<IMG SRC="/generic/mov/barnet2.gif" WIDTH=250 HEIGHT=125 usemap="#barnet2" BORDER=0>
  Choosing an Inflatable

Barnet Marine Centre Ltd
14 West Burrowfield, Welwyn Garden City
Herts, AL7 4TW, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1707 331 389
Fax: +44 (0) 1707 331 383
E-mail info@ribs.co.uk


    Choosing an Inflatable  

The choice of inflatables under 4m from the 100's available is absolutely bewildering. Here we outline the features of each different size of craft and suggest combinations of boat and motor. However the full brochures do this much better so please contact us for the brochures that you need to help you decide which craft is right for you. The question and answer format used here should help YOU ask yourself the right questions to determine which craft best suits your use. If you wish to discuss further the most suitable craft for you please CONTACT US

PRICES CHANGE FREQUENTLY SO PLEASE CHECK THE BEST CURRENT OFFER ONCE YOU HAVE DECIDED WHAT YOU WANT!

Lightweight craft, less than 15hp

Zodiac Zoom 310 / 6 hp 		  Performance craft with 10 hp +

Zodiac Cadet FR 340 / 15hp 		Performance craft with 30 hp +

Zodiac Futura Sport / 40hp
Package Cost;
£1,000-3,000
 
Package Cost;
£2,500-4,500
Package Cost;
£3,000-7,000
Engine Range
2 - 15 hp
 
Engine Range
10 - 30 hp
Engine Range
30 - 50 hp
Guide to main Features;
 
Guide to main Features;
Guide to main Features;
Pack into boot of car
YES
 
Pack into boot of car
Large Cars YES
Pack into boot of car
Estates YES
Carried by 1 person
YES
 
Carried by 1 person
NO / Maybe!
Carried by 1 person
NO
Speed
Up to 20 mph
 
Speed
Up to 30 mph
Speed
Up to 40 mph
Suitable for Family
YES
 
Suitable for Family
YES
Suitable for Family
YES
Suitable for the Sea
In Bays etc
 
Suitable for the Sea
YES
Suitable for the Sea
YES

Go to Top of the page
Bombard AX3 / 2h

Bombard AX3 / 2hp Ideal tender or lake, canal, river boat also suitable for use in sheltered bays. Standard with slatted deck and exceptional value for money!

Avon Rover 260 / 3 hp

Avon Rover 260 / 3 hp Smallest of the Rover range, the best made boats on the market with extremely good oars & seats. Worth the extra if you want it to last a very long time! 2.6 /2.8 / 3.1 / 3.4 m craft with a choice of solid or inflatable deck.

Yamaha 310

Yamaha 310 The Yamaha range offer excellent value for money, they have air deck, solid deck and slatted deck craft. Yamaha also package their boats with motors to offer great savings.

Cadet Fastroller

Cadet Fastroller , these are Zodiac’s inflatable floored boats. They come in 240/260 /285 /310 / 340 m lengths and are very light indeed. They make taking the boat to the water very easy!

Zodiac Zoom Boats

Zodiac Zoom Boats are excellent value and come in 310 and 340 m along with a very keenly priced Rib at 310 m. Aimed at family fun they are an ideal entry level craft.

