Inflatable toys for days anchored at the beach and for swimming

[roa312]

I've been thinking about buying some inflatables for days where we go anchoring at the beach to go swimming. The thing is that friends and family have very small kids and I think it would be nice to have some way to enclose the area around the bathing platform. Our bathing platform is the traditional kind (non-high/low) and getting in and out of the water by the swim ladder can be a bit tiresome - especially with small kids. So I was thinking there's maybe some product out there that can replicate the shallow end/beach or ledge of a swimming pool - I'm essentially just looking for something for people to either sit on or grab hold of etc. I've been searching online and found these inflatable jelly pools, similar to the one in the video below. But these seem to be quite big (and expensive!) and I'm wondering if there are better/more suitable alternatives out there. Maybe just a couple of SUP boards tied together?

I was wondering if you have any products you can recommend or if you know of any suppliers/catalogues where I could get some ideas?

 

[roa312]

I found these floating foam water mats and thought they might be a good idea for us. Would be interested to hear about peoples experiences with these? Maybe someone know of a EU producer/distributor of similar products?

 

[DAW]

I've been thinking about buying some inflatables for days where we go anchoring at the beach to go swimming. The thing is that friends and family have very small kids and I think it would be nice to have some way to enclose the area around the bathing platform. Our bathing platform is the traditional kind (non-high/low) and getting in and out of the water by the swim ladder can be a bit tiresome - especially with small kids. So I was thinking there's maybe some product out there that can replicate the shallow end/beach or ledge of a swimming pool - I'm essentially just looking for something for people to either sit on or grab hold of etc. I've been searching online and found these inflatable jelly pools, similar to the one in the video below. But these seem to be quite big (and expensive!) and I'm wondering if there are better/more suitable alternatives out there. Maybe just a couple of SUP boards tied together?

I was wondering if you have any products you can recommend or if you know of any suppliers/catalogues where I could get some ideas?

Inflatable islands are a lot of fun, popular with kids and adults and get well used, but they are heavy (up to 40-50kg each, and can be more when wet), take quite a while to inflate/deflate and take up a lot of room. They're brilliant on larger boats with crew to set them up and take them down, but not so good on smaller ones. It always makes me laugh when the promotional videos show two or three of these attached to a 50ft boat with a small tender garage, which is probably already full of other stuff.

We decided to go with two large SUPs ... the big touring boards are very stable, two will give you almost the same area as a floating island, they're easier to handle, take up less space in the garage, and you can always use them as SUPs.

 

[jrudge]

As above- don't underestimate the time, strength and storage required.

We have had most things.

Inflatable kayaks - get a good one cheap ones are just for the kids to jump on

Slide. The kids like it

SUP - hit all round

Hot dog ( tow with tender) fun for kids bugger to store inflated

Inflatable sail boat - hassle of the highest order and heavy

Your inflatable pool will be a total nightmare unless you have crew. I used to have crew in the summer and it was all there problem. Highly recommended.

 

[Clancy Moped]

If you intend to be at anchor in places with high jellyfish activity those pool things in your first video are quite good.

 

[julians]

Those Lilly pad things look good, and have seen people with them stowed rolled up strapped on the bathing platform ,so not taking up any interior storage,and easy to deploy and take down.

We have a decathlon inflatable kayak,and two decathlon inflatable paddle boards.

The paddle boards are good because as well as being a paddle board, they also make a good platform for jumping off, or lying on for sunbathing, they're pretty versatile.

We also have the obligatory selection of pool noodles ,giant inflatable swan etc.

Decathlon sell a small electric inflator for the paddle boards which works really well.

 

[roa312]

Those Lilly pad things look good, and have seen people with them stowed rolled up strapped on the bathing platform ,so not taking up any interior storage,and easy to deploy and take down.

Can I ask if you know of a distributor in Europe? I searched around but I can't seem to find many places that sell them in EU - the few websites I found looked a bit outdated/dead.

 

[roa312]

We decided to go with two large SUPs ... the big touring boards are very stable, two will give you almost the same area as a floating island, they're easier to handle, take up less space in the garage, and you can always use them as SUPs.

I think I will be going for SUPs as well. Can I ask what length, width and depth your boards have? It seems there's quite a few different variants and I understand that the touring ones are generally bigger.

 

[Time Out]

Can I ask if you know of a distributor in Europe? I searched around but I can't seem to find many places that sell them in EU - the few websites I found looked a bit outdated/dead.

Don’t buy them off a Facebook ad don’t ask me why …. If you are in the US then this is the best place to buy mats.

A quick and dirty fun platform comes in the form of a yoga board. About 10ft x 3ft. I have two. Essentially rectangular paddle boards from a company called two bare feet in the UK. Google them.

They are very stable, very cheap (bout 340-400 each) and don’t take up much room. An electric pump gets them to pressure in no time.

Balance Platforms for Yoga, Fitness and Fun

 

[julians]

Can I ask if you know of a distributor in Europe? I searched around but I can't seem to find many places that sell them in EU - the few websites I found looked a bit outdated/dead.

I'm afraid I dont, I have looked myself and couldnt find one. There must be somewhere as there are loads of boats running round majorca with them

 

[DAW]

I think I will be going for SUPs as well. Can I ask what length, width and depth your boards have? It seems there's quite a few different variants and I understand that the touring ones are generally bigger.

