DIY dinghy floor

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mattonthesea

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Given that I can't afford a yacht big enough to carry a solid dinghy on davits or a rib, and my foredeck is not big enough to carry one either, I have a Zodiac. I much prefer to row than motor but the single skin slatted floor gives the directional stability of a shopping trolley. I have pondered construction a simple floor to fit inside the dinghy which would give it a v-shape. Given the simplicity of this idea I assume that is has been thought before and has downsides. Anyone tried it?
 
Is there enough "give" in the material to give a v shape?

A first pass as a proof of concept could be a piece of shuttering ply, cut to the dimensions of the internal floor area with a ridge of 2*4 down the middle underneath running fore/aft.

If this works and improves things, then replicate it with proper marine ply & epoxy.
 
I doubt you'll get enough 'V' to make much difference, but no harm in trying.
I think my Bombard is better since I took the slats out? Maybe the cross-section is a bit like a catamaran now?
I found longer oars helped.
 
ours has an airdeck with an inflatable keel which sits under the inflatable floor against the skin, not wood of course, but i think the problem lies in the amount of material on the bottom to create a significant "v" shape, i imagine you will encounter a similar issue with using wood albeit more rigid.

the inflatables do create a "v" and it is indeed better than without but it still has the tenancies of a supermarket trolley, just a slightly better one with only one wobbly wheel, but thats the price i pay to stick it in the locker, i often think an inflatable kayak would be better but they lack in "boot" space to ferry stuff about.
 
When we had aa Avon Redstart dinghy I turned the blowup seat through 90 degrees. To me, it had several advantages: it was easy to adjust ones position relative to the oars; it provided a very rudimentary 'keel' which at least lined up with the direction of travel; the oars would fit inside the dinghy either side of the seat.
It may have been psychological but I felt it rowed marginally more efficiently and had better directional stability.
 
I did just what steveallan suggested in an Avon Redcrest with a plywood floor.

I had previously had a Redcrest with an airdeck floor and stupidly sold it with my last boat. The first time I used the replacement when there was a little water in it, I found that even a little water makes everything on the floor wet, something that did not seem to happen on the airdeck. I reasoned that providing a space under the floor would allow the water to stay there and not soak my feet, so a visit to the Pound Shop saw me three pounds poorer for three noodle swimming aids. I use one towards the bow and two under the rear bit and they overlap in the middle. The steering is not much better but the comfort is.
 
So now I feel really stupid: I sold my Avon and bought the Zodiac! So I could have used the thwart more effectively (useless for rowing when horizontal) and had a dinghy that fits in a locker. Oh well. I like the idea of using noodles. As my partner is not a good swimmer she has several noodles, so they will now have a dual purpose.

I will also experiment with rib-esque V-shape and see what depth I can get and whether it works. Will report back once the weather has improved enough for me to be outside!
 
My Zodiac had an inflatable keel and floor. Didn’t like the water bed feel of the floor so strengthened it with upvc 20mm x300 sofit board cut long enough to fit under tubes where they met the floor.
You could take out existing slats glue or duct tape swimming noodle to floor and cover with said soffit board
 
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