West Marine Hypalon 350

I recently purchased a West Marine 350 RIB, its hypalon and it has a five year warranty. I spoke to the store manager and he explained that West Marine went directly to a manufacturer in China to make a deal and cut out Avon and Zodiac. So far its a really nice boat, the tubes are larger than most inflatables, weighs 129 pounds and handles up to a 25ph outboard. So far I have been really impressed, it cuts the chop nicely and has a dry ride. With a 25hp it gets up and goes, close to 35mph, and being 11 5 it has a lot more room than a 10 footer. I use the dinghy more like a run about than dinghy, so I was in the market for a bigger, drier and smoother riding boat. I had a 10 Boss Boat that really beat the crap out of me most of the time.

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http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/294434/377%20710%20889/0/Rigid%20Hull%20Inflatable%20Boats/Primary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710%20889&Ne=0&Ntt=Rigid%20Hull%20Inflatable%20Boats&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&page=CategoryDisplayLevel1&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=5005&subdeptNum=10&classNum=688

Hi. Just joined this forum but curious about your experience with this RIB over the past eight months. Can you shed some light on how it handles, whether you like it or not, its advantages, drawbacks etc. I'm considering buying one and Goggle doesn't bring up much info at all. Thanks in advance.

Soarin, Troy isn't always on here. I will try to rattle his cage and get him to answer your question. I think he is very happy with it as I see him in all the time and have ridden in it.

Thanks Baker. Appreciate that.

So far its been great, much smoother and drier ride than smaller models. I had a small seam about an inch that the glue didnt hold but they immediately repaired it under warranty. The hatch for the small storage locker leaks a little water, thats my only complaint, of course besides wishing I could have a bigger one! It will plane with 4-5 people depending on how many big guys you have. I am 200 pounds and I had 4 smaller people with me and we could still run on plane.
West Marine has already raised the retail price $100 in stores here. I am heading out on a 9 day trip Saturday so*I*will have more time for extensive dinghy riding and I will post some more feedback.*

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Thanks Troy. I'm probably gonna go ahead and get it next week. I'm coming from a 15.5' Zodiac F470 SIB so I thought it would be too small also but the damn thing just appeals to me for some reason, lol. The store here told me a guy had a glue issue as well. My warranty work would have to be done by a Charleston shop who was less than honorable on a recent repair to my boat, stealing a brass part of one valve then charging me for a plastic replacement, having the valves turned opposite, etc. , so thats a concern. My roll up floor is 8' versus the 7' in the 350 from transom to bow box. The F470 is 10'4" inside or really just about two feet longer overall. Surprising. Yeah I noticed the increase here too. Look forward to your 9 day feedback. Have a good trip.

what kind of motor are you going to put on it?
The glue issue on mine was under the water line so, it was a spot that the water constantly pulled at it. I talked to customer service and they transferred me to the man who is in charge of purchasing all the boats for West Marine, I asked him if they had issues with this boat and he said a few have had to be repaired but he sounded very confident in the product. He also wanted to make sure I was happy and taken care of. They also have to have Zodiacs and Avons repaired so it didnt concern me that much. Not many people have top notch service now days!
You might try to work on the price with the manager, I had made buddies with the store manager and he dropped the price for me.

I plan to buy a 25hp Yamaha short shaft for it. I have spoken with the store and since I already bought the trailer they cut me a deal on the boat. I've been doing my research to learn more about the RIB before I decide to buy it. Though smaller than I'd like, its hypalon, made by Zodiac and backed by West Marine so that gives me a warm and fuzzy. BTW, it sure looks alot like the Achilles 350 RIB but they swear its Zodiac, lol.

Soarin
Just curious how the boat worked out for you?

Troy, I LOVE THIS BOAT! looks great, imho, and it IS a fast lil go-cart on water; why did i wait so long to buy it? but for the best deal of course!