Commonly asked questions on light weight inflatables;
What questions do I need to ask myself to help decide what I need? Aside from overall cost, important questions are;
How many people do I need to carry?
How FAST do I want to go?
How FAR do I want to go?
What type of floor do I want in the boat?
How long do I want the boat to last for?
What floor types are there? You have a choice of Nothing, just a soft bottom of boat fabric. Slatts of wood that roll up in the boat. A solid wood floor removed in panels to pack the boat up. An inflatable floor that can also stay in the boat when it is rolled up and packed away.
How quickly do these boats go? 2-5hp will give up to 8 mph, 6-8 hp will get most boats on the plane with 1/2 persons therefore speeds up to 15 mph. 10-15 hp planes most boats with 2-3 people giving speeds up to 20 mph. Obviously you have to match the right motor to the right boat to get the "best" performance.
Just how heavy are these boats and suitable motors? The exact weight is dependant on the model of boat but as a guide Inflatables up to 2.8m are typically 15/22 kgs with some 3 m craft approaching 30 kgs. 2/3hp motors 10/15kgs, 4/5hp 15/21kgs, 6/10 hp 28/32kgs These packages really do go in the boot of the car
Can I let older children operate this type of craft? YES, as long as they are responsible, wear lifejackets and you pick a motor that has a "kill switch" on a lanyard. Not all motors have this, please seek guidance from us for suitable packages.
Just how good are inflatable floors and are they tough? Inflatable floors are really tough and offer a very light weight option for a really solid floor, though costly they are probably worth it!
What is it going to cost me to get a boat on the water? Below are GUIDE prices for boat/motor, you will also need to budget circa £75.00 for 2xL/Jackets and anchor. Oars or paddles will be standard on all craft of this size. If at sea flares may be required.
Bombard AX3 / 2hp Boat & Motor From £765.00 inc vat
Cadet FR 285 / 4 hp Boat & Motor From £1,430.00 inc vat
Yam 300 / 5 hp Boat & Motor From £1,260.00 inc vat
Zoom 310/ 8 hp Boat & Motor From £1,810.00 inc vat
Avon R 260 / 3 hp Boat & Motor From £1,440.00 inc vat
Go to Top of the page
Commonly asked questions on PORTABLE performance craft;
Will craft like this fit in my car? On craft over 3.4m an estate car will be required to carry everything, particularly if you have a motor of 15 hp. & larger
How much does all this weigh, can I carry it? Boats with inflatable floors will weigh circa 22/30 kgs with solid floor versions weighing up to 45 kgs. 15 hp motors weigh 31/38 kgs 25 hp from 50 kgs. These boats can readily be carried by one or two adults. A 25/30 hp is about as big as one person can carry.
How quickly do these boats go? 15 hp will give you up to 20 mph, 25 hp will, on the lighter models of boats, give up to 30 mph!
What size motor do I need to ski with? For adults at least 25hp, with lighter children 15 hp will suffice allowing skiing, the use of inflatable toys like tubes etc but keeping budget and weight under control!
Do Avon make any inflatable floored performance craft? Not really, though you can get Inflatable floors in the Rover range they do not have the "performance" of the Zodiacs.
Can I have seats in the boat. You can but they take up a lot of room, seats are either inflatable or on solid deck craft they may fit to the deck rails, often they are an extra but some craft have them as standard.
Do all performance craft have inflatable floors? No the traditional aluminium deck that removes in panels is very much alive and well. Though heavier this type of craft often comes as standard with steering and seats
Zodiac MKIIC FFR/15hp Boat & Motor From £3,565.00 inc vat
Zodiac MKII FFR /25hp Boat & Motor From £4,420.00 inc vat
Aerotec 380 / 15 hp Boat & Motor From £2,780.00 inc vat
Bombard C 4 / 30 hp Boat & Motor From £4,130.00 inc vat


Zodiac Futura Fastrollers are a superb range of boats, there are models from 3.5 - 4.7m they offer very high performance craft at amazingly low boat weights. These craft have inflatable floors and the advanced Futura hull design, these are the next craft up from the [Zodiac Cadet Fastroller] craft covered in the previous section.



Bombard Aerotec 380 Bombard are part of the Zodiac group and use the same revolutionary technology for inflatable floors. The 380 has a deep V hull rather than the Futura hull shape. Aimed at 15-25hp motors this craft offers a high performance inflatable at an attractive price and weight.


Bombard C 4/ 30 hp Of the Ally deck boats this is one of the best value. Lengths of 3.8 - 4.3 - 4.7 m are available.

Go to Top of the page

Above is the MK III Futura / 40 hp Below is the MK III Grand Raid Zodiac, this is the heavy duty version of the same craft. In the GR / Heavy Duty range fold up inflatables go up to 5.85 m!



An example of what you can put an Avon W 520 through!! The “W” range of boats from Avon are probably the toughest boats on the market!

Commonly asked questions on LARGER performance craft;
This section covers larger inflatables that need to be packed INTO a box trailer/Caravan or towed on their own trailer.
Are Inflatable floors still the best choice for this type of craft? Though you can get 4.7 m inflatable floored craft (Zodiac Futura Fastroller MK III) this size of inflatable will probably have a solid floor and thus can weigh 100 kgs plus.
How big a motor can I fit? There are pack away boats that take 40/50/60 hp but these motors at 80/100 kgs are really to heavy to readily carry, some kind of motor trolley will be required if you need to move the motor around.
How quickly do these boats go? The comparatively flat bottom of an inflatable will limit speed but with 40 hp plus 50 mph is possible. At this speed steering will be required.
Are all the craft as tough as each other? NO! The Avon Range of Commercial inflatables and the Grand Raid Zodiacs are tougher craft than a leisure weight Bombard Sports Boat for instance.
How long do these boats take to put together. Something like a Grand Raid Zodiac will take two adults about 20 minutes to assemble with another 10 minutes required to mount steering if you have it fitted.
Futura MKIII / 40 hp Boat & Motor From £5,075.00 inc vat
Grand Raid MK III / 40 hp Boat & Motor From £5,990.00 inc vat
Avon W 520 / 40 hp Boat & Motor From £6,500.00 inc vat

Go to Top of the page

Barnet Marine Centre Ltd

14 West Burrowfield, Welwyn Garden City, Herts - AL7 4TW, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1707 331 389 Fax: +44 (0) 1707 331 383
E-mail info@ribs.co.uk

© Copyright 2001- AboarD / ABsite


aboard These pages are produced and hosted by AboarD.
null