Inflatable boats have been around since the early 1900's. Of
course back then they were not nearly as strong and reliable as
they are now. Due to advances in technology, inflatable boats
have become a good alternative for certain boating needs.
Inflatable boats are lightweight boats that are constructed with
the sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurized
gas. On smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often
flexible. On boats longer than 3 meters (10 feet), the floors
usually consists of three to five rigid plywood or aluminium
sheets that are fixed between the tubes but not joined rigidly
together. Often the transom is rigid, which provides the
location and structure for mounting an outboard motor.
Inflatable boats can have rubber floors, either plain or
inflatable, or they may include steel, wood or aluminium sheets
for rigidity.
Uses for inflatable boats
Over the past few decades people have found that inflatable
boats sometimes serve their boating needs just as well if not
better than regular boats. This is especially true when it comes
to marine patrol agencies and rescue teams. Marine patrol
requires frequent contact with other vessels, for example, when
pulling up alongside to conduct a search, providing assistance
or making an arrest. If a traditional hard-sided watercraft is
used, an agency or department often risks being sued if someone
is injured. That is why so many agencies are now increasingly
looking to add Rigid-hull Inflatable Boats (RIBs) to their
marine patrol fleets. RIBs will typically have an aluminum hull
that is topped and surrounded with an inflatable collar.
Inflatables are commonly between 6 to 21 feet (2 and 7 meters)
in length and are propelled by outboard motors of 5 to 80
horsepower (4 to 60 kW). Because of their speed, portability and
weight, inflatable boats are used for: racing commercial or
recreational fishing tenders for larger boats and ships in port
and at sea recreational water skiing dive boats for scuba diving.
Due to advanced technology over the last 20 years, inflatable
boats have become a very viable alternative. Many of these boats
now come with very generous warranties and product guarantees.
Getting these boats to the water is easy as they inflate and
deflate very quickly and can be stored in the trunk of a car. If
you choose to have a very small horsepower motor, that will add
even more to the simplicity of using these boats.
About the author:
Victor Epand is an expert consultant about model boats, boat
parts, and model submarines. You will find the best shopping at
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