Fighting The Algorithm Commando Style

When the algorithm suggests pages and products it doesn’t try to find the best or brightest, it’s likely just putting up paid ads based off your activity online. Talk about something and it magically starts to show up in your feed, is your phone listening…?! Chances are good that it is, and it’s serving you content to consume as if by mere coincidence? Suprise!

It’s no coincidence that I’m constantly talking about inflatable boats, repairs, and the like so my feed is usually inundated with so much garbage and noise that it makes me wonder how the non-initiated can navigate the web of lies and get a decent boat at a fair price.

Most of my calls are from people who don’t own a Zodiac that can’t find help with their issues anywhere from where they bought their disaster from. These unscrupulous venders are there to make their money and move on to the next sucker. Flexing those algorithm muscles to dupe Mr. and Mrs. America out of any money they have left with psychological warfare and targeted ads. It’s really scary when you think about it, and it’s not just for Halloween either.

We’re not playing the game at IBC, we offer good Zodiac Recreational boats as well as the Zodiac Military and Professional line. We embrace the old world and welcome the new if it means our customers get a great boat that has value, is safe, and fun to use. Examples include the Zodiac Bombard Commando, a rough and tumble recreational grade boat that will do what you need without breaking the bank.

The C3 Commando is 12’6″ (3.8M) of new school tech built with old school principals that shun the shopping algorithm. C3 Commandos use Zodiac’s proprietary materials and Thermo-Bonded tubes to make a boat that’s ready to go when you are. It simply does the job, and like it’s namesake, does it clandestinely, never seeking attention, just providing results. Able to take up to a 40Hp outboard but still useable with a smaller portable, the C3 Commando is more than a sum of it’s parts. Cargo is handled, people are moved, fish are harvested, and weather is tamed with a C3 Commando.

Inflatable Boat Center

IBC’s founder and all around nice guy Captain Ron still has a C3 Commando that he uses from 1982.

If you take care of your Zodiac Bombard inflatable boat it will take care of you for years to come. Try that with the algorithm branded boat being force fed to your page. Not only is that algorithm marketed boat bad for the environment, it’s bad for your safety and mental health. Buyer’s remorse is pretty bad with those other boats, they are not financially sound, cost more to repair than they are worth, end up being a disaster for the environment where they’re made and not to mention the landfill they’ll end up in.

C3 Commando users are stewards of the environment, seeking quality over quantity, and looking towards the long term rather than immediate satisfaction from algorithm fueled retail therapy. Our C3 Commando users operate with complete freedom from the Arctic to the Antarctic in the pursuit of happiness. The Zodiac Bombard Commandos are on sale thru Christmas in honor of Dr. Bombard’s solo crossing of the Atlantic in a prototype inflatable boat that became what we recognize today.

Give us a call or stop by the IBC Showroom in Portland Oregon to package up your own adventure.

Inflatable Boat Center
2041 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland Oregon 97202
(503)235-2628
shop our website inflatableboats.com

Hunting Backcountry Inflatable Boat Aventure

Recently one of our long-time customers contacted me about a hunting trip in a place long forgotten or never discovered. He asked what he should bring with him on his trip to be self-reliant as he’d be many hours from electric lights or civilization by plane. We took a little meeting and discussed some things, and we recommended a small glue kit and some fabric for repairs in the field.

They were to fly in and land on the water, beach up, then make a base camp to sortie out of by boat. The area had no cell service or any other type of service to speak of so they were going to be 100% on their own for anything that would come up. My kind of party! Well as luck would have it, I was at the shop fooling around when I got a call from their Starlink setup. A mouse had chewed a hole in the bow of their inflatable boat, and they had had to fix it to finish their trip and get back home.

Going back to the in-shop meeting and the materials they packed into their away bag we walked them through the repair sequence. Starlink and a little planning made the trip into a success where otherwise there would have been failure. This type of trip is a once in a lifetime thing if you’re lucky enough to even go. Setting yourself up for success and taking a few minutes to think about little details like some glue and fabric can have a huge impact.

We work hard to set our customers up for success, we want them to have fun and be safe in their undertakings. If you’re planning a mission that takes you out of the coloring book lines it might make sense to give us a call at The Inflatable Boat Center, chances are we have some experiences that relate to your adventure. It could be the difference you need when you’re alone and things count towards success.

Give IBC a call (503)235-2628 Tuesday – Friday and see how we can help you achieve your goals.

