Any one else having problems with quality control or customer service? I would recommend not doing business with this company. This is my experience:

I purchased a brand new Shark Inflatable SR12-360 Boat from the eBay online store called Outboards and Inflatable Boats operated by Nauticmarine in July of 2006. At first glance the boat appeared to be of good quality construction but the floor boards would not fit. After several tries it was determined that one of the boards was too large and a shorter board was shipped. The floor material of the boat was damaged during the initial attempts but I received repair materials free of charge and some spare valves as compensation. I assembled the boat and except for a few design problems with the placement of the oar locks and handles and bow floor board cut out it seemed to be a decent boat. I purchased launching wheels to prevent further damage to the boat floor. I initially gave good feedback on my purchase.

On the last trip of the season the centre keel began to leak air while under motion. The centre keel is crucial to the performance of the boat. It allows the boat to track smoothly and keeps the floor boards securely in place. When it deflates the floor boards’ roll with every wave and the boat can suddenly pull to one side. I was almost thrown overboard the first time it happened. Back at home the keel held air indefinitely while on land so I suspected that perhaps I had not installed the valve cap correctly.

On the first trip and only trip in season two the centre keel problem continued. I determined that the problem was created because the valve did not sit in the centre of the bow floor board hole and the wave action caused the valve to leak air every time the valve struck the floor. I notified Shark Inflatable of the problem in July of 2007. After countless emails and sending life size templates it has finally been determined that either the bow floor board hole is in the wrong place or it is too small. This would perhaps also explain why this boat is so difficult to put together. The parts just don’t fit smoothly. At last contact I received instructions on how to make the hole bigger and fix the problem myself. I advised them that this was not a satisfactory solution. The problem remains unresolved.

I believe that the product is not as advertised. Shark claims that they sell a high quality product however it is obvious that the manufacturer has poor quality control and the retailer does not stand behind their product or warranty. In two seasons of limited use I have had to replace the pump twice. I have had to repair a hole in one of the main tubes and many tears in the floor material. (Remember that I have launching wheels and the only time the floor touches the ground is during the assembly process.) As a former owner of a Zodiac Futura, I can tell you that a Shark Inflatable may be half the cost but it will perform and remain durable only a very small fraction of the time.