munster1967
Well-Known Member
In the process of upgrading my sib for something a bit bigger. Currently have air floor flat bottom.( Any advantage to buying with a keel ??) I don't use in the sea , only inland waterways.
Inflatable sib.
- Thread starter munster1967
- Start date
Boathook
Well-Known Member
I had one with an inflatable keel and found that it "tracked" better than one without.
Mark-1
Well-Known Member
Yeah, I bought one without and wish I'd bought with a keel. It's tolerable, and fine rowing, but a keel would be better with the O/B when approaching pontoons.
paulbrown22
Well-Known Member
How far do you want to upgrade?! A flat floor SIB is generally very skittish and slammy, fine as a tender to go to the beach but not much else. A V-keeled SIB will be better, but a small RIB with a hard hull even better! I personally don't see the point in large SIB's - many people seem to end up putting on them on trailers anyway as they are a bit too large to unpack/pack, in which case might as well have a small RIB.
munster1967
Well-Known Member
thanks for your reply I can't buy a rib as I have no where to keep a trailer. I live in a terraced house.
Sticky Fingers
Well-Known Member
Have a look at the 3D tender range, these look suitable for your stated needs. Pack up relatively small and are much lighter than some alternatives.
3D Twin V-Shape Tender.
munster1967
Well-Known Member
Advantages to a keel versus flat bottom??
Sticky Fingers
Well-Known Member
The inflatable keel helps the tender track straighter. More easily manoeuvred. Bit more comfortable if you’ve got choppy water.
PabloPicasso
Well-Known Member
Imflatable V floors also tend to be dryer umder foot
paulbrown22
Well-Known Member
Understood - if you definitely aren't going to trailer it then a V-keel SIB will generally be better in the water than a flat floor SIB. I just don't understand folks that buy a large SIB and immediately stick it on a trailer - you've lost the benefits of a SIB and lost the benefits you could have had with a RIB!
If you can it's worth having a look at a few larger SIB's in a showroom, seeing how they unpack, setup, pack down, etc. and making sure you find one that works for you and fits in whatever vehicle you need to get it into!
Slowtack
Well-Known Member
Inflatable keel tracks better under enfine, oars and when towed...
ylop
Well-Known Member
Given the choice you want something with a high pressure “drop stitch” floor (inflated rigid a paddleboard rather than squishy). Adds cost though.
Sticky Fingers
Well-Known Member
Yup. That’s exactly what I recommended in post 6! 
ylop
Well-Known Member
You recommended a specific model without clarifying why!Yup. That’s exactly what I recommended in post 6!
Sticky Fingers
Well-Known Member
I’ll try to do better next time 
munster1967
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your reply.
ylop
Well-Known Member
I think your second para probably explains the first! They seem like a good idea, then you realise just how long they take to sey up, pack down, manhandle down a slip and that with boat, o/board, fuel tank, kit all in the car there's no room for anything else and the "get a trailer" solution becomes the obvious "fix".
johnphilip
Well-Known Member
I get that the thread is about inflatable dinghies but what does SIB actually stand for FMI.
ylop
Well-Known Member
Soft inflatable boat as opposed to rigid inflatable boat. The terminology was proposed on an Internet forum (not this one) many years ago to describe boat which were entirely inflatable from rigid hulled boats with tubes. I’m not sure it was even intended to be serious when it was proposed but it seems to have stuck. So remember - what you post here might actually change world thinking (on one tiny niche issue!).
dansaskip
Well-Known Member
The SIB bit had me confused too so had to look it up. A per hate of mine is all this use of acronyms particularly when they are not necessary - is it just laziness that people can't be bothered to write/type/speak things out in full?
