Newport Inflatables Vs. Others

[JCCharles]

I am looking at replacing the deflated West Marine inflatable dinghy that came with my boat. While researching on CF, I noticed that Newport Vessels as a sponsor and even though I looked at their website, I’ve never heard of them before. They are less expensive than any other brand, including Defender’s 2 and 3 year old “NOS” Zodiac’s, and they seem to be made in USA, which is very big for me!

While I don’t want to put a sponsor on the spot, does anyone have any experience with them?

[jeffatds9]

Be careful with the Newport inflatables. We bought one figuring we would get 3-5 seasons, but only got 1 season. At the start of season 2, we unrolled the inflatable, filled her up, and pretty much every seam started separating. And she was past warranty.

You get what you pay for.

[Newport Vessels]

Hey guys, Josh with Newport Vessels here. We have been making PVC inflatables for over 10 years now, and although we are newer to the market we stand behind every product we sell. Although our older model boats were made with glue, our new inflatables are nearly 100% heat welded with the exception of accessories and the center seam of the floor, so glue failure is something we've worked hard to solve. Our boats have a 2 year warranty on them, so any boat with issues within that time is replaced on us.

As seasoned sailors I'm sure you know PVC boats are not the same as Hypalon, so they require more protection and care from UV and heat than CSM/Hypalon boats. To address this we do sell boat covers that fit our inflatables as well.

I don't mean to hijack the discussion however, but feel free to let me know if you have any other questions. My email is josh@newportvessels.com.

Stay safe out there!
Josh