My bro is looking at buying a new inflatable. They're on holiday in Scotland at mo and have seen some 'Tohatsu' inflatables. I'm trying to research them but I can hardly find any info on them, which I don't think is a good thing.
Best buy and value for money plus it was recommended from test report in yachting monthly recently is the lode star 2.3 which we have and cannot complain at all.
I inherited a Zodiac when purchasing my yacht. Seemingly V.good quality generally but they have a stupid design of rowlock for the oars which :- do not work well unless the dinghy is inflated hard; are not made of strong plastic, (therefore extremely vulnerable to breaking) and you cannot put in and take out the oars from these rowlocks in a hurry.
With a large wooden transom and floorboards it is not the easiest thing to stow if you wish to take onboard a yacht, but when fully inflated they are very stiff and taught with a small inflatable keel and we always feel safe when fully loaded. (until we have to use the oars that is)
I too have an elderly Zodiac 2.6 - very rugged but I agree about the oars - they are ridiculous and actually pretty dangerous if your outboard is conked and you need them in a seaway. Two things:
1). The plastic 'pins' can be bent back straight (once you've got them out) using hot water and gently bending them with a piece of tube over them.
2). Get some thin but strong nylon cord and thread it through the holes in the 'rowlocks' several times, tying them to form loops which lie loosely round the oars. Then if they do jump out they won't float away and you will still be able to use them to row with by pulling on the loops. They will chafe through fairly quickly, but you can always make new ones. They don't look pretty but they could save your life!
I agree with you about the Zodiac oarlock design - amazing how a major manufacturer can get away with such a pathetic inadequate design. I have a Seago 2.6 also and my main gripe is that in any sea you get soaked (fine for a budget dinghy though) . I think the best designs are the 'lodestar' or 'Honda' designs with the oversize tubes - at least your groceries stand a fighting chance of being dry after a trip.
I have a Quicksilver, 2.3m with inflatable floor and keel, it has a wooden transom, plus I have fitted drop down "Dolly" wheels on the transom.
It rows beautifully in any conditions, oar design is great, except one cannot feather the oars, which can be a bit of a pain in a breeze.
The construction is brilliant, its very tough and well made, it has large diameter tubes which makes it drier in a seaway.
The only criticism would be that its bulky when folded, but that is a factor of how well and solidly its made.
Dolly wheels are brilliant, no need for a trolly, when landing at a strange place, one can drop the wheels and pull it above the high water mark with no effort.
It motors well with a 3.3 Mercury and shows no sign of doing the dreaded bow lift and blow over that many inflatables do when motoring into a head wind.
Inflatable floors are a must, otherwise every time youu board the dinghy your foot depresses the floor, it becomes the lowest point and hey presto you get a wet foot, its amazing how even what seems to be a dry dinghy has enough water just to wet one's shoe!
I'd definitely buy Quicksilver again (though its 9 years old gets used every weekend and still looks like new!) so I may never need to replace it!
I have a seago 2.6 and the bit when it comes to threading your oars outboard to inboard thru the rowlocks seems a bit silly.
Also am I the only one who finds most dingy oars far too short-on my old avon still use a pair of proper oars and I have lengthened my seago handles-removed plastic ones-about 9 inches long and replaced with about 2 foot of dowel-so that I can row properly.
Oh yes and you get soaked even with slatted floor version.
If you have a wooden transom on your inflatable, then,
1). Find about 30 inches of one inch square mild steel box section
2). Likewise a bit of steel electrical conduit
3). Two of the double wheels from a discarded baby buggy (mine were in a skip)
4). A few nuts and bolts
5. Drill the box section for the wheels, drill & bolt on the conduit so that the box section will slide between it and the transom, and you have a set of detachable wheels for your tender which will cost a lot less than the commercially available ones. Mine cost me nothing!
7). Paint the metal bits with 2 coats of Hammerite
6). Make a nylon bag for the wheels with velcro straps to fit under the seat when not in use.
Thats a good idea-whilst my old avon with blow up seat can be carried over my shoulder my seago must weigh in close to 100lbs. and is almost impossible to lift single handed.
In a former life I was a professional rowing coach, and I must admit that I find many inflatables are extremeley difficult to row. The oars are often too short, the rowlock systems weak or poorly designed/positioned relative to the seat fore and aft and the height of the rowlock is often too low relative to the seat height for large adults when the inflatable is loaded. There is often no adjustable stretcher to push your feet against. If you compare those which have floppy rowlocks to those that have a solid rubber 'hole' then I would suggest that although not perfect, the hard rubber hole has the chance of being more reliable in times of emergency or when the most amount of stress is involved. There are also no moving parts to break or lose. In todays rowing racing boats, the rowlock and rigger have in most cases adjustments for: height of rowlock, its fore and aft position relative to the seat, fore and aft pitch and lateral pitch...i.e. the top of the rowlock leans in or out from the upright line, and the rowlock can be adjusted for the distance that the rowlock is from the keel. Also the feet have an adjustable stretcher to accommodate leg lengths. Todays carbonfibre oars are also normally adjustable in length. So, the oarsman of any shape or size can be better fitted into the boat and the adjustments tuned to allow crews of different physiques to row the same arc and length of stroke so that timing and rhythm are more easily found together. The small change of half a degree in any angle of pitch or distances changing the arc described by the oar, can make enormous differences in a racing boat and are still relatively important in a Thames skiff or dinghy, but almost impossible to get absolutely right or alter in an inflatable. For instance, the mere change in temperature during the day may influence firmness of inflatables, and the different loads carried and the general floppiness means that rowlock pitch alters considerably. This may cause the oar blade to begin digging in a little deep or otherwise. Also remember when rowing, the pivot point is near the centre of the blade in the water and the load is the weight of the boat as taken by the oar at the point at which it is pulled against the rowlock. Therefore, dont wash around on the surface of the water, but, lock the blade in the water solidly at the beginning of the stroke and lever the boat past the locked on position. It's the same principle of levers as found when lifting a load in a wheelbarrow.
So if you have a really reliable, easy to row, easy to stow, light to carry, carries all your needs inflatable, count yourself very lucky and tell everyone else! cheers Scotty
