Seastoke
Well-Known Member
WE use a cheap slatted floor inflateable with a 2.3 honda ob we keep it in the hold deflated how much heavier are the air deck and do they fold up well ,and how much better are they in the water thanks for the replies
Honwave air deck v standard slatted floor
- Thread starter Seastoke
- Start date
Seastoke
Well-Known Member
OOPS
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Much better. Firmer and drier for the feet and stiffer bottom to improve performance both rowing and motoring. Easier to inflate. All round better, but of course more costly. Would not go back to a slatted floor.
Greg2
Well-Known Member
We used to have a Honwave with the air deck and it was an excellent bit of kit. Well made with larger tubes than average so feels very secure. Can't comment on comparative weight etc with a slatted floor job but is in a different class IMHO 
rwilson
Well-Known Member
Slatted floors are old tech in my opinion. I can't speak for the Honwave, but a Zodiac I have has and air deck equivalent which is excellent. if you are worried about storage, you could suck the remaining air out of the tubes using the 'reverse' outlet on your inflator or foot pump. Ride on the water is good, just make sure the deck is pumped up to the recommended levels to get the best performance out of it.
Firefly625
Well-Known Member
we had a 2.4 airdeck Hondwave, very good, very stable. Oddly because so short it just wouldn't plane even with a 6hp on the back. But it was bulky and heavy when deflated.
With our new boat we inherited a unused Zodiac 270 cadet R with a roll up hard floor without any of the gaps that "slatted" floored dinghy's suffer with. I don't think they sell our floor any more but Zodiac seem to offer 3 floors, slated, aluminium floor or air deck, I think the aluminium floor also rolls up & does not have any gaps so probably the closest to what we have. We find it stable, light and well made and rolls up smaller that the shorter Honwave and is slightly lighter. Also with one up recorded 16 mph with our 6hp Yamaha in the back...but 2 up still does not plane. One reason I think is no inflatable keel so it does have its limitations if you want it for having fun rather than just transport.
With our new boat we inherited a unused Zodiac 270 cadet R with a roll up hard floor without any of the gaps that "slatted" floored dinghy's suffer with. I don't think they sell our floor any more but Zodiac seem to offer 3 floors, slated, aluminium floor or air deck, I think the aluminium floor also rolls up & does not have any gaps so probably the closest to what we have. We find it stable, light and well made and rolls up smaller that the shorter Honwave and is slightly lighter. Also with one up recorded 16 mph with our 6hp Yamaha in the back...but 2 up still does not plane. One reason I think is no inflatable keel so it does have its limitations if you want it for having fun rather than just transport.
hamishcurran
Active Member
Air rib any day for me. My Honwave 32 has been superb. It's very stable and will happily take 5 adults plus gear out to the mooring. Two up it will plane with the BF5 on the back and it's a little rocket one up or with a 10hp engine. Aside form a very strange event this year 
(http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?441814-Water-in-air-rib-floor) it's been very reliable and holds pressure for ages.
(http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?441814-Water-in-air-rib-floor) it's been very reliable and holds pressure for ages.asteven221
Well-Known Member
Yup +1
gjgm
Well-Known Member
Honwave is not the only choice, or course.
There are now two forms on inflatable foor..one is built into the tender itself, the other is a seperate mattress. Not sure why one might be better or not. Then there are usually two tube diameters on the smaller tenders. The larger one of course gives you more bouyancy and maybe a drier ride, but takes up more space.
Looking at SBS I thought Tohatsu (maybe now called Europa?), Excel and Honwave were good and about the same price, and then there were a few brands at 30-50pct more .
Cheaper ones looked a bit cheap to me.
There are now two forms on inflatable foor..one is built into the tender itself, the other is a seperate mattress. Not sure why one might be better or not. Then there are usually two tube diameters on the smaller tenders. The larger one of course gives you more bouyancy and maybe a drier ride, but takes up more space.
Looking at SBS I thought Tohatsu (maybe now called Europa?), Excel and Honwave were good and about the same price, and then there were a few brands at 30-50pct more .
Cheaper ones looked a bit cheap to me.
dkm
Well-Known Member
+1
And they don't slide around on the transom
And they don't slide around on the transom
BruceK
Well-Known Member
Out of interest and ignorance. Does the air deck include an inflatable keel? The latter I find provides great vesatility for both tender and leisure purposes. I do enjoy hooning about on my slatted floor / inflatable keel tender, it's like a go-kart on water but I pay a heavy weight penalty. (takes a minimum of two just to haul it up the beach and it has dolly wheels on the transom!)
gjgm
Well-Known Member
I think the built-in floor is then V shaped itself, but the mattress type usually has a pump-up tube the length of the tender than lifts the mattress off the V shaped floor-so water collects beneath. Either method produces a V hull which is supposed to give directional stability, yes. Seemed ok on mine; the back end still slides a bit in a turn, but it rows/motors in a straight line.
Greg2
Well-Known Member
The Honwave air deck is a high pressure inflatable bottom which is directly attached to the tubes and forms a V so helps it to track. Not as good as a solid hull but not at all bad.