Arctic Wolves and ERB 310 HPP

ARCTIC WOLVES

Much of what we do at IBC has to do with what the end user of the inflatable boat needs to accomplish or their goals, wants, needs. Every case is different, and every situation comes with a different set of rules so to speak. The needs of the grandparent on a creek are much different from a sailor plowing the raging main. When selecting the correct inflatable boat platform you should be clear on hurdles real or imagined that can become barriors to use once you’re on location. “Naufrage Voletaire” authour, Dr. Alain Bombard pragmatically looked at all aspects of the journey when he set out to learn survival at sea. By selecting a prototype inflatable boat to meet his goals, wants, and needs his critical thinking game leveled up.

Inflatable boat capabilities easily surpass the sum of their parts and have a long history of results. I recently had the pleasure of speaking with a customer who contacted IBC about a solo adventure in the High Arctic. The intention was to be able to access habitat in the High Arctic for the purposes of studying Arctic Wolf behavior. (Yes, Arctic Wolves are real) Ulf had to take everything he needed with him and be able to manage it all on his own in an extremely isolated austere locale. I was immediately jealous! We began talking about weights, cargo size, distances and many other items before landing on the Zodiac Milpro ERB310 HPP. I was confident when I met Ulf that we had a solid plan to achieve success. Goals, wants, needs, I’d be seeing him again someday I thought.

Fast forward a spell and Ulf and I were discussing lessons learned here at the shop as he prepared for another season navigating brash, grease, and close pack ice. We talked of our experience with different marine mammals and the canids he saw along the way. He shared insight into the changing habitat and the increased access to the arctic due to due ice melt. I was again jealous, jealous he was living his adventure and gaining such valuable insight while I only had memories of an adventure past. Thinking of calved blue ice and narwhale as I type today when I earned my Blue Nose on the USS Safeguard.

Ulf shared a pic or two with me and said I could link to his paper to share it with the rest of my users so without further ado…

When you’re ready to start your adventure, we’ll be there to help you level-up.

Ulf Petersen published articles below.

Behaviors of High Arctic Wolves in Response to Humans | ARCTIC (ucalgary.ca)

https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/arctic/article/view/75966/56132

Learn about different types of ice.

Inflatable Boat Center

2041 SE Powell Blvd.

Portland Oregon 97202

(503)235-2628

inflatableboats.com

ZODIAC MINI-OPEN 310

Zodiac RIB 310 Open Starboard Side

I’ve written articles about materials and construction before on our blog, many times in fact, and we’ve had our blog relentlessly attacked from other countries because of it. Exposing material science truths while fighting sailing fiction makes poor product purveyors piqued. (peals profusely)

Zodiac’s Mini-Open 310 dressed in grey and black with a Yamaha F20 is about as good as it gets for the size, plus it’s super affordable. With most things that a person buys “these days” being made elsewhere of generic materials, the Zodiac Mini-Open 310 still uses tubes and hulls made the French way, the Zodiac way. Getting it’s start December 22 of 1896, Zodiac has been innovating materials & products ever since, making the Open series of inflatable boats somewhat less surprising than it might otherwise be.

Getting into a Zodiac Open 310 is easier than you might think when it’s rigged with a Yamaha Outboard, you can even finance it thru Yamaha. Having no sales tax in Oregon means even better savings when purchased at IBC and since we don’t have any hidden fees or double talk, what you see is what you pay. This latest Zodiac Mini-Open 310 just came out to the showroom so I thought i’d snap a few pics of it before it’s gone off to a good home. Zodiac’s Open 310 moves fast on the water and fast from the showroom. I really just like how fun they are and how easy to drive they are. Even I look like I know what I’m doing and that says a lot right there! Give us a call (503)235-2628, stop by the showroom, or order one off our website and pick it up ready to go.

Ice Pirates

It’s still very icy in SE Portland this morning 01/20/24 so be careful driving. Our parking lot has been converted into a hockey rink making it treacherous for all vehicles and personnel. Unless it’s an emergency it’d be better to visit next week after a good thaw. There are trees and power lines down everywhere you turn, we had 4 come down on our house alone. Granted they were the neighbor’s trees, but they fell onto us so now we own the headache. Be safe and don’t take dumb risks just to stop by and visit. Mike will be on site until 3pm today for professional and military customers and waterfowlers who don’t know any better!

Hahaha!

Please call ahead before coming, and don’t just show up with a boat on a trailer, it’s not safe for anyone.

