Inflatable Sport Boats Dolphin 8.8' Air Floor with EVA Foam Teak decking - Premium Heat Welded Dinghy

Searched many inflatables in this range. After weighing pros and cons of many models, including construction, cost, and features, We have a labrador retriever and needed an inflatable boat that would store easily on our Hunter 36 and get us to the shore quickly. I choose the Dolphin 8.8. While it will be months before i put the boat in the water since our Hunter is winterized, i decided to check out the Dolphin in my basement. Size and weight were as expected for a quality durable inflatable. Unpacking was easy. Using the included footpump, I was pleasantly surprised that even with the separate inflation chambers (which i see as a very good feature) I was able to fully inflate the boat in approximately 10 minutes with minimal effort. Seat insertion, and oar lock were easy I was impressed on the inflatable keel size and anticipate it will certainly allow the boat to track well and riders to be comfortable. The inflatable floor seems incredible solid. We plan to lay some indoor/outdoor carpet to offer a measure of safety against the dog claws. The only weakness I can see is the inflation adaptor - for a measure of safety I will look for a spare adaptor so I am not left in a position of inflation through alternative means. Can't wait to get this boat in the water.

No matter what we did, we could not get this to plane with a 9.8hp Tohatsu. Tried more/less weight, moving things around, etc. It would get close and then the bow would bounce violently up and down, letting gallons of water over the transom. Considering the max HP is 10, I don't think it is possible. The floor is also impossible to fully flatten out, even following the instructions exactly. It might work well as a short distance tender with a trolling motor, as long as you don't mind the floor being bowed. We are returning ours and trying a different model.

Seems to work well for being so small. Was able to get this air floor Dolphin up on plane with about 400 Lbs of passengers and gear. It seems...a bit squirrelly, but it doesn't have a real keel (air keel), and I'm new at driving. Only minor issue was the graphics ink transfered to other parts of the dingy leaving stray ink marks. But very minor issue. I'd recommend it to others.

Item was missing the valve that prevents air from escaping chambers. We had to repackage and carry this heavy boat back to the UPS store. Poor quality control from manufacture.

We really like our inflatable boat and think it has some great features. First there are plenty of handles to hold to. Also, we love the bench seat with the attachable bag. It's a great place to keep our personal items from getting wet. The only issue we had was there a little leak where the scupper is, but my husband removed the fitting, put some silicone in the area and replaced the fitting. He was not concerned about this at all. We have not used it since we made the repair, but I hope it won't be a problem in the future. Further, we had to contact the seller with a registration question and honestly, they could not be more helpful and even provided their telephone number so we could contact them. We did call them and they were so helpful. Overall, we love the dinghy and the customer service was superb!

This is my third dingy, my first from Inflatable Sport Boats. The construction is excellent, it has many handholds which makes lifting and moving the dingy a breeze and it is very easy to inflate. I highly recommend this dingy.

We really like our new little dinghy. It's easy to assemble, take apart, and is very stable on the water. We're using it as a tender for our our 27' trawler, and have paired it with a 55lb thrust trolling motor. It's a great combination. I contacted customer support about an issue with a hump in the air floor, and Eric helpfully suggested a different order to inflating the chambers which takes care of the issue. We're very happy with our purchase, and friends at our marina have complimented us on it a couple times!

I looked at quite a few different makes of inflatable dinghies and choose this one due to the construction, handle locations, and good reviews. It has been on the boat for 3 months exposed to the summertime elements. It has held the air pressure the entire time. My wife and I use a halyard to raise and lower it into the water without too much difficulty at all. Will try to post another review in a year or so for an update.