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Heavy-Duty Inflatable Boat Showdown: FB300 vs FB365 vs FB385
If you've spent any time shopping for a workboat that can take a beating and still get you home, you already know that not all inflatables are built the same. Cheap tenders fall apart after a season of dragging up beaches and bumping into pilings. Heavy-duty inflatable boats are a different animal entirely — reinforced floors, thicker tube fabric, and hull designs meant for real work, not just calm-day paddling around the marina. In this guide we're putting three of BoatsToGo's toughest workboats side by side — the FB300, the FB365, and the FB385 — so you can figure out which one actually fits how you fish, dive, or run your operation.
Why "Heavy-Duty" Actually Matters
A lot of boat listings throw around the term "heavy-duty" without much to back it up. For the FB-series, it means thicker reinforced tube material, a rigid high-pressure floor system that stiffens the hull under load, and beefed-up transom mounts rated for real outboard power — not the 2.5hp trolling motors you see on cheap dinghies. These boats are built to be dragged onto rocky shorelines, loaded with dive gear, tied off to work platforms, and used commercially day after day without the seams giving out.
The tradeoff, as always, is size versus portability versus price. That's exactly what this comparison is meant to sort out.
Meet the Contenders
FB300 — The Compact Workhorse
The FB300 is the smallest of the three at just under 10 feet (300cm) in length, and it's the boat most people land on when they need something that stores easily in a garage or the back of a truck but still holds up to real use. It's rated for up to 15hp, carries 4 people or roughly 1,050 lbs of payload, and tips the scales at around 110 lbs — light enough for two people to carry down to a dock without a cart.
This is the boat for solo anglers, small dive teams, or anyone who needs a reliable backup tender for a larger vessel. It's not going to haul a full crew of divers and their gear, but for quick inshore trips or as a yacht tender, it punches well above its size.
FB365 — The Middle Ground
Step up to the FB365 and you get almost 12 feet (365cm) of length, a wider 5.6-foot beam, and a jump to 25hp max rating. Capacity goes up to 6 people or about 1,600 lbs, and the tube diameter increases to 17.7 inches for better stability and freeboard in choppy water. Weight lands around 150 lbs.
This is the sweet spot for a lot of our commercial and dive shop customers — big enough to run a small crew and gear out to a site, still light enough to trailer easily and launch from a beach or ramp without a fuss.
FB385 — The Heavy Lifter
At the top of the lineup, the FB385 stretches to 12'8" (385cm) with a 5.9-foot beam and an 18.5-inch tube diameter — the most stable platform of the three. It's rated for up to 30hp, can carry 7 people or roughly 1,940 lbs, and weighs in around 175 lbs. If you're running a dive charter, hauling gear for a commercial job, or just want the most boat you can put on a trailer without going to a rigid-hull, this is the one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | FB300 | FB365 | FB385 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Length | 9'10" (300cm) | 12' (365cm) | 12'8" (385cm) |
| Beam | 5' | 5.6' | 5.9' |
| Tube Diameter | 16" | 17.7" | 18.5" |
| Max HP | 15hp | 25hp | 30hp |
| Max Capacity | 4 people / 1,050 lbs | 6 people / 1,600 lbs | 7 people / 1,940 lbs |
| Boat Weight | ~110 lbs | ~150 lbs | ~175 lbs |
| Best For | Solo anglers, tenders, small dive trips | Small dive/fishing crews, commercial support | Charter dive teams, heavy commercial use |
Which One Should You Buy?
For Fishing
If you're mostly fishing solo or with one buddy in protected water, the FB300 is more boat than you'd expect from something this compact — easy to launch off a beach, easy to store, and plenty stable for casting. If you're running a charter or fishing with 3-4 people regularly, jump to the FB365 for the extra beam and payload capacity so you're not fighting for space with tackle and coolers.
For Diving
Dive gear eats up deck space and weight fast — tanks, weight belts, extra fins, a couple of coolers for surface intervals. This is where the FB365 and FB385 really separate themselves from the FB300. For a two-to-three-diver team, the FB365's 1,600 lb capacity handles gear comfortably. If you're running a full charter with four or more divers, the FB385's 1,940 lb rating and wider beam give you the stability to gear up and roll off the tubes without the boat rocking underneath you.
For Commercial Use
Daily commercial use is hard on any boat, which is exactly why the he