Floor for Avon Redcrest

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baileg

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Hi
I have just been given an old, grey Redcrest which needs the valves replacing (have found previous answers on this website) but I also want to put a solid floor into the boat. Not having any real previous boating experience, I'm not sure about the best way of doing this apparently simple task. I've done a few searches on Google without any success so can anybody out there please refer me to where I could find the relevant information or quickly advise me what to do.
Thanks for any help you can provide.
 
I bought my Avon secondhand from a guy who had inserted a solid floor in replacement for the slatted.

He had taken a sheet of pply and cut to the internal dimensions of the dinghy. The far bow and stern sections were left 'un-floored' ... Once cut and all edges were sanded and smoothed ............... and test fitted............ the sheet was cut in half ... with the joint being under the inflatable seat. The ply was completely painted to seal the wood and edges. Not forgetting holes of course for the seat toggles...

The ply floor fits in the dinghy once a few puffs of air are in to get the fabric floor sorted. The ply has to be placed UNDER the hem lip that is found coming up vertically from the fabric floor ...

Once all is in place ... you pump up thne dinghy - checking that the ply floor stays in correct position as once dinghy is partially inflated ... you cannot move it !! Pump it up full and you have a rigid dinghy now ... albeit a lot heavier but safer than it was before.

One drawback though ... you can't stow the dinghy now with it unless you have a BIG locker !!

The ply sheet is 1/2 " sheet ...
 
I made something similar of 9mm marine ply, which had been cut to 4foot by 2 foot boards so I could get it in the car.
On my version I left the bow un-floored but extended the boards right to the stern and the boards stopped under the seat, with fore and aft notches for the seat toggles. I cut out some handhold holes centrally on the panels so I could get them in and out without trapping fingers.
The centreline joint was made using some PVC H-section extrusion wedged between the port and starboard panels.
I stowed the panels on deck tied to the stanchions beside the cockpit where they formed an unrippable spray dodger.


This was much better at taking the thrust from an outboard than the inflatable floor I eventually bought. In fact with a little bit of placing my weight just aft of the seat and using an extension tiller on the outboard, the setup would almost plane.

If anybody likes I can get a picture of them and post it somewhere.
 
Zodiac used to have (maybe still have) a system of a solid floor, consisting of 4 or 5 sheets, which fit together with the plastic H-profile. The pieces filled the whole floor. The middle parts were a bit less wide, because they fitted into an Al-bar on both sides to make the floor more ridgid as well as to attach hooks to fasten objects to it ( fuel-cannister or shopping fe) With a 4 hp Yamaha outboard and 1 person the 3 m. Zodiac got onto a plane. I think a similar system could be usable for the Avon.
Henk
 
Give Messenger Marine (Emsworth) a bell; they offered me a 'Crest slatted floor last week, they also had a seat for sale.

I only have a 'Start which is smaller so both items wouldn't fit. However, I've discovered a wonder plastic material and have made me a floor. Tried it this weekend, worked well. Not cheap at around £40 a sheet. Lovely stuff to work, planes nicely and no splinters.
 
I have a redcrest with an original ply floor, it's made of 3 panels of 9mm ply which fit together with double channeled plastic strips, if you have no luck elsewhere pm me and I'll send you a couple of photos.
 
Simple and cheap ... single sheet of ply cut :>>>>

avonfloor.jpg


Two sections ... as I described earlier post ...... When cut and fitted well - they need no extra bits or sections to hold. Once the tubes are inflated - the floor edges are gripped like a vice and do not move. The inflated seat sits over the joint and provides extra support - but I have used dinghy without the seat and floor was stable and never moved.

My floor is marine ply ......... but in fact any ply can be used as long as it's painted and sealed well.
 
You don't say where you are based, but I have two solutions for you.

One is you could come and measure (or draw round) the one-piece floor that I have in my garage.

Two is I could try and find the original Avon drawings I got when I was faced with your problem, and either scan or photocopy them and get them to you.

Which would you rather?
 
If you can find the Redcrest floor drawings, and scan them, I too would like a copy, please. My old and very battered Redcrest could do with all the support it can get! Thanks, Kit, Swansea.
 
I just used 2 sections of light exterior ply. One each side of the centre tube. I didnt try to cover every bit of floor just the main bits which one may stand on.
The width (across the boat) is semi critical and this can be measured with the dinghy deflated.
Round off all the edges especially the edges which fit under the tubes.
I made mine with dimesions so they can be stored under a mattress without making nasty lumps!! Paint well especially those rounded edges!
 
Why put a solid floor in?Only adds weight and complication.You won't put your foot through the fabric.It is supported by the water.I used one sans floor for years as a tender until it was stolen.
 
wagenaar said:
Zodiac used to have (maybe still have) a system of a solid floor, consisting of 4 or 5 sheets, which fit together with the plastic H-profile. The pieces filled the whole floor. The middle parts were a bit less wide, because they fitted into an Al-bar on both sides to make the floor more ridgid as well as to attach hooks to fasten objects to it ( fuel-cannister or shopping fe) With a 4 hp Yamaha outboard and 1 person the 3 m. Zodiac got onto a plane. I think a similar system could be usable for the Avon.
Henk
Click to expand...

I used to have one of those, it took about half an hour to get the floor together! Rotating the edge pieces (wood, in my case) around the boards was a dreadful job. We made some slats held together with pvc material as a replacement, which meant we could roll the dinghy up and stow it on deck.
 
vyv_cox said:
I used to have one of those, it took about half an hour to get the floor together! Rotating the edge pieces (wood, in my case) around the boards was a dreadful job. We made some slats held together with pvc material as a replacement, which meant we could roll the dinghy up and stow it on deck.
Click to expand...

The more modern Redcrests have cross slats (4 off) held in a PVC contraption. Works very well, and as Vyv says, lets you roll it up, which we have to do every time.
 
;631848 said:
avonfloor.jpg


Two sections ... as I described earlier post ...... When cut and fitted well - they need no extra bits or sections to hold. Once the tubes are inflated - the floor edges are gripped like a vice and do not move. The inflated seat sits over the joint and provides extra support - but I have used dinghy without the seat and floor was stable and never moved.

My floor is marine ply ......... but in fact any ply can be used as long as it's painted and sealed well.
Click to expand...

You have plenty of offers already, but I too have the original floor for my (old) redcrest so could easily give you the measurements if all others (in the very unlikely event) fail to provide.
 
Same with my Redcrest. Was "gunna" make a floor for it for years but in the end have learnt to live without it. I also have a RIB of the same length, so I can compare it to that and whilst no doubt the rib is much nicer, the only real negative is the squishyness of the Redcrest floor that does not encourage standing on. As for wet bags, well the redcrest is going to be we no matter what with it's teeny tube diameter so the solution there is to use waterproof backbacks.

p.s. good grave dig!
 
Hello,
I've got a Redstart with the 4 piece slatted floor held in place with a PVC sleeve thing, it's ok - gives some solidity to the floor but can be easily rolled up. Unfortunately I broke 2 of the slats jumping into the boat (don't ask...). I'd thought to get a set off a supplier assuming a few ply planks couldn't cost much but they're stupidly pricy - £166! I should have guessed really.

Anyway my Redstart is on my boat in Andalucia and I am here in Wales so if anyone happened to have or know the dimensions of the floor slats I would be massively grateful. I've had a look around but everyone has Redcrests...
 
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