Zodiac Zooms are a Piece of ******

S

Silver Bullet

New Member
Oct 23, 2012
16
Florida
Boat Info
Sundancer
Engines
Cummins
I bought a Zodiac Zoom thinking that the name Zodiac meant Quality. Boy was I mistaken. Just a little over a year after I bought it is had a leak in a seam. I fixed that and then anothe place started to leak. Just over two years (when the warrenty expired) it got more leaks and the transom seperated from the tube. The Zodiac representative told me to take the boat to certified Zodiac repair station. That would have cost me several hundred dollars in transportation costs. I did some more checking, searching the internet and speaking to the "certified repair station". Finially, I was told by the CRS technician that if the transom was seperated, it was not worth fixing. It went in the JUNK pile where it belonged from the beginning.

Before you by a Zodiac, check the bolog on the internet. They are a piece of JUNK!

By the way, the boat had only light, intermitant use and was garage stored off season.
 
See what you started Alex....
 
So while I agree that Zodiac Zoom's are not of the same quality of say an Achilles it is about a quarter of the cost. I have had 2 Zoom's...a 310 and now a 260. Both have served me well with no issues. At the same time I knew that I was buying a product at a bargain price and thus my expectations were minimal for life span. I can buy four zooms for the same price of some of the higher end models. Just my 2 cents...for a value priced dink it can't be beat.
 
My Caribe, going on 10 years old, has had zero issues, and I paid $500 for it, that included the 15hp outboard.
 
y2ygutuq.jpg

What do you guys make of this? This zodiac was given to me with the sale of my boat. Should I try to repair it? The rest looks brand new.


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Hell yes, repair that. figure out a good way to remove that old glue, find some good glue, jump in and go for a ride.
 
Pettibone1 said:
y2ygutuq.jpg

What do you guys make of this? This zodiac was given to me with the sale of my boat. Should I try to repair it? The rest looks brand new.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Pull it off, clean off the old glue (carefully use some solvent if need be), rough up the surfaces and glue with the proper glue. If this is hypalon, follow the instructions on the glue package but deflate the tube first, roll the bubbles out and clamp the accessory with basic plastic clamps you can buy at HD or even HF. The key is get the old (bad) glue off of both surfaces then rough up the surfaces a bit.
 
Pettibone1 said:
y2ygutuq.jpg

What do you guys make of this? This zodiac was given to me with the sale of my boat. Should I try to repair it? The rest looks brand new.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

That is pretty common. The material is PVC. I just redid the same areas on mine. I bought the glue made for weaver snap davits, it is a two part glue specifically for PVC tubes. Get the whole flap loose and use some coarse sand paper to knock off the majority of the glue, follow up with some MEK solvent to clean the remainder of the glue off. Be very careful and take your time.

The glue will have instructions on how to finish the repair. One thing to note, make sure you tape off the area so you don't have glue all over the outside of the seam. Someone definitely tried to repair that before without proper prep.
 
Are new Zodiacs built different than old ones? I have a 1994 12.5 footer with a 20HP on it. I had 2 problems. Once on a 400 mile trip I under inflated it and it had a few rub marks where the rear seat fits and last year the front seam at the bow between the floor and the tubes came unglued along a 6" area.
 
SilverBullet - I bought a Zodiac Zoom thinking that the name Zodiac meant Quality. Boy was I mistaken. Just a little over a year after I bought it is had a leak in a seam.
Click to expand...

Madifonzo said:
So while I agree that Zodiac Zoom's are not of the same quality of say an Achilles it is about a quarter of the cost. I have had 2 Zoom's...a 310 and now a 260. Both have served me well with no issues. At the same time I knew that I was buying a product at a bargain price and thus my expectations were minimal for life span. I can buy four zooms for the same price of some of the higher end models. Just my 2 cents...for a value priced dink it can't be beat.
Click to expand...

As they say "Location, Location,Location", I see Silver Bullet problem Zodiac is in Florida and Maditonzo, with no problems, is up in the Northeast.
The intense Florida sun is terrible on PVC inflatables regardless of the brand. A few years is all that is expected out of the PVC unless they are stored out of the sun as much as possible.
Up here on the Great Lakes PVC inflatables have never been an issue, at least from my experience.
 
We had our zoom for 4 years and have had zero problems... I keep it inflated all the time... We put in our little boat over the winter to hold up the tarp that covers the boat. I think there are two factors... 1. The Sun (Keep your dinghy covered when not in use) 2. When the dinghy is stored if you let the air out, the seams maybe more likely to part...
 
I thought I was the only one. Been in the snow too long. I was toggling down and asking myself where this thread was going. Going up to Lake Winnipesaukee NH, for a weekend getaway then get the cover off in March 29th HOPEFULLY!
Four Suns said:
Is it just me or does that brown shape look like a man's junk?
Click to expand...
 
SR400DB said:
I am not sure, but I would be HIGHLY concerned if my junk had a yellow tint like that.
Click to expand...
LOL, or even worse two bites out of it...........
 
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