Inflatable Boat Center

2041 SE Powell Blvd

Portland Oregon 97202

(503)235-2628

inflatableboats.com

Working From Home

Working from home today has brought my mind to some more basic duties, basic but still important.
I follow a ritual of sorts in the morning with the first thing being making my bed.
Making your bed doesn’t seem like a big thing to do, it’s not boot camp or anything like that, but it sets the tone for the day.
I let the dogs out, start coffee, then make my lunch, all very mundane but necessary.
Winding my watch while dressing I make the “Plan Of The Day” in my head then sallie forth to accomplish the goals.
Working rituals are a similar mindset, first thing I consider is kicking air/inflating boats.
This simple thing, not unlike making your bed, is kinda important because again it sets the tone, but, in this case it’s necessary.
Inflatable boats need air to work and none of them are immune to leaks, they all lose air.
So wind your watch, make your bed, and kick some air to set the tone.

If you’re local to Portland Oregon you know we are having a winter event right now and that usually means ice covering every surface.
Working from home instead of the shop is an adjustment, we never have a snow day or ice day.
Catching up on the news at 05:30 I saw an article about two Navy SEALs lost during a VBSS mission.
VBSS is short for “visit, board, search, and seizure” and it’s a mission the Navy has been undertaking for a very long time.
When people ask me what’s the most dangerous thing I did in the Navy it was always VBSS or anything small boat related.
It doesn’t seem like much to the layman, from what I remember it was a gut check.

Things that probably should be considered about VBSS are no concealment, nor is there any cover to speak of, they always know you’re coming, and the ocean is no joke.
Small teams in fast boats (typically inflatable boats called RHIBs or SIBs) steer a predictible course right into the maw of the enemy, pirates and smugglers who are usually themselves well armed and waiting.
Coming alongside a target vessel in rough conditions is tough on it’s own but factoring in getting team members on board with grappling lines or ladders and it becomes double tough.
Once on board you have to conduct other parts of the mission goals to completion.
No one talks about the danger aspect, it’s understood as dangerous, plain and simple.
You go do the thing, avoid any ticks (troops in combat), and hopefully make it back in time for chow.
I can only imagine what the SEAL watching his team mate go in felt at that moment while at the same time jumping in to help.
What did the small boat engineer and coxwain feel?
This VBSS mission stopped dangerous arms from getting into the hands of bad guys but failed at bringing their whole team home for chow.
My heart was broken reading about everything, and no matter what I think I know, I can’t possibly know anything because I wasn’t there.

Prior Navy SEAL and French Legionnaire Taylor Cavanaugh mentions a personal small boat team incident below, although it’s a completely different kind of mission he brings up some good points to think about.


Because of this ice storm that has plagued Portland thru the boat show and this week we’ll extend some our deals all the way thru February.

Speaking of deals Yamaha is running a program of their own, call us (503) 235-2628 and get your new Yamaha with an extended warranty or cash off discount depending on the model.

Shop Online inflatableboats.com

Inflatable Boat Center

2041 SE Powell Blvd.

Portland Oregon 97202

JANUARY 18TH ICE STORM UPDATE

The ice storm continues and is centered in SE Portland which remains below freezing with 40 mph East winds. Please call before visiting IBC as conditions have us working remotely.

(503)235-2628

Zodiac Grand Raid

Grand Raid

Zodiac’s Grand Raid has been around for quite a bit of time and within its lifetime has become the stuff of legend and lore. For me it’s the first (bateau pneumatique) that I came to see and recognize as a Zodiac, unique, capable, mysterious, and oui, French. My whole interest in the ocean or water in general has always factored in a Zodiac, and more often than not it was a Grand Raid. I see old pics of me in the Arctic on a Grand Raid, or tropical jungles again with a Grand Raid, on a ship with a Grand Raid, begin to see the pattern here? There are many Zodiac and Zodiac Milpro models that come to mind like the FC470, or Bombard Commando for instance but as things happen, they just seem to happen more… in a Grand Raid.

Places you’d see on a map or globe at school were likely explored and charted with the help of the unassuming Zodiac Grand Raid. Supplies and medical help were delivered with the same capable boat that Legionnaire’s used to conduct missions or marine biologists used to film documentaries. It’s likely the very image seen in your head when you think of an inflatable boat, it’s ubiquitous and flies under the radar of scrutiny because it’s so known in the zeitgeist simply as what you imagine an inflatable boat (bateau pneumatique) to be.

The Grand Raid is many things to many different users but “ami numĂ©ro un” to all who’ve had the pleasure of its company. French at its core, global with its presence, Zodiac’s Grand Raid continues to inspire and deliver the stuff of legend to today’s discerning user.

