F-Ribs And Sibs - Inflatable Boat Community

I bought our Zodiac MKIII Grand Raid by accident in 2016. I wasn't really shopping for a motor boat but spotted this on a government surplus auction site. It was only a few miles away at a local fire department, so I went to have a look. The boat looked to be in great shape despite being a 1996. I put in a "below reserve" bid and won. The department agreed to sell the boat for my bid of $3000. My family has thoroughly enjoyed the boat ever since - taking it local rivers and lakes to explore and play.

I should provide some specs on the boat. It is constructed of hypalon and has the "communicator" valves. The motor is a 1996 Mercury 40hp 2stroke with a stainless prop. I've added a bimini, a 14 gallon aux tank, transom eyebolts for tube towing, a handheld marine VHF radio, and launching wheels.

That really is a lovely boat and in great condition, from the look of the pictures!

Yes, she is in very good condition. The motor was my biggest concern but it hasn't given me any trouble - although, I wouldn't mind switching to a quieter, cleaner 4-stroke.

That is awesome! Great find! I bet that sucker really moves with a 40. Did it come with the speed tubes?

You'll have to document/video some of your outings and post them on here.

See you have transom wheels. Are you able to move the boat on your own or do you need help?

The boat tops out at about 30mph without passengers. It came with a second prop that has a different pitch, but I haven't tried it. It pulls a tube+2 kids just fine. We tried some waterskiing but didn't have the skill to get up. I've had 8 adults in the boat and it still got on plane

I got the transom wheels on Amazon - cheap noname brand. They work ok but I wouldn't trust them on a rocky shore. The motor is heavy and they'd probably fold up on any big bumps. I mainly use them to pull the boat up on sandy shores, or to take the boat off the trailer in my yard. I'm a big guy and don't have any trouble rolling it around.

I'll try to post some of our adventures with it - we've had several.

Glen

Where is it manufactured? In Spain? Is it a Z0207 model?