Small Boat Workspace

Inflatable Boat Center

When I think of all the times I’ve had to work from small boats in support of dive ops, security, personnel transfer, moving cargo, inspections, etc. there were numerous times where I thought an inflatable was the right choice. Right choice doesn’t mean the “actual choice” when it comes to putting a plan together and going to work. So often I was trying to do work that didn’t lend itself to the higher gunwales of say a landing craft or motor whaleboat but none the less they were the platforms chosen, partly by ignorance, or possibly lack of proper training by department heads.

U.S. Navy Dive Ops

They had a job to do and merely picked what they saw visibly laying around. They certainly never set foot in any of the work boats, let alone pulled a line or tended umbilicals. Their uniforms remained clean, dry, and pressed, while ours were a paisley pattern of salt, oil, grease, and sea life. I only knew one officer who’d go out with the teams on task, and he was the ship’s C.O./legend of the deep sea world.

Junk boats are singular in their capabilities on and under the water, they can even pull ships off a beach or reef, but that’s a whole different story. We had Zodiacs, we used them accordingly in times of great need, we used them casually in salvage ops, we used them where we needed the extra stability or speed.
Life was good on the mobile dive platforms and in the pirate navy where every day was something off menu.

Inflatable Boat Center

Moving to Hawaii taught me that I needed to be proficient in sailing if I ever wanted to surf breaks undiscovered out there in the blue. Sailing got me to some of those places, but getting to the beach or to the breaks wasn’t usually possible unless you had a good roll up Zodiac. Hard shelled dinghies were too big, heavy, unstable, and unsafe, so they were out of the running before we ever cast-off lines and got underway. A good Zodiac could carry way more weight, use a smaller outboard, and stow below when we didn’t need it giving us valuable space topside. Space is pretty premium on longer voyages, stowing the inflatable boat saved crew morale and allowed us to fish, read a book, or just move a bit freer without having to give up that footprint. We’d get to a spot and set the anchor, then get out the gear while pumping up the Zodiac inflatable boat. No one wanted that first watch while the off-watch guys went to the beach or to a new break in the Zodiac. Thank goodness we set watches and dogged them accordingly, so everyone got to dive, surf or explore with the Zodiac inflatable boat.

Going on new ships, boats, and subs I’d always have a few questions, when is chow, where are the fire fighting and flooding stations, where are the lifeboats, who’s the “Doc”, where’s the armory, and where the Zodiacs were. Getting to know the “Doc” was a first order thing, knowing where my emergency stations for damage control or security were up there at the top too. Meeting the crew and training on the Zodiacs while underway meant when the time came to do the “thing” everyone involved could put the Zodiac together efficiently while under duress. The simple training and repetition meant none of the team were overwhelmed when they unrolled a boat to pick up guys from a sub or while in the water conducting their missions.

Inflatable Boat Center
Fairway Rock

I found myself going to the high latitudes very routinely for reasons I can’t expand on here. Sunburnt skin and long hair meeting a boat full of military creased uniforms and strong wills put me out of place frequently with the ship’s crew. Why is this guy here?”, “Who is this guy?”! I’d run up the workboats and get them ready only to find the ice too dangerous to navigate with a traditional hull. Solution? Break out the FC530 Zodiac and complete the task, easy for me , scary for some. Once the crew got accustomed to the Zodiac FC530 they were always looking for an excuse to go out and play. At first they’d be worring that the boat would “pop” or sharks would sink us, but experience and courage forged them into confident operators that saw real benefit to the Zodiac inflatable boat platform. I’d see some of them at Alpha in my coming and goings carrying on that same Zodiac training to new recruits knowing they’d be ok in their future as salty denizens of the deep.

These days I get to pick what I want to do on the Zodiac inflatable boats and RIBs, it’s a more relaxed tempo aligned with my aging body. I can surf when I want, go fishing when I have the urge, camp in remote locales, or take my dogs out for a day. I don’t have big boat ownership issues anymore, fuel costs are low because I need way less motor, and I can tow a Zodiac RIB or Zodiac inflatable boat with a sub compact if I have to. Life is just better with a Zodiac roll up or RIB, you just have to take that first step and call your local boat shop to get started.

Inflatable Boat Center

If you have questions regarding a Zodiac Inflatable Boat, try calling us here at Inflatable Boat Center (503)235-2628 and start your adventure today!

Inflatable Boat Center
2041 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland Oregon 97202

inflatableboats.com

If you’re looking for a career full of adventure and Zodiac Inflatable Boats. You might be surprised how far you can go.

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