The Grand Raid is foldable and transportable adding to the mystique of it’s haze grey history. Without fanfare the Grand Raid plucks cold, wet and tired people out of danger, it brings the groceries, it delivers the mail, it’s a wolf or a shepherd, it never asks for anything except to go to work. The Grand Raid exudes confidence and trustworthiness in its capabilities making your job and your life the only reason for its existence. Zodiac’s Grand Raid carries more weight and offers more stability than other boats and is content to patrol the Amazon or spend a lazy day catching fish with the children.

The team here at IBC has always been fans of Zodiac’s Grand Raid models, we probably always will be. Grand Raids just work so well and seemingly never end up in the repair shop for anything other than a simple patch repair. While the Zodiac Grand Raid has stood the test of time it doesn’t rest on its laurels. The Zodiac Grand Raid is so near perfect in its original design that it steps readily forward to volunteer for use with electric outboards thereby continuing the mission with future generations of explorers and adventurers. There’s a good chance that the very first boat on another planet will be a Zodiac Grand Raid rolled and ready to go once we begin the next phase of mankind’s journey.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your journey, need to equip a dept., or you just want to eat a sammie while reading a book, consider a Grand Raid.

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

YAMAHA POWER & PERFORMANCE SALES EVENT

Save up to $200 off MSRP on Yamaha Outboards 2.5hp to 25hp from today January 4th 2024 until March 31st 2024.

Get an extended warranty on models 30hp and up.

Stop by our showroom in Portland Oregon to take advantage of the savings or call us (503)235-2628 to reserve your Yamaha Outboard today!

The 4 Fs of Outboard Buying

The Four Fs of Outboards

You’ve heard of the four “C”s for buying diamonds, but have you heard of the four “F”s for buying an outboard?
No?
It’s because I just made it up for this piece.
The four “C”s are cut, clarity, color, and carat while the four “F”s are fit, finish, function, and fuel economy.

I’m not here to play brand favorites, I’m just pointing out that there are differences besides just price. Every day we get phone calls with people asking prices while they conduct their “research” online at the same time.

The “research” as it’s stated by the caller is far different than what I considered research as an R&D scientist. When I hear research on the other end of the phone, or see it written in an email, all I see or hear is price shopping. Research in it’s contemporary sense has become using a search engine to shop prices and not much else. I’ll get pumped for information just to have the caller buy it online for a few bucks less from an online outboard clearing house. I get that the economy is crap and that leadership lines their pockets with tax payer dollars, so saving a buck is generally a high priority in most households. I get all of that trust me, but calling price shopping research is just wrong.

Those online outboard deals come at hidden costs not always visible to the researcher/shopper. Just like buying that diamond with the four “C”s the outboard has it’s attributes as the driving factor in it’s price. Free shipping is often the decider when online researching/price shopping a product to buy. Let’s be clear there is no such thing as “FREE SHIPPING”, the shipping companies wouldn’t exist if that were true. In fact the world economy would collapse if it were true as there’d be no incentive to produce a product if it’d cost money to sell.

It absolutely depresses me when a customer brings in a Yamaha outboard they bought online from dubiousoutboarddeals.com only for me to tell them it’s not a Yamaha and we don’t have parts for it. Sometimes it’s the obvious Yanamaha (or similar misspelling) sticker on the cowling, other times it’s the made in CH1N4 tomfoolery design and components. A bit of real research could save you from getting dupped once you see a too good to be true deal with free shipping. So much of our time is wasted supporting people who know better but pull that buy trigger online anyway.

I get it everyday on the phone, “They have it for $2000 less than that at insert dubious online outboard website!”. My usual response while on the phone with the pricing book open is, “I can’t make that deal, it’s less than our dealer cost at that number.”

Look for the four “F”s while you do your research, that Yamaha outboard should be the best in fit, finish, function and fuel economy. If it doesn’t present as such or if Yamaha is spelled wrong, run away!

Buy your outboard from an authorized dealer who will do the appropriate pre-delivery inspection and warranty registration and also has real OEM parts. Playing around with questionable knock offs on the water is never a good idea. An authorized Yamaha Outboard Dealer will have no problems sending you to another dealer that has the flavor you are looking for or even special ordering one in for you. The real pricing difference shouldn’t be too great from dealer to dealer.

This applies to all brands not just Yamaha, I’m just using Yamaha here because that’s what we sell and service, might as well have the best right? If you’re shopping for a Honda or Suzuki make sure it’s not a Hodonda or Suszuki. Times are hard, money is tight, don’t make a costly mistake because you got lured in by “FREE SHIPPING” or similar online conversion techniques. Call and speak to your local outboard dealer first, that way if there are any issues that come up you won’t be left out alone in the dark on the water.

