Bombard C3 Commando on sale now at Inflatable Boat Center. The perfect gift in a highly portable package for young people looking for fun. Easy to fit into a compact car or other vehicle. Show up, assemble, and explore the world you live in.
Bombard C3 Commandos can carry quite a bit of cargo and float no matter what nature throws at you.
Transportable by air for complicated water rescue scenarios and portable enough for high angle rescue teams to lower it down to the victim’s area for water egress.
Inflatable Boat CenterInflatable Boat Center
Bombard C3 Commandos can be rolled up and delivered to austere locations making rescues and scientific discoveries a reality.
Inflatable Boat Center delivering a Bombard Commando to the headwaters for fishery scienceLaunching a Bombard C3 Commando from a sailboat for microplastics study Rozalia ProjectBombard C3 Commando on rocky beach
The Bombard C3 Commando is a Thermo-Bonded Duo-Tex constructed inflatable boat built to be tough enough to handle any coastline. This inherent toughness makes the Bombard C3 Commando a favorite for high angle rescue teams that have to carry their resources in with them and to the area of interest.
Sometimes you just want to go fishing; the Bombard C3 Commando has what it takes to get you out on the water where the fishing is good.
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.
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.
INTEGRATED BOW STEP, CLEAT AND NAV LIGHTSUNDER SEAT STORAGEFOLDING REAR BENCH SEATFOLDING REAR BENCH SEAT12V AND USB PORTS12V AND USB PORTS CLOSEDHELM TIPPED UP FOR ACCESSFUEL TANK UNDER HELMBOW LOCKER UNDER CUSHION
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.
