DIY floor for Redstart dinghy

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pcatterall

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The Avon we inherited is good for another year or so but we dont want to spend a lot of cash on it as we may 'upgrade'
There is no floor. With my last Avon we had an inflatable floor made by a firm at Leyland but too many £s for this one.
Was thinking of just making a ply or grating type and need some advice.
One concern is the floor damaging the rubber floor when we stand on it.
Does the floor have to fit tight under the tube or can it just be sort of mat just sitting on the rubber floor?
Would a simple grating type floor with the slats which are in contact with the rubber well rounded where they are in contact?
Can I just have two of these, one in the front and one in the back?
Has anyone made one?
Thanks
 
pcatterall said:
The Avon we inherited is good for another year or so but we dont want to spend a lot of cash on it as we may 'upgrade'
There is no floor. With my last Avon we had an inflatable floor made by a firm at Leyland but too many £s for this one.
Was thinking of just making a ply or grating type and need some advice.
One concern is the floor damaging the rubber floor when we stand on it.
Does the floor have to fit tight under the tube or can it just be sort of mat just sitting on the rubber floor?
Would a simple grating type floor with the slats which are in contact with the rubber well rounded where they are in contact?
Can I just have two of these, one in the front and one in the back?
Has anyone made one?
Thanks
Click to expand...


i made some about 25 yrs ago for a redcrect from good quality ext ply.
i had managed to obtain the correct Avon brass bolts.
all varnished-up they were still good when i sold the dinghy 2 yrs ago
 
I made a floor for mine out of exterior ply and then painted it with some undercoat and 3 coats of "Interdeck", non-slip deck paint. I reckon this was better than putting a slippy varnish finish on it. It has now done 10 years (with a few years in storeage) but is still in good condition. It has to fit up to the tubes. It is in my stable and I can measure the dimensions and thickness if you want. It will be tomorrow as it is bitterly cold here, out in the sticks near Newark.
 
MrCramp said:
I made a floor for mine out of exterior ply and then painted it with some undercoat and 3 coats of "Interdeck", non-slip deck paint. I reckon this was better than putting a slippy varnish finish on it. It has now done 10 years (with a few years in storeage) but is still in good condition. It has to fit up to the tubes. It is in my stable and I can measure the dimensions and thickness if you want. It will be tomorrow as it is bitterly cold here, out in the sticks near Newark.
Click to expand...

use some thick paper folded into the inflated dinghy
 
I brought bed slats from IKEA. £7.99. ripped the staples holding the fabric to wooden slats out and replaced with stainless steel screws. Works fine :)
 
I seem to remember that for the Avon Redstart? we had years ago the floors went under the tubes and the edges were chamfered on the top. It was made up of 3 bits of ply with 2 bits of wood down the length with brass 'bolts' to hold it together. Quite often did not bother with the floor for short trips.
 
Have replaced slats in the past; WPB ply which IIRR was 9mm, painted in outdoor black paint;, they fitted tight under the tubes & right out to the edge.
 
I've thought of making a floor for our redstart and putting some wheels on it, so when turned upside down it can be used as a launching trolley, one that'll support the whole floor so you can load up with all your gear and then just tow the whole lot to the slipway.
Patent Pending :)
 
tom_sail said:
I brought bed slats from IKEA. £7.99. ripped the staples holding the fabric to wooden slats out and replaced with stainless steel screws. Works fine :)
Click to expand...

If the Redstart is the same width as the Rover the Ikea bed slats are exactly the right size.
The ones I use are held in place with a string of rubber cups at the end... so no staples. Using the rubber gubbins means the slats can be placed closer together in areas where feet are likely to land and wider apart in less loaded areas, such as under the seat.
If a slat does break, just take out of the cups and replace.
 
The floor I made was of 10mm exterior ply. They are 48cm (X 3 giving a length down the dinghy of 1.44mt) and 84mm which is the width across the floor. They start at the back of the dinghy but don't go right up to the front as the floor slopes up. The rear one is shaped. I made them all the same length/width as it makes them easier to store/carry. I assume it is a Redstart, the smallest one.
 
I bought a second hand Redcrest a couple of years ago. It came with a home-made plywood floor made in two pieces which fitted tightly under the tubes. It proved almost impossible to fit the floor, even during a trial blow-up in the back garden. The floor pieces were so large that there wasn't anywhere to store them on the boat. The floor got dumped after some time skulking around in the garage. I find the dinghy quite useable with no floor. It's light, folds up into a small space and is easy to blow up on the foredeck. Not so easy to get the air out again, though, but mine has the old type valves. If you make a floor for yours - I suggest you leave some slack around the edges.

Neil
 
neil_s said:
I bought a second hand Redcrest a couple of years ago. It came with a home-made plywood floor made in two pieces which fitted tightly under the tubes. It proved almost impossible to fit the floor, even during a trial blow-up in the back garden. The floor pieces were so large that there wasn't anywhere to store them on the boat. The floor got dumped after some time skulking around in the garage. I find the dinghy quite useable with no floor. It's light, folds up into a small space and is easy to blow up on the foredeck. Not so easy to get the air out again, though, but mine has the old type valves. If you make a floor for yours - I suggest you leave some slack around the edges.

Neil
Click to expand...

Avon Redcrest boards are in 3 sections.
insert then when 1/2 inflated
 
sailorman said:
Avon Redcrest boards are in 3 sections.
insert then when 1/2 inflated
Click to expand...

Ditto Redstart and Redseal.

Getting paranoid about plywood rotting if left in place, I made a set out of "Stokboard" said to be suitable for horses and pigs. It's of plastic composition and 12mm thick. Possibly heavier than marine ply, but a lot cheaper.

Got it from an agricultural roofing supplier.
 
MrCramp said:
The floor I made was of 10mm exterior ply. They are 48cm (X 3 giving a length down the dinghy of 1.44mt) and 84mm which is the width across the floor. They start at the back of the dinghy but don't go right up to the front as the floor slopes up. The rear one is shaped. I made them all the same length/width as it makes them easier to store/carry. I assume it is a Redstart, the smallest one.
Click to expand...

Is this for a Redcrest?

Just checking to avoid swearing at laptop later on!!

Thanks in advance!!
 
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