How robust are inflatable dinghy floors?

EugeneR

EugeneR

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Our 2.4m dinghy is too short to fit the snap davits on the new boat; also, given the cost of new davit pads, there's no point in fitting them to an old dinghy.

Moving forward, I am therefore looking for a new 2.7m+ dinghy with an inflatable keel, full floor and thick tubes.

Previous comments on here suggested that people prefer inflatable floors above solid ones, but does anyone have views on how long an inflatable floor will last compared to a solid one? We do carry some "rough" load e.g. anchor, BBQ, whatever stones / shells / treasure the kids found on the beach, etc.

Any other thoughts about inflatable floors vs. wooden or alluminium ones?

To clarify, I'm not considering slats at all, looking at full floor options only.
 
The benefit of air floors is that you can roll the dinghy up and don't have to find somewhere to also store a load of plywood. If you're planning to keep the dinghy on snap davits at all times, I reckon a wood or aluminium floor would be preferable, and probably cheaper too.

Pete
 
Make absolutely sure that the inflatable floor is made of Hypalon. Our Avon dinghy inflatable floor was made of PVC although we were assured all the dnghy was Hypalon, it went sticky due to UV damage. Avon sent a new one and and Jane made a Subrella cover to protect it. This was in the Caribbean where UV damage is higher than in the UK but it's only a matter of time. In the end we bought an Aluminium floored dinghy which are much lighter than GRP ones.
 
prv said:
If you're planning to keep the dinghy on snap davits at all times, I reckon a wood or aluminium floor would be preferable, and probably cheaper too.
Click to expand...

We are, yes. I guess aluminium will last longer than plywood unless I fit a boat cover to prevent water collecting inside. But, I guess I could remove an inflatable floor to avoid that problem...
 
KellysEye said:
Make absolutely sure that the inflatable floor is made of Hypalon. Our Avon dinghy inflatable floor was made of PVC although we were assured all the dnghy was Hypalon, it went sticky due to UV damage. Avon sent a new one and and Jane made a Subrella cover to protect it. This was in the Caribbean where UV damage is higher than in the UK but it's only a matter of time. In the end we bought an Aluminium floored dinghy which are much lighter than GRP ones.
Click to expand...

This was a problem across makes. Airdecks have a highly specialised construction, almost certainly all made by the same company, all in PVC. I doubt very much that it would be possible to make them from Hypalon. The ones that went sticky had a quilted appearance, supplied to at least four dinghy makers that I know of. Mine was replaced under guarantee by Quicksilver, at almost exactly the same time as a friend's Avon one, and I saw a new one from Zodiac. These are all of smooth appearance with ovals or diamonds of non-stick stuck to them. They do not go sticky.

Other than the stickiness we found ours, both old and new, to be reasonably robust and far preferable to previous plywood ones. It would not be too difficult to put a mat of some sort down to avoid cutting with sharp objects.
 
Had our Seago 270 Airdeck for three years now and it's great. In that time it has transported plenty of anchors, stones, sand, shells, kids, and other general junk without signs of wear.

I would not consider a hard deck again if the tender, like ours needs deflated to store / transport.
 
We have been using a Sunsport 2.6m with inflatable 'V' deck floor. I really like it- no slats etc to deal with, light enough for me to manage single handed if necessary, we roll it up and stuff it down the forepeak hatch for every trip. BUT one time - not long after I bought it- I left it on a hot sandy beach in Cascais, in the full sun- and when I got back from shopping there was a large (3-4" across) star-shaped puncture in the top of one half of the airdeck- at first I thought someone had deliberately stabbed it, but I think maybe the heat had raised a bubble which popped. A large patch seemed to mend it. Later, a few scrapes over rocks put holes in the undersides- which further patches sorted. Now, 2 years later, that half of the airdeck doesn't hold its air for more than a couple of days- but the dinghy retains its overall shape, and the floor doesn't actually leak water into the boat.
 
EugeneR said:
We are [planning to keep the dinghy on snap davits at all times], yes. I guess aluminium will last longer than plywood unless I fit a boat cover to prevent water collecting inside. But, I guess I could remove an inflatable floor to avoid that problem...
Click to expand...

But what benefit do you expect to receive from the additional cost of the air floor? While they are good (I have one), they're never going to be quite as robust or as rigid to stand on as a solid floor (I had plywood in my last dinghy). So if you don't stow the boat in a locker, what is there to gain?

Pete
 
prv said:
But what benefit do you expect to receive from the additional cost of the air floor? While they are good (I have one), they're never going to be quite as robust or as rigid to stand on as a solid floor (I had plywood in my last dinghy). So if you don't stow the boat in a locker, what is there to gain?
Click to expand...

I was thinking of the ability to easily remove the floor and avoid it rotting in standing water like plywood might. The air floor doesn't seem to cost that much extra, compared to aluminium or GRP at least; my concern was more about whether it would last, compared to plywood etc.
 
We've got a Zodiac which has an inflatable floor. It's about 15 years old and still going strong.
I would have no reservation about recommending them.
 
I've got two 3.2 m dinghies, I keep in Spain, one with wooden floor and the other a Zodiac fast-roller with an air deck.
The wooden floor dinghy is significantly stiffer and was a great performer with a 10hp engine.
To get the same performance with the Zodiac air deck I had to get a 15hp engine.
I only bought the fast roller because I cant leave the dinghy inflated and fitting the floor took too long and I had nowhere to store it. It's now sitting in my garage here unused.
With Davits I'd go for a solid floor dinghy every time.
 
I've got to agree, for a permanently inflated dinghy, a solid floor is better.

There is however a couple of advantages of the newer 'V' air floors which may be worth considering. They feel much more secure because of the extra interior depth and they also track much better due to the relatively deeper V they have.
 
prv said:
The benefit of air floors is that you can roll the dinghy up and don't have to find somewhere to also store a load of plywood. If you're planning to keep the dinghy on snap davits at all times, I reckon a wood or aluminium floor would be preferable, and probably cheaper too. Pete
Click to expand...

+1

Our dinghy is in daily use 9/12 and the inflatable floor in our last one punctured a couple of times, also a bit soggy when temperatures dropped at night. Latest one is a Waveline 2.9 with plywood floor which is much nicer to use and far more durable for carrying gear & bikes. We haul up on gantry at sea and I wouldn't have another inflatable floor, unless it had to be rolled up.
 
My XM280 is now nearly 10 years old - I think. Hull tubes, transom and outer floorskin are fine but the inflatable floor is made of lighter softer material and is now a patchwork of repairs, leaking again in 3 places as I write. I am thinking of making up a composite of light plywood sandwiched between two sheets of polystyrene or similar insulation, fitting this into the pvc floor envelope in lieu of constant repair and pumping.
 
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