The Quay, Kingsbridge, Devon
01548 852424 info@willsmarine.co.uk
Zodiac is practical
- Almost as light as air
Take a look at an inflatable boat. You see fabric, a wooden transom, the fittings…..but you forget the air contained in the inflatable keel or in the buoyancy tubes which gives the boat its shape. Looked at this way, it is hardly surprising that a fully inflatable Zodiac can be up to 3 times lighter than a comparable traditional boat.
- Size
This determines space on board and carrying capacity. It also directly influences the level of performance; a larger boat is more stable, more comfortable and easier to get planing.
- Weight
- Below 30kg/66lbs, your Zodiac is a feather weight; a primary feature for a tender
- Between 30kg/66lbs and 100kg/220lbs, 2 to 3 people can comfortably carry it by hand.
- 100kg/220lbs to 150kg/330lbs and a trolley or launching wheels become necessary.
- Over 150kg/330lbs a trailer is required. However, lighter than a similar rigid traditional boat, towing and launching should present no problems.
- Easy to store
Once deflated and folded the space taken up by a Zodiac is so compact that transporting it and storing it becomes extremely easy. Have you ever tried shutting the car boot on a traditional boat? Can you store a traditional boat in a closet or the corner of the garage?
Take a look at an inflatable boat. You see fabric, a wooden transom, the fittings…..but you forget the air contained in the inflatable keel or in the buoyancy tubes which gives the boat its shape. Looked at this way, it is hardly surprising that a fully inflatable Zodiac can be up to 3 times lighter than a comparable traditional boat.
This determines space on board and carrying capacity. It also directly influences the level of performance; a larger boat is more stable, more comfortable and easier to get planing.
- Below 30kg/66lbs, your Zodiac is a feather weight; a primary feature for a tender
- Between 30kg/66lbs and 100kg/220lbs, 2 to 3 people can comfortably carry it by hand.
- 100kg/220lbs to 150kg/330lbs and a trolley or launching wheels become necessary.
- Over 150kg/330lbs a trailer is required. However, lighter than a similar rigid traditional boat, towing and launching should present no problems.
Once deflated and folded the space taken up by a Zodiac is so compact that transporting it and storing it becomes extremely easy. Have you ever tried shutting the car boot on a traditional boat? Can you store a traditional boat in a closet or the corner of the garage?
Choosing an engine
If you want to potter around the estuary in a small boat then you can choose the minimum size of engine recommended by your boat manufacturer. If you want the boat to ‘plane’(skim along the surface at close to horizontal aspect) then you will need more power so you will need at least 6hp, even for an inflatable and of course more for a traditional fiberglass boat.
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News & Events
This morning Cheshire Schools & Youth Sailing & Canoeing Association took delivery of their new willribs 4.3m Rescue Boat. Conrad Birtles from the club (left) being handed the keys to the new RIB from Rob Hales of Wills Marine Ltd (right).
On the 14th of April we hosted our annual boat show, this years was of more importance as it contained the first few models from our new range of RIBS.
We are pleased to announce that our new range of RIBS are now avaliable for viewing and sea trials.
Come and see the new Ribs designed and manufactured to Wills Marine specifications with knowledge gained from 50 years of boat building and marine engineering experience.