Here at the Inflatable Boat Center we stock outboard configurations that are suitable for the types of boats we sell, but that being said we sell outboards to duck hunters, offshore fishermen, sailors and professional users alike. We just order in what we don’t have, and as a dealer we support what we sell brand wise if we can fit it into our boatyard. As a dealer we have no problem referring you to another dealer who specializes in the thing you are trying to do if we don’t, or don’t do it as well them. Part of being an authorized dealer is knowing there is a dealer network of professionals to draw upon to meet the customer’s goals, needs and wants.

This whole rant is the result of me talking to a boater who got a “real good deal” this morning on an inflatable boat. I didn’t ask them to swing it by, they just showed up and asked me to bring it into service for the once over. Let’s just say it wasn’t a Zodiac, and it wasn’t a Yamaha rigged on it either, but it was embarrassing, and it was disappointing. I won’t put much more here on it to save the customer from feeling worse than they already do. Hopefully they can get their money back but it’s doubtful with these online predators.

Talk to your local dealers and consider the four “F”s when the deal seems to be too good to pass up.

Feed Your Beast

Whilst kicking some air into my boat this clear chilly morning my stomach reminded me I forgot to fill it up with breakfast. My primative brain remembered to get feed for the outboard and I was feeding my Zodiac it’s breakfast of clean cool morning air at the time. It’s like muscle memory, check the fuel, kick some air, conduct the day’s mission, pull the boat and clean everything off before stowing it in it’s proper place for the evening. Pretty simple right? You’d think that these things are all obvious and not worth mentioning yet again, but….. for some reason we keep getting inflatable boats, pontoons and kayaks in for under inflation failure modalities in need of repair.

I know not everyone is an engineer or deep sea crusty salt covered salvor but simple understanding can prevent many preventable problems with your inflatable boat which we will just call a Zodiac or “Z Boat” moving forward.

Bouyancy as it was explained to me during my indoctrination into submarine repair is simply achieved by displacing water. The more water you displace the greater the bouyancy or lift, it’s the reason why stuff floats on water. The “stuff” weighs less than the water it displaces therefore it floats. Understanding a submarine or a ship weighs many tons more than a Zodiac you’d think there is more to it than this, but you’d be wrong. Classical construction of boats from wood, steel, fiberglass or even cement all use the same principal of displacment of water to achieve bouyancy. The Z Boat is filled with air and therefore much lighter, but the volume of water that it displaces is much more than it weighs so therefore again, it floats. It floats very well indeed! Because of this huge difference in weight VS displacement of the inflatable boat, Z Boat, Zodiac, what have you, will in fact carry a far greater load than classic boat materials and construction techniques. If you don’t have enough air in your Z Boat it will not carry the same load as a properly inflated one, nor will it offer the same rigidity and strength it should.

Remember getting that helium ballon at the circus when you were 5 and taking it home? (yeah I’m dating myself). When you woke up the next morning excited to take it to school and show it off for “Show & Tell” it was markedly less full and mabey even sat a little below the ceiling. The gas inside your floating wonder ballon was escaping it’s confines from the moment it was filled and continued to free it’s self from its rubber prison the whole night while you slept peacefully. It was a bit of a disappointment and attempts to loft it higher were met with the crushing reality that gas doesn’t want to be confined. In heliums’ defense it’s a pretty small molecule and it will fit thrugh everything it’s contained in eventually, albeit slower than hydrogen. We’ll save that discussion for the nuclear engineers at a later time.

Your Zodiac instead of helium uses the same air we breathe, it’s a mix of mostly nitrogen, oxygen, and some other rare and noble gasses. These molecules are very big in comparison to helium, they don’t fit into and thru atomic lattices and seals like helium and hydrogen do, plus it surrounds us and costs nothing to use. While the molecules are bigger they still leak out eventually no matter what you make your container out of including PVC, Hypalon, CSM, Polyurethane etc. By not feeding the beast it’s share of delicious air regularly you’ll end up killing it in the worst way or damaging it enough to come to our repair shop for some emergency medical treatment. A trip to medical is never fun, and it’s never cheap, not like air, air is free to use all of the time. If you’re a space commando or or a saturation diver it might be a different story.

As a boy on the water I was taught that a boat and all things associated with it need constant care and upkeep to keep it safe and seaworthy. Going to my first command at the ripe old age of 17 I knew better than to walk by a “problem” without addressing it, and it is something that I still maintain today. If your Zodiac will take air, feed the beast, and kick in some air before going out. If you’re one of the people who have a winter season and the Z Boat isn’t used as often, you still need to top it off regularly. Your new boat can loose more air than you think in the span of 24 hours, especially if it’s a glued boat like a hypalon boat or cheaper Chinese knockoff brand. Don’t just walk by a problem with your boat, problems are always more complicated when you’re on the water so minimize your risks, kick some air and feed your beast.

