ikea bed base slats for avon dinghy floor - what size?

[PaulR]

have decided to make slatted floor for my avon 7 dinghy (same width as an avon redstart) - only problem is dinghy is on board and given lousy weather we off to Ikea tomorrow and I won't be able to get to dinghy to measure width of floor before Ikea trip- have found photo as above - question ? if anyone has already done this and knows the length of slats to buy pls let me know or if you happen to have immediate access to an avon 7 or redstart and can measure the width of the floor below and inside the tubes (where floor slats would go) pls can you let me know - thanks

Ikea slats come in widths of 70/80 or 90 cm


thanks

 

[NormanS]

View attachment 56742

have decided to make slatted floor for my avon 7 dinghy (same width as an avon redstart) - only problem is dinghy is on board and given lousy weather we off to Ikea tomorrow and I won't be able to get to dinghy to measure width of floor before Ikea trip- have found photo as above - question ? if anyone has already done this and knows the length of slats to buy pls let me know or if you happen to have immediate access to an avon 7 or redstart and can measure the width of the floor below and inside the tubes (where floor slats would go) pls can you let me know - thanks

Ikea slats come in widths of 70/80 or 90 cm


thanks

Mind's a Redcrest, and they are 865mm. Redstart of course may be different.

 

[VicS]

have decided to make slatted floor for my avon 7 ................................


thanks

Dunno if you can make use of these dimensions from an old Avon brochure.

Looks from the stwoed floor dims that they are 84 cm long

 

[PaulR]

thanks both - I had found the online brochure and couldn't decide if width of slats would be inside beam (suspect that is only from inner side of tube side to side whereas slats go under part of tubes) or stowed dimension (ie somewhere between 61 and 84 cm ) interesting that redcrest slats are 86.5 - wonder if 15.5cm more than inside beam (ie 86.5 less redcrest inner beam of 71) might be about right in which case avon 7 or redstart would be 61+15.5 = 76.5 , am hoping someone will know exact slat length for the avon 7 or redstart but if not sounds like I might be best to buy 80cm slats on grounds redcrest is 13cm beamier outside and 10cm beamier inside and it's slats are 86.5cm so buying 80cm slats for the avon 7 ought (I hope) to be a safe ish bet ,

thanks again both appreciate your quick replies

Paul

 

[VicS]

I take it the intention is to cut the Ikea slats to the required length?

If you buy 80cm slats and you need them to be longer then you are stuffed.

Won't 90 cm be the safe option ?

 

[PaulR]

Vic , yes you are right just if one size happened to fit without cutting would make it easier - listening to wind here and looking at peak gusts on bramblenet rather glad I am not onboard and hoping everyones boats are ok and that our fence is still where it was when we went to bed last night (upright and in place!)

 

[BrianH]

My Zodiac has fitted floor slats that are inserted into slots in a separate floor section that is then fixed to the floor itself - it is necessary to retain them in position. The slats are such a precise fit to the width of the floor that they must be inserted and positioned before inflating the tubes, which expand above them, which would prevent insertion after. By being so firmly clamped is the only way they can offer sufficient rigidity to the floor.

However, over five years or so of ownership, the laminated wooden slats that appear to be epoxied - or somehow treated with a durable finish - have consistently broken in the centre, plywood strips of 10mm are just not strong enough to sustain a direct weight in their centre - and at 70kg I am not overweight and usually single-handed. Any thicker section would not fit in the moulded slots of the floor section.

I have since replaced them with 10mm strips of some opaque, acrylic material bought (and cut for me) in my local building materials store (Bauhaus) and these are infinitely stronger and more resilient ... perhaps fractionally more flexible, but not to really notice. So if you proceed with a laminated wood solution be sure that the thickness is more than 10mm.

 

[vas]

judging from the condition the theoretically treated (i.e. slapped a couple of coats of grey paint) slats on my mate's brand new 2.2m dinghy which spent a couple of months on the bathing platform on my boat and three days in the water, I'd avoid using plain ikea slats for this, will be gone after half a season!
Further, is there any place to actually secure them and make sure they don't work as wedges that will hurt and hole the tubes where they meet the floor?
Not familiar with this dinghy at all but doesn't look an easy task

cheers

V.

 

[BrianH]

I'd avoid using plain ikea slats for this, will be gone after half a season!
Further, is there any place to actually secure them and make sure they don't work as wedges that will hurt and hole the tubes where they meet the floor?
Not familiar with this dinghy at all but doesn't look an easy task

+1
Also, the wood is unlikely to be marine grade and will de-laminate within a short time. IKEA, whilst extremely good value for money, is not known for sourcing quality materials. In normal use, inflatables have a fair amount of water swilling about from spray and rain and marine-grade plywood (if wood it is) is essential for any length of service.

As for the second point, it was necessary for my substitutes to be rounded off with a coarse file at the four corners of each slat (otherwise the points would dig into the floor and and tube material) in emulation of the original Zodiac ones.

 

[rbmatthews]

Different dinghy I know, but the floor slats on our Wetline ECO260 just snapped this year after 8 years of use. They are only 5mm plywood, 86 cm length, so it is surprising that 10mm hasn't lasted as Barnac1e says above.

I have just made some new ones out of 5mm exterior ply off-cuts water proofed with three coats of West epoxy (especially at the sides and corners) then a final coat of grey paint to protect it from the UV. They seem solid enough, but they still remain to be tested this season. If they last another 8 years, I won't complain - they haven't cost a lot to make.