SUPs fall into two main categories ... "touring" boards" which are usually around 11-13 feet long and up to 6 inches deep, and "all round" boards which are 10-11 feet long and only 4-5 inches deep. Both are generally 30-31 inches wide. The longer, deeper touring boards are more stable, more rigid and flex less, are considerably more buoyant and so can carry more weight. The only downside is the extra size when inflated.

Which is best for you depends on how you intend to use and store them. We went with 12.6 touring boards because they can easily carry two adults over reasonable distances, you can get 3-4 kids on each board playing around the boat, at a push you can use them for yoga, etc. and if you want to explore any distance away from the boat they're much better. We always deflate them before moving the boat, so storage on the side decks is not an issue,

If you just want to use them as an extension of the swim platform around the boat, for kids to play on, and plan to store them on the side decks when not in use, then the "all round" board would probably be a better option. They take up much less space when inflated and you get 90-95% of the rest of the benefits.

Some other tips ...

It's worth buying a reasonably good one, rather than the cheapest option. You get much heavier duty materials, the internal construction is more robust (which makes the board more rigid when inflated) and the likelihood of punctures is greatly reduced. They tend to last 4-5 years before the seams, etc. start to show signs of wear. Obviously, if you leave them on the side decks in the sun the UV and heat takes its toll and they don't last as long. Try to choose light colours, as the dark ones can get very hot in the sun. Always wash off the salt water and/or dry them well before you put them away for any length of time, otherwise you will get mould which is impossible to get off. Buy a good, powerful, rechargeable inflation pump ... the manual pump supplied with the board is hard work and takes forever.

We've had water skis, wake boards, towables, kayaks, etc. onboard over the years and the SUPs are by far the best investment we ever made. They're versatile, everyone loves them, there is no noise to disturb others in the anchorage and they're easy to get out, put away and store.

 

[Time Out]

SUPs fall into two main categories ... "touring" boards" which are usually around 11-13 feet long and up to 6 inches deep, and "all round" boards which are 10-11 feet long and only 4-5 inches deep. Both are generally 30-31 inches wide. The longer, deeper touring boards are more stable, more rigid and flex less, are considerably more buoyant and so can carry more weight. The only downside is the extra size when inflated.

Which is best for you depends on how you intend to use and store them. We went with 12.6 touring boards because they can easily carry two adults over reasonable distances, you can get 3-4 kids on each board playing around the boat, at a push you can use them for yoga, etc. and if you want to explore any distance away from the boat they're much better. We always deflate them before moving the boat, so storage on the side decks is not an issue,

If you just want to use them as an extension of the swim platform around the boat, for kids to play on, and plan to store them on the side decks when not in use, then the "all round" board would probably be a better option. They take up much less space when inflated and you get 90-95% of the rest of the benefits.

Some other tips ...

It's worth buying a reasonably good one, rather than the cheapest option. You get much heavier duty materials, the internal construction is more robust (which makes the board more rigid when inflated) and the likelihood of punctures is greatly reduced. They tend to last 4-5 years before the seams, etc. start to show signs of wear. Obviously, if you leave them on the side decks in the sun the UV and heat takes its toll and they don't last as long. Try to choose light colours, as the dark ones can get very hot in the sun. Always wash off the salt water and/or dry them well before you put them away for any length of time, otherwise you will get mould which is impossible to get off. Buy a good, powerful, rechargeable inflation pump ... the manual pump supplied with the board is hard work and takes forever.

We've had water skis, wake boards, towables, kayaks, etc. onboard over the years and the SUPs are by far the best investment we ever made. They're versatile, everyone loves them, there is no noise to disturb others in the anchorage and they're easy to get out, put away and store.

100% agree! We also use two touring boards and an all-rounder. I have to say though the yoga boards we have are an excellent alternative to the more expensive floating platforms (Nautibouy etc) that are too much for the average leisure boat.

But after a recent wander around West Marine Lauderdale, it's obvious the 'proper' air deck-style platforms are coming on line thick and fast and for not a lot of money, granted mostly in the US for now.

 

[Hurricane]

You could also get a bit serious and go to the other side.



I keep mine in the crews cabin.
The yachties in our marina use them as tenders.

 

[roa312]

I've been looking online for various producers and it's clear that there's a much more developed market for these types of products in the US. As you guys mentioned, it seems that the inflatables started out for the crewed superyacht type customers, but there seems to be a decent offering of much smaller products now as well. I found this mesh floating pool product from a company called Mission Outdoors, which seems ideal for the small kids. No doubt it's a hassle to deal with on the water but the company at least put out a bunch of videos on how to manage it (see below). It's seems a great way for smaller boats to increase real estate on the water when at anchor.

 

[z1ppy]

Morning

Does anyone have any recent updates on this? We are looking for a floating platform to launch some sit on kayaks from. The drop from the quay wall to the waterline is too big to launch safely from the wall so thinking a platform to stage on at water level.

Will be inflated and left afloat for periods of a couple of weeks at a time before being cleaned and stored inside.

Getting from the US is no problem as it will be shipping internationally anyway.. the next issue… we have experienced paddle boards fail inside 12 months due to the humidity and glued seams, ideally we are Looking for something Hypalon and welded seams.

looking for something around 2 x 2 meters or there abouts..