. That is, unless the seams are bad to begin with [extremely uncommon].
Cheers,
Stephan
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Wow...with all of these issues with the inflatable dinks, I think that I will stick with my fiberglass dingy a lot longer! Mine rows well, tows well, and I put a 2.5 2 stroke on it and it motors fine. Yeah, you do loose a little bit of stability but you also don't have to worry about the floor getting punctured and if it does a little fiberglass goes a long way!
If you want to get a fiberglass dingy, look around. Some people have them sitting in their back yards and never use them. Flash a few hundred dollars and see how quickly they will sell it. That is how I bought mine for $200!
If you want to get a fiberglass dingy, look around. Some people have them sitting in their back yards and never use them. Flash a few hundred dollars and see how quickly they will sell it. That is how I bought mine for $200!
We have a Zodiac Zoom that we bought new in 1999. We keep it in the Barnegat Bay waters of central New Jersey and it is out in the sun for approximately 5-6 months each summer. We power it with a 5HP Nissan that will let it plane with one 250 lb adult.
The fabric has been durable but is difficult to clean once it rubs up against a dirty piling. I clean it and use 303 Protectant every year then stow it in the garage uninflated over the winter. I have had to repaint the floor boards and replace some of the side stringers on the floor boards as they tend to rot when sitting in water for extended lengths of time. I have not had any problem with the oars or with rowing - provided that the oars are inserted correctly into the oar lock so they don't come loose. I have an aftermarket plastic stowage seat that I can slide back and forth to find a good rowing position. The dinghy is heavy with the boards in place. I paint the bottom every year with inflatable boat paint and it seems to keep the barnacles away. After ten+ years, I cross my fingers every spring when I put it back in service but the thing still holds its air - as long as the valves are tight.
The fabric has been durable but is difficult to clean once it rubs up against a dirty piling. I clean it and use 303 Protectant every year then stow it in the garage uninflated over the winter. I have had to repaint the floor boards and replace some of the side stringers on the floor boards as they tend to rot when sitting in water for extended lengths of time. I have not had any problem with the oars or with rowing - provided that the oars are inserted correctly into the oar lock so they don't come loose. I have an aftermarket plastic stowage seat that I can slide back and forth to find a good rowing position. The dinghy is heavy with the boards in place. I paint the bottom every year with inflatable boat paint and it seems to keep the barnacles away. After ten+ years, I cross my fingers every spring when I put it back in service but the thing still holds its air - as long as the valves are tight.
Do you have a picture of yours or a link to a picture? I would imagine it doesn't come apart. We carry ours from one place to the next in the Suburban. I guess we could carry something on the roof if it wasn't too heavy to get up and down.
The first time we set ours up it was at the local lake. It took us about an hour. We had it about all blown up before we realize we had one of the valve caps trapped under the floor and had to deflate it again. When we were finishing up these kids showed up with an aluminum john boat on a simple flatbed utility trailer. They yanked it off and threw it in the water, started the small outboard and were gone. Ruth said "why don't we have one of those
".Then to make matters worst when we were going through all of the take down work another guy shows up with his little girl and another small boat that I bet he didn't pay $100 for on a trailer that he probably got for free. By himself he takes and puts that one in the water and they leave.
I told Ruth that I knew what was going through her mind
. Now we have it down to about 15 minutes, but it would still be easier to just put a small boat in the water.Thanks, that is reassuring. In the fall and spring here it can be in the 50's in the morning and 90's in the afternoon and the "too much" pressure thing has worried me and being lazy I've had too little in at morning time when I've used the Zoom to retrieve shore lines. I'll put more in it and see what happens.
c ya,
Sum
Our Trips to Lake Powell, UT - Kootenay Lake, Canada - Priest Lake, ID
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bought one new this past spring (2010) and the only major complaint is that the wood floor boards have cracked/warped .....now I need to see if warranty covers this.
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