| Inflatable sport boats are your best option to | | | | Floorboard Slats. It is a good thing that Henshaw |
| expensive fiberglass and aluminum sports boats. An | | | | Inflatables Limited of Somerset, England designed an |
| inflatable sport boat can in a variety of sizes and | | | | inflatable sport boat with integrated floorboards as its |
| designs which make it as an all-around boat – as | | | | bottom. The Tinker Tramp and Tinker Traveler models |
| a dive boat, a fishing boat, runabouts, sail and row | | | | have floorboard slats sewn into the floor fabric. |
| boat, or even as dinghies. However, a sport boat is | | | | There is no need to install the floorboard on the sport |
| distinct because of its rigid flooring, integral transom and | | | | boat as all you need to do is unroll and inflate the sport |
| a form of keel for ease in handling. An inflatable | | | | boat and you are ready to go. Storing it is as easy |
| sports boat is designed to be fitted with an outboard | | | | as you just need to deflate the boat, roll it and store. A |
| motor. | | | | deflated roll-up sports boat usually fits a bag 4 feet |
| They can handle motors from 1 horsepower up to 50 | | | | long that is easy enough to carry and store. |
| horsepower depending on the sports boat's size. | | | | Roll-up inflatable sport boats are great innovations |
| Sport boats are manufactured from fabrics rubberized | | | | especially the Avon 3.15 with its 16 ½ tubes, hardy |
| with either Hypalon or PVC. They have multiple air | | | | construction and design. However they do have their |
| chambers for more stability and rigidity. Older models | | | | setback. The first one is its cost. Roll-ups are at least |
| have floorboards made of plywood integrated with the | | | | 20% more expensive than regular inflatable sport boat |
| fabric bottom but newer models now use plastic, | | | | with removable floorboards. Cheaper versions of |
| aluminum or fiberglass. | | | | roll-ups have widely-spaced slats that produce drag. |
| There are many manufacturers and distributors of | | | | The fabric floor is also more susceptible to damage |
| inflatable sport boats. Smaller models are priced from | | | | and is costlier and more difficult to repair. |
| $800 and larger ones can fetch as much as $3000 up. | | | | Inflatable Floor. A sport boat with inflatable floor is |
| Larger ones are preferable in most cases as they can | | | | another option for flooring. Inexpensive soft tails like |
| be fitted with a windshield, dodgers, running lights and | | | | the Sevylor Voyager and small versions of sport boat |
| steering wheel which could prove to be very useful for | | | | like the Bombard AX Plus, river boats, kayaks, canoes |
| getting to tight spaces when fishing or diving. | | | | and most offshore life rafts have inflatable floors. |
| Conventional floorboards for inflatable sport boat | | | | Aside from the ease in inflating, deflating and storing of |
| An inflatable sport boat's flooring is its lifeline. A soft tail | | | | such boat, it offers additional buoyancy and is virtually |
| boat without floorboards used as dinghies can still be | | | | impossible to tip over because the floor has a |
| rowed. A sport boat without floorboards is useless this | | | | separate air chamber. This type of sport boat is quite |
| is why its flooring is a very important aspect when | | | | stable as a diving and fishing platform as it can be |
| choosing an inflatable sport boat. | | | | inflated to its maximum capacity for excellent |
| Floorboards that occupy the whole "flooring" of an | | | | stiffness. The extra air layer serves as a form of |
| inflatable sport boat are fine when it is on water. | | | | insulation too when used in freezing water. It is also |
| However, inflating and storing this type of sport boat is | | | | noted that the floor of this type of roll-up floats high in |
| another thing. It is hard to assemble this type of solid | | | | reference to the water level so that it is quite easy for |
| flooring as more often than not, there is not enough | | | | the boat to self-bail as long as it has scuppers. Last, |
| space on an average-sized yacht to properly inflate | | | | the floor tubes are oriented in a longitudinally (stern to |
| the boat and install its floorboards. | | | | bow) which makes its cross resistance great. |
| Roll-up Sport Boat | | | | |