Why are inflatable boats so expensive
Happy Boating. Igyjastabay Seaman. Joined Nov 20, Messages I know the answer. In the 50's when there were 75,, people in the United States we had room, room to store rotting tractors on your 5 acre plot. Now most people don't own homes they rent. No more space in this country near amenities anymore. Price rise. Wow, way too many ape men on this planet. Joined Sep 19, Messages I have seen people asking almost what they paid new for boat and they never sell.
Inflatables are pretty cheep as far as boats go so I'm not sure why anyone would even want to buy a used inflatable unless it's for atleast half of a new one. Neuner Seaman. Joined Jul 14, Messages You must log in or register to reply here. China factories can make very high quality inflatable boats and actually many international brands that you see are made in China or the factories have moved manufacturing there because of friendlier manufacturing regulations and availability of skilled workers too.
To be honest making inflatable boat is not rocket science and past 30 something years of manufacturing, quality is not an issue. Being in the market for over 20 years, we get to see run down inflatable boats for all brands and they sort of deteriorate at the same rate regardless of how expensive they were.
It is because there is sort of a manufacturing rush like the Gold rush in China in past decade or so. For making decent inflatable boats though, There are only about 4 or 5 factories that have been in business long enough and know how to make them properly.
And when these factories have big orders, they pass their work to the smaller factories. Some very cheap boats you can see on the internet are made by such factories. We have tested and got burned by quite a few factories we have tried to develop business with, so my suggestion would never try to order direct stuff from the internet and especially cheap stuff.
PVC or Hypalon : Hypalon is an expensive material and is layers of different materials put together to create a strong smooth material that can withstand high temperatures. So yes, Hypalon is not bad and most expensive and bigger boats use Hypalon, because it is quite good at withstanding heat. Sticking things on Hypalon is however not a great thing, so the parts that are glued on Hypalon have tendency to come off, like handle straps etc. Another issue is that, when the material is damaged, the repair is much more difficult compared to PVC.
So it has to be a DIY thing. But overall fixing PVC is a lot easier. PVC material actually if used and taken simple care of can last very long. It also withstands scratches. One of the things that damages it is when the boat is folded up and kept in a hot humid storage which is left to cook. The PVC starts to stick and gets damaged. You are commenting using your WordPress.
You are commenting using your Google account. You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Skip to content Rigid inflatable boats RIB are some of the most popular lightweight boats in the market today.
However, they are still very expensive to acquire and maintain, mainly because of: 1. Expensive construction materials The RIB has a solid base, more like a real boat. This method of construction has many advantages: it is resistant to puncture it is very resistant to sunlight and chemicals it can be inflated to very high pressure for durability it is capable of handling large external motors Again, on the negative side, production is expensive because these materials cannot be welded under normal conditions.
Storage costs It is recommended to keep the boat covered and prevent exposure to direct sunlight when not in use.
Repair and maintenance In the event that your outer layer is damaged, you will incur repair bills. Thanks for reading. If you have any questions or comments, drop them below! Share this: Twitter Facebook.