If you have questions about your inflatable boat give us a call, or if you’re looking to minimize your impact on the environment while maximizing your fun stop by and see what a new Zodiac Inflatable Boat can do for you.

Our winter hours are the same as our summer hours.
9-5 Tuesday thru Friday
9-3 Saturdays
Closed on Sunday and Monday.
Our Phone number is (503)235-2628
We even have web chat from our website inflatableboats.com during those same hours.
We also stock, service and sell Yamaha Outboards.

December 7th

December 7th

Riding my bike to Subase Pearl Harbor or to Hickam AFB each day pretty much ensured that I’d never forget December 7th. My route took me right past the Arizona Memorial and along the way past twisted, burned and rusted shards of metal that reached upwards out of the water towards Heaven. It was hard to concentrate on the bike path or the random mongoose that darted out towards your front wheel. The significance of what went down on that day in 1941 always felt heavy when I rode by the signs of the attack. That twisted metal still present today was what brought America into the second world war way back in 1941.

Years after getting out of the Navy I saw one of my old COs on the History Channel talking about the salvage efforts that happened after the attack. He was a legend in the Navy Deep Sea Diving Community, and he’s still very much a legend today. The people I’ve met in the professional military aspect of my job here at Inflatable Boat Center remark about his moustache and his quiet. I think my best CO overall, Mark Helmcamp, he was no bull, he let people do their jobs and play to their strengths. Always professional, always on mission, shaping young sailors into frogmen, divers, and salvors that themselves became legends and heros. He was active in his role and understood the role his commands had in and around Pearl Harbor. I was glad to have served with him as our leader in all things deep sea and scary. His reverance of December 7th 1941 and May 21st 1944 instilled into our character a forged iron will and respect for the dangers we’d face as bastard sons of Neptune.

When the mobile dive and salvage group got tasked to do work on the Arizona with the National Parks Dept. (it’s their site) there was never any lack of volunteers to dive, run boats, or stand at attention in dress whites. Everyone knew the magnitude of the attack on Pearl Harbor, we lived and worked there, we saw the steel and smelled the oil. Taking part in the extra duties was considered an honor, a reward for a hard mission or task. Even though it was extra work we were all compelled by the sacrifice sailors and civilians made that day, December 7th, 1941. We competed to stand honor guard, or to work the site from a Zodiac, work boat or landing craft.

When the Reclaimer made way thru the different lochs of Pearl Harbor to load demo we’d pass by wrecks and give honors.163 men were killed and 396 men were wounded in West Loch on May 21 1944 making it the second worst incident in Pearl Harbor history. Death was everywhere around us in Pearl Harbor quietly watching for another opportunity to ply it’s trade. If we had to do something on Ford Island we’d see the effects of the bullets and bombs still there on display under the merciless sun. Almost everywhere you looked in the paradise of Pearl Harbor Hawaii you could see where people struggled in fear and died in smoke, fire, and water.

Being attached to the salvage group and reporting for duty on Hickam made me scratch my head at first, I was Navy and this was an Air Force Base. It became clear once I began my journey into becoming a salvor. We were there to clear the channel, to demo, dive, and salvage if anything like December 7th ever happened again. We were there to get our Navy back on it’s feet and underway, to conduct rescue missions, to catch or kill the enemy, and so much more.

December 7th 1941 was a hard lesson for Americans and one we won’t likly forget anytime soon. For most of America it’s a day of light traffic and days off, for myself and other “Neptune’s Bastards” it’s a solemn promise to serve the living and remember the fallen. While I served on more than a few “junk boats” the Reclaimer and her relationship to Pearl Harbor has always made me feel something extra on December 7th. Today I think about the resilience of the country, it’s people, and it’s sailors while remembering I’m standing in the shadows of giants. Iron willed American sailors and salvors who stood up to some pretty bad situations while some 2,403 of their brethran fell.

This December 7th, 2023 we also remember our dear friend Gary Durnam. Gary worked at Zodiac for 36 years shaping and growing the company here in the US. He was easy to talk to, knew how to kick air into a boat, and a friend to everyone he met.

While you’re enjoying a day off and the lighter traffic on the roadways take a moment to reflect what price the country paid for it.

If you knew Gary from Zodiac take a moment and remember him as he was.

Some of the staff at Zodiac US will be unavailable for the time being as the news about Gary is just now coming out, on their day off, this December 7th 2023.