Used Dinghy      Two foot-itis is an age-old malady affecting boaters, and we've all had it at some point in time wanting to move up just two feet into a bigger boat. Well this week, we're going to start where some boaters' two foot-itis begins, with a dinghy, and we'll be consulting an expert to find out what you need to know when buying a used inflatable.      Mark Cordner: When buying a used inflatable, there are a couple of things to consider. Most importantly is the material of the boat itself. Inflatables are made from two different types of material, this dinghy itself being a PVC boat, and the other type being a hypoline material boat.

     The differences are really the seams -- on a PVC boat the seams are heat welded, so this boat has no glue on it what so ever. Where as on a hypoline boat, it is hand glued and has a glued transom.
Another thing to consider when you are buying an inflatable boat is the floor system. A high-pressure inflatable floor is a great advantage. It is very easy to inflate, very easy to deflate, and it is a compact unit, all in one piece. The wood floor would be a great way to go because it is a little more economical, it gives you a little more stability when you are moving around on it. A fibreglass bottomed boat would be a very good option with an inflatable tube set around it. It is a little more money, and it is a larger boat to store in the wintertime, so you will lose the portability aspects of it.
     The next thing to consider after choosing the material and the floor system, is the size of the boat and the size of the horsepower you're going to use that would best suit your needs. If you want to do any water activities with the kids, tubing, water skiing, things like that, you may need to go to a little larger boat, such as an 11-foot boat with a 25 hp. If ship to shore transportation is what you need, an 8-foot boat and a 2 hp motor should suit what you want, or even for some intermediate cruising to an island for a lunch or the shore, a 9.9 hp motor and a 10-foot boat is a great way to go.
     In your inspection of the boat, if you come across a patch, it certainly isn't will not be a problem unless it's done incorrectly. When you're looking at the patch, look for outlying glue from beyond the patch, it will have turned a mustard yellow, or the corners pulling up, which would indicate that it wasn't glued properly or possibly the wrong material was used.
     During the inspection of the inflatable boat, if cleanliness is a concern to you, and there are some stubborn stains, take a bottle of inflatable boat cleaner with you. Just give it a quick spray and scrub it. If the stain doesn't come out, it's probably not going to come out, and anything harder than inflatable boat cleaner is probably going to do damage to the material, so you'll have to live with the stain.
     During the inspection of the inflatable, the transom is the most important thing for you to look at. Three different areas should be looked at. One is cracking along the top of the transom where water can get in. Another is the peeling of the material where it attaches to the transom front and back, where water can get in as well. In both of these spots, if water does get in, it can rot the transom. We also like to see a bit of protection along top of the transom where the engine sits, to prevent any water from getting in that area as well. One last thing to look for in the transom is the technical data plate and the serial number. The serial number is going to give you the year the boat was made, the technical data plate is going to give you the story of the boat. If both are missing, well, that could tell another story.
     During our inspection of the underside of our test boat there was a couple of little nicks in the transom. What is needed fix this problem is to put a little wear patch across the nicks to prevent any water from getting in behind the area to rot the transom. It will cost us approximately $50 to repair now that could save us up $1,000 later.
     Final things to ask for in the inspection of the dinghy are the accessories. This dinghy is missing a couple of things, the oars, a bench seat, and a foot pump, and the required safety equipment for this size of vessel. To get all of these things included in the purchase price could save you a couple of hundred dollars after the sale.

     Ted Rankine: So whether this poor man's yacht is your first introduction to boating, or you're just looking at moving up to a larger inflatable for your cruiser, we wish you luck in curing, at least temporarily, your two foot-itis.

* taken from a transcript of our Footitis Used Boat Profiles on PowerBoat TV 2004 Episode 1- Order A Copy of the Show