slatted floor vs airdeck in a tender

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nickfabbri

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Any info gratefully received. I have bought a slatted floor seago 2.4m tender and am very happy with it. However i know that you can purchase an inflatable floor for it. Can anyone let me know what the difference is and is it worth the £100 price tag. Cheers
 
Yes, performance and handling due to the massive reduction in floor flexing particularly in any chop. I believe I get better fuel economy as I feel there is less drag with the stiffer airdeck supported hull.
 
We purchased an inflatable floor for our slatted floor Avon at the start of last season. This was partly prompted by the failure of the two middle slats and by wet knees. The new floor is a huge success giving a much more stable platform when getting in and out of dinghy, it rows better if anything and yes, it does save on wet knees etc when there is a small amount of water. Well worth the money.

Margaret and Bill Gray
 
Hi,

We're looking at tenders at the moment as well. Can anyone comment on the pros/cons of airdeck vers solid panel floors? I mean the floors in two or three sections which slot together to make almost a full plywood floor.

Airdeck is widely recommended, but with a solid floor I like the ability to customise it. For example to add eyes for tying down, or fixing a storage box.
 
I replaced a VERY old and tired doughnut type (with solid floor) by a pump up floored one with a wooden transome. If I had known whow much better it was I'd have done it much sooner. It quicker to inflate and get into the water, and once there more rigid, more stable, faster under power (3.3 Tohatsu on the new toy, Yamaha 4 on the old) and easier to row.

I suppose it's possible to glue rings to the floor for tying down, if you need this, and a box can be fixed to the thwart or the transome, although I'd be wary of sharp corners and think of a plastic box and bungees myself.
 
I am reading this with interest. I am looking for a tender that will fold down small, carry 4 and outboard and have been much confused by the varied ratings (pers/max wt.) quoted. Airdeck is more weight and bulk but seems to increase weight capacity considerably.
 
i used to have such a Zodiac. The boards were connected with an Al-rail on each side. There were gadgets in the extra-slot in these rails to attach things, such as a box, to. The solid floor made rowing easy and with a 4 hp Yamaha and with one person it got an the plane. I did not really care to put it together and would now choose an air-deck. I think it is also important to have an inflatable keel to improve the directional stability.
 
Yes, agree entirely. Airdeck is much lighter than solid floor and far easier to fit.
As you say, inflatable keel also much improves directional stability though it is available on many solid floor dinghies as well.
PVC storage bags for beneath the thwart usually on the optional extras list of most mfrs. As is optional Bow Storage.
 
bought an airdeck wetline 260 with 3.3 mercury, if I sit in centre seat I can get it up on the plane (must do about 10mph)
and I weigh 14.5 stone (on a good day)
 
well my Quicksilver airdeck/inflatable keel manages 15mph with a 4hp merc and I am 17stone on a bad day!

overall they are a fantastic improvement - not quite ribs but still

dryer
more stable to stand in
easier to row / steer
usually greater capacity for same physical size
can be heavier all up but you can take out floor etc
no floor boards to snub toes........

re tye downs some have fitted rings to tie down a fuel tank under seat

some (mine) has choice of slots for seat depending on motor or row so with the aquisition of a second seat slat I get a really nice comfortable 4 seater for exploring creeks etc - but this is not restricted to airdecks of course.

finally there are now the next generation of inflatable floor/keels where the whole floor is a triangular section and provides even more 'rib like' performance and stability.
 
Something that has not been mentioned is that a rigid floor requires quite an expansive flat surface in order to get the sections in; space which is a premium on a small 22' yacht. My Zodiac had a nasty habit of trapping fingers and grazing knuckles when putting the sections floor in too.

I sold my Zodiac for that reason and now got an Excel (Taiwan) air deck version. This can be inflated, laying ontop of an uneven surface, in under 5 minutes using a LVM inflator . It also fits down the companion way of my small yacht, and even though it is heavier, it much more practical where space is a premium.
 
I use a slatted floor under my airdeck in my avon which makes it even more rigid. the reason is I had bought a slatted floor then the following year avon intrduced the airdeck so I then had one of those.
Previously i had had an avon with a solid floor but I sold it because putting the 3 large pieces of plywood together on deck was a nightmare, it would be OK if the dinghy was permanently inflated but you cant put it in a locker like that.
 
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....finally there are now the next generation of inflatable floor/keels where the whole floor is a triangular section and provides even more 'rib like' performance and stability.

[/ QUOTE ]

Anybody know who (apart from Bombard) uses this style of floor?
 
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