Zodiac Senior Dealer MILPRO Elite
Buy any Commando or Grand Raid with a Yamaha Outboard and receive a premium Engel Cooler branded with the Yamaha Logo.
This sale is limited to stock on hand, special orders not included,
Hurry and call today to reserve your new boat + motor + cooler package while they last!
INFLATABLEBOAT CENTER 2041 SE POWELL BLVD.
PORTLAND OREGON 97202
(503)235-2628
During the colder months of winter rescue teams and agencies should be organizing their assets and preparing the training cycles to begin the new season. Weather events around the country, and the world in general, have become more and more frequent with devastating results/consequences. We mustered early today to work with another group to carry out their mission. It’s not like we want to be working at 4AM but necessity doesn’t follow a schedule, you go when and where you need to.
Recently we had the opportunity to work with Pacific NW Search & Rescue as they plan for their upcoming season. They needed a replacement vessel better suited for the conditions in the Columbia Gorge-Hood River area which can mimic a highly confused sea state. Being one of the best wind surfing and foiling spots in the world means things happen real fast in waves that break or sink boats not equipped to endure the conditions. Their recreational grade Caribe was no match for the beating the Columbia doled out and after many repairs they decided a boat more purpose built was in order.
Enter the Zodiac MILPRO SRMN600
Built to suit Pacific NW Search & Rescue’s unique operational parameters the Zodiac MILPRO SRMN600 was tubed in orange with “SEARCH & RESCUE” APPLIED to the heavy 1880dtx fabric. The tubes were married to the heavy-duty hull featuring dual scupper trunks for quick bailing if waves break over the boat during a rescue. Featuring enough deck space to stabilize a victim or resuscitate them if needed until they can be transported by ambulance or aircraft to a medical center.
From concept, to getting it loaded on the trailer, IBC worked with Pacific NW Search & Rescue every step of the way, including some hasty training on a twin-engine Zodiac MILPRO SRA750 helping them hone their skills prior to receiving their custom boat.
Don’t wait until the season is upon you and victims need help, call Inflatable Boat Center today to speak to one of our qualified staff and bring the right tools to the job!
Inflatable Boat Center
2041 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland Oregon 97202
(503)235-2628
inflatableboats.com
We recently spent a day with our friend Chad at IBC, Chad is a photographer and film maker with some talent and a desire for adventure. The recipe is always a bit different for the types and styles of the mission, but the core ingredients remain the same. Questioning the unknown to seek truth, confidence in your boat, a sense for adventure, talent, nerve and a pinch of luck = documentaries, stunning images and tales of the secret world.
Chad is a master chef in his craft and someone worth knowing if you get the chance. Since we are always waiting for his projects to release it’s hard not to get excited when he checks in with IBC. He shared some pics of a current expedition I think we can use without letting the cat out of the bag which I’d like to share with you.
I’ve added a link or two to some of his online stuff i think you should check out. His instagram page is simply beautiful. Have a look at Chad Copeland and if you’re inclined help support his charitable work or try to get him to shoot for your network or studio. We’ll let him do what he does and just enjoy the visual stories he tells.
Keep checking in for future updates from the field.
Wild Actual
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
Driving in thru heavy rains and flooded streets this morning had me thinking about Zodiac MILPRO ERB models. It’s this time of year we start to get calls for flood water and swift water rescue boats. Being able to rapid inflate a Zodiac MILPRO ERB 400 in 3 minutes means something when water is moving into an area with homes and residents. The Zodiac ERB 400 HPP will roll and stow in most vehicles without issue when you need to move assets to an area without traditional boats or services. Austere locales, metropolitan centers, housing developments, all become accessible when flooded.
Police, fire, and emergency service workers and volunteers can easily carry a rolled up ERB to the water’s edge and get it deployed to enact a rescue. Due to is light and compact nature anyone one of moderate fitness level can easily pull a boat out of a vehicle and carry it to a scene one shoulder. If you have help it’s even easier, more hands make less work they say.
POLICE INTERCEPTOR UTILITY
ZODIAC MILPRO MK3 GRAND RAID 15’5″
While carrying an inflated boat to a scene on a trailer or on top of a slick top rig is great and easy. it’s not always possible. If you can’t get a trailer close enough to a scene or the vehicle has antennas populating all the upper roof surfaces you need a roll up option that you can get to where it’s needed most. Saving time by not having to launch far away can mean the difference between a strainer rescue or a strainer recovery.
In the video above it’s easy to see that with a little training a small team can do incredible things. Training for the scenarios rescuers likely to encounter in their respective areas is necessary and shouldn’t be overlooked by leadership. Training doesn’t have to be laborious or mundane. Everyone on the team should become familiar with all of the operations so if a team member is absent, they can still conduct the mission. I used to dread training because of the monosyllabic monotonous classroom data you have to digest. Once you mix in some practical use training it becomes fun and engrossing. Training comes with costs when fielding a program so when setting aside money for a Zodiac ERB departments and local governments should be setting aside some funds so assets like the Zodiac MILPRO ERB don’t sit unused during an emergency event.
By conducting training often teams become cohesive and able to respond to dynamic situations successfully. Learning the incredible capabilities of the Zodiac MILPRO ERB inflatable boat platform assuages fears and forges strong operators able to do what needs to be done when the call is made. Don’t wait until the worst happens, take those meetings and make those budgets, extreme weather is now the norm. Some call it global warming, or climate change, others call it the 100 year weather cycle. Whatever you call it decide on a plan now and put steps in place to protect your citizens before it’s too late.
If your department needs to get a Zodiac MILPRO ERB or two give Inflatable Boat Center a call and get the ball rolling.
The Inflatable Boat Center is open Tuesday-Friday 0900-1700 and Saturday 0900-1500.
Inflatable Boat Center
2041 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland Oregon 97202
(503)235-2628
Military and professional RFQs can be emailed to mike@inflatableboats.com.