 

[NormanS]

I don't understand the use of plywood for this. Ply works well in broad areas, but for comparatively narrow strips, it's very liable to break across, why not just use ordinary wood?

 

[BrianH]

Different dinghy I know, but the floor slats on our Wetline ECO260 just snapped this year after 8 years of use. They are only 5mm plywood, 86 cm length, so it is surprising that 10mm hasn't lasted as Barnac1e says above.

Thinking about it I can imagine a thinner, more flexible marine ply surviving longer where my stiff 10mm ones didn't. It is the old story of "a reed before the wind lives on, while mighty oaks do fall". Bending will absorb the weight but be less rigid as a floor.

I found the ideal solution to be a change in material - cheap, strong and impervious to water without any preparation - acrylic plastic sheet.

 

[srp]

What's wrong with using sail battens? Agree with NormanS -ply has at least half the grain running the wrong way. If you really want to use wood then to be honest the best choice would be ordinary euro redwood (ie what you get when you buy planed timber from a builders merchant), but you'd have to select it yourself to get no knots and a reasonably straight grain. They might last a season or two. Sail battens would last forever.

 

[rbmatthews]

I don't understand the use of plywood for this. Ply works well in broad areas, but for comparatively narrow strips, it's very liable to break across, why not just use ordinary wood?

I am not an expert, but I suspect the main reason is the cost - the plywood cost me a fiver for three 860x300x5 mm slats cut to size, the epoxy probably around £10 and the paint around £3, say ~£20 in total. Good timber would be quite a bit more than that, and I guess it would still have to be waterproofed with epoxy and paint to do the job properly. With the plywood/epoxy, I would imagine a lot of the strength comes from the epoxy anyway, the plywood acting as a base for it, but also with some strength in its own right. But I stand to be corrected.

If you really want to use wood then to be honest the best choice would be ordinary euro redwood (ie what you get when you buy planed timber from a builders merchant), but you'd have to select it yourself to get no knots and a reasonably straight grain. They might last a season or two.

But isn't that the point - our old plywood slats lasted eight years without much loving care, so there must be something to be said for plywood.

Anyway, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so we'll see how long the new slats last. If they break this year, I'll be back looking for some acrylic ones to replace them with!

 

[dunedin]

I found the ideal solution to be a change in material - cheap, strong and impervious to water without any preparation - acrylic plastic sheet.

What thickness of acrylic did you use, and how does the weight compare.

Sounds a good solution........ unless one breaks when it might be very sharp and damage /deflate the dinghy

 

[Ludd]

My IKEA bedbase slats lasted for five years. The slats are laminated, not ply and have a pre-bend, making the floor convex(underneath). Transformed the prformance of the dinghy. Had I varnished them when first acquired ,they would probably have lasted a lot longer before delaminating.
The rubber covers for the ends of the slats protect the tubes. If the slats need shortening,shorten at BOTH ends to retain the symmetry of the curve.

Note that I live on board 365, dinghy spends most of its time afloat and gets pretty hard use!

 

[BrianH]

What thickness of acrylic did you use, and how does the weight compare.

Sounds a good solution........ unless one breaks when it might be very sharp and damage /deflate the dinghy

They are the same thickness as the original Zodiac wooden laminated ones, 10mm. Weight I would guess to be similar or slightly less.

If they were to break - hard to imagine - it would most likely be where the stress pressure is maximum and where the wooden ones did, in the center, well away from the tubes and enclosed by the PVC slots of the false floor that contains them. The ends are well-rounded and chamfered to minimise edge chafe; the material is very easy to work.

 

[arcot]

Air floors of various dimensions are available on Ebay.
Custom sizes too......

 

[Bazwold]

View attachment 56742

have decided to make slatted floor for my avon 7 dinghy (same width as an avon redstart) - only problem is dinghy is on board and given lousy weather we off to Ikea tomorrow and I won't be able to get to dinghy to measure width of floor before Ikea trip- have found photo as above - question ? if anyone has already done this and knows the length of slats to buy pls let me know or if you happen to have immediate access to an avon 7 or redstart and can measure the width of the floor below and inside the tubes (where floor slats would go) pls can you let me know - thanks

Ikea slats come in widths of 70/80 or 90 cm


thanks

I made 3 floorboards using 10 mm corecell. Glassed over with shape to them. We painted the inside with non slip which is a godsend in bare feet! We use the dinghy regularly in turkey and they are now 6 years old.

 

[Refueler]

judging from the condition the theoretically treated (i.e. slapped a couple of coats of grey paint) slats on my mate's brand new 2.2m dinghy which spent a couple of months on the bathing platform on my boat and three days in the water, I'd avoid using plain ikea slats for this, will be gone after half a season!
Further, is there any place to actually secure them and make sure they don't work as wedges that will hurt and hole the tubes where they meet the floor?
Not familiar with this dinghy at all but doesn't look an easy task

cheers

V.

The original slats are plain ended and sit into the floor to side joint - where there is a flap running around the joint.

Personally - I would buy overlength as buying short would be unusable ... they need to sit right into that joint either side.

Just measured the last slat I have left - all others broke ... 240mm wide ... 865mm long.

Now this is the interesting bit ... I bought this 2nd hand more than 25yrs ago ... and was told it was a Redstart. But the slat is trying to tell me its a Redcrest ...

Anyway - I strongly suggest getting overlength so you cut to fit.