I am on the verge of ordering an Avon R280 air deck inflatable. Weight and stowage are prime conciderations. Some say I should go for the 310. Opinions appreciated ..and thanks...
Edd
CD28FBC
Slainte Mor
Erogers711@AOL.com
Avon 280 inflatable - air....Tell me why I should not buy
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Ken Cave
Re: Avon 280 inflatable - air....Tell me why I should not bu
I have used a Quicksilver 230 since 1996-holds two folks easily, planes with me with a 3.3 Horsepower Merc-weighs about 60 pounds, and tows like it wasn't even there.
We use ours in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and, except for exploring the islands, we use it to get off the boat and onto some dirt. (I added wheels for that purpose)
Thing is small (little over 6 ft) but you can stand on it as the tubes are really huge, and easy to get onto the boat without a ladder.
I think the best thing about a Quicksilver is that Mercury really stands behind their product! Mine has gotton sticky on the top, and it is a bear to clean it. I just called Mercury and they are arranging for a "new" one to be shipped as I am writing this to you!
Check the newest Practical Sailor, and you will see who really makes the Avon. Zodiak picked up Avon as well as a number of other companies in the past years.
The Avon is currently making their rafts in Autoflug's Hungarian factory (one of the companies that have been taken over by Zodiak.)
Ken Cave
Cape Dory 28
bcave@whidbey.net
We use ours in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and, except for exploring the islands, we use it to get off the boat and onto some dirt. (I added wheels for that purpose)
Thing is small (little over 6 ft) but you can stand on it as the tubes are really huge, and easy to get onto the boat without a ladder.
I think the best thing about a Quicksilver is that Mercury really stands behind their product! Mine has gotton sticky on the top, and it is a bear to clean it. I just called Mercury and they are arranging for a "new" one to be shipped as I am writing this to you!
Check the newest Practical Sailor, and you will see who really makes the Avon. Zodiak picked up Avon as well as a number of other companies in the past years.
The Avon is currently making their rafts in Autoflug's Hungarian factory (one of the companies that have been taken over by Zodiak.)
Ken Cave
Cape Dory 28
bcave@whidbey.net
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Larry DeMers
Re: Avon 280 inflatable - air....Tell me why I should not bu
I use an Avon Rollaway (has aluminum floor boards joined by a hypalon rubber strip), and love it! It rolls out and gets stored (floorboards in place) on the cabin top in front of our dodger. I built a wood cradle to hold it securely, and find that the ability to just roll out the dinghy and pump it up without fooling around with the floorboards is a neat thing. We are able to go from deflated and stowed to in the water ready for the motor in 10 minutes. We use the main halyard to lift the dinghy (don't waste your money on a 'lifting bridle', just make one from spare line and some well made knots).
Addressing the incorrect inferrance that Avon is now junk just because it is sold by Zodiak: A little history; Zodiak is made from PVC. PVC is almost impossible to weld or repair effectively. Consequently, Zodiak had problems..significant problems with delamination of the wood motor transom (and other attachments) from the PVC tubes.
They refused warranty repairs at some point so the Coast Guard got involved and forced a massive "all-product" recall via court. The Zodiak business took a well-deserved hit in the drawers. Zodiak, wanting to stay in business, then bought up Avon and other inflatable brands. However, Avon is still made from Hypalon, not PVC. As far as I can tell, nothing at all has changed to the negative with the Avon product line. So Ken, the damning association that you gave should be ignored based on what I know to be factual. Keep your eyes open however, as eventually, Zodiak may cheapen their products. What I expect to happen is the opposite. I expect them to make use of the material technology that Avon and the other brands that they bought currently use, resulting in a better product that is repairable.
Finally, to back up their claim of a good product, my Avon has a 10 year warranty against the fabric failing. That has to be a record warranty in this industry.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~Sailing Lake Superior~~~
Larry DeMers
demers@sgi.com
Addressing the incorrect inferrance that Avon is now junk just because it is sold by Zodiak: A little history; Zodiak is made from PVC. PVC is almost impossible to weld or repair effectively. Consequently, Zodiak had problems..significant problems with delamination of the wood motor transom (and other attachments) from the PVC tubes.
They refused warranty repairs at some point so the Coast Guard got involved and forced a massive "all-product" recall via court. The Zodiak business took a well-deserved hit in the drawers. Zodiak, wanting to stay in business, then bought up Avon and other inflatable brands. However, Avon is still made from Hypalon, not PVC. As far as I can tell, nothing at all has changed to the negative with the Avon product line. So Ken, the damning association that you gave should be ignored based on what I know to be factual. Keep your eyes open however, as eventually, Zodiak may cheapen their products. What I expect to happen is the opposite. I expect them to make use of the material technology that Avon and the other brands that they bought currently use, resulting in a better product that is repairable.
Finally, to back up their claim of a good product, my Avon has a 10 year warranty against the fabric failing. That has to be a record warranty in this industry.
Cheers!
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30 ~~Sailing Lake Superior~~~
Larry DeMers
Ken Cave wrote: I have used a Quicksilver 230 since 1996-holds two folks easily, planes with me with a 3.3 Horsepower Merc-weighs about 60 pounds, and tows like it wasn't even there.
We use ours in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, and, except for exploring the islands, we use it to get off the boat and onto some dirt. (I added wheels for that purpose)
Thing is small (little over 6 ft) but you can stand on it as the tubes are really huge, and easy to get onto the boat without a ladder.
I think the best thing about a Quicksilver is that Mercury really stands behind their product! Mine has gotton sticky on the top, and it is a bear to clean it. I just called Mercury and they are arranging for a "new" one to be shipped as I am writing this to you!
Check the newest Practical Sailor, and you will see who really makes the Avon. Zodiak picked up Avon as well as a number of other companies in the past years.
The Avon is currently making their rafts in Autoflug's Hungarian factory (one of the companies that have been taken over by Zodiak.)
Ken Cave
Cape Dory 28
demers@sgi.com