Inflatable Boats: An Overview
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Kristy Annely ARTICLE REPRINTING IS PERMITTED
Inflatable boats are made from flexible material, usually rubber, canvas, or neoprene, and hold air at high volume but low pressure. They need to be fitted with a frame to which an oarlock mount is firmly attached. Such frames are either made of metal or wood, or a combination of the two.
Inflatable boats with motors are high speed, maneuverable, stable and can be easily launched from a ship. For this reason, US Navy SEAL's use the inflatable boat small (IBS) for their operations.
Twenty-three foot long Rigid Hull inflatable boats are best suited for retrieving people stranded on rocky pinnacles among the waves, and are used by the US Coast Guard during Search & Rescue operations.
There has been a lot of development in Inflatable boats. The large inflatable boats have rigid boards in them, and are called Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIB's). They can be driven by oars or outboard engines. The large ones are considered good enough to be used by the Lifeboat men.
The modern life raft is a well thought out, well-equipped, seaworthy fully inflated boat. However, if there isn't enough air inside, inflatable boats are apt to fold in the middle. Thus, they need to be pumped up to the proper pressure using bellows.
Most Inflatable Boats are portable rafts. An inflatable yacht that is 8 feet (2.4 m) long is rated to carry three people when used with a motor. It weighs 35 pounds (15 kgs.) when dry, which makes it a reasonable load for one person to carry for a long distance if necessary. The next size is 9 feet long, which does not sound much more, but the difference is great, in fact. The 9 feet boat is heavier and has much larger air tubes.
People use inflatable boats for exploring, and manually haul them to remote places. There are many brands of high quality inflatable boats available in the market, but whatever brand is chosen should be roughly 8 feet long, rated for 3 people, have a motor, be a reasonable load for one person to carry, and does not have a wooden floor, or other heavy parts.
Inflatable Boat Sales are taking place online. Inflatable boats are available for sales - both as new ones, and as used boats. Prices range from $25 right up to $2,800. The range covers 8-foot yacht tenders, fishing boats, and 14-foot inflatable sail boats.
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Inflatable Boats Info provides detailed information on pontoon, rigid and fishing inflatable boats, as well as trailers, repairs, used inflatable boats and manufacturers. Inflatable Boats Info is the sister site of
River Rafting Web.
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Inflatable Boats Additional Inflatable Boats Articles
A Review of Inflatable Boat Manufacturers There are many manufacturers of inflatable boats on the market today. Included below is an overview of each of the key manufacturers.
Should You Buy a Used Inflatable Boat? There are two types of used inflatable boats for sale - those that have never been patched before, and those that have been repaired. Repaired boats are worked upon by factory technicians using the same glue and same techniques used for a new boat, and hence are as good as new ones.
Rigid Inflatable Boats A rigid inflatable boat is defined as a hard-hulled boat with air inflatable collars. RIB hulls are made of fiberglass, aluminum or composite materials. The soft bumpers or fenders, called "sponsons," can be air tubes, or all foam systems.
Inflatable Pontoon Boats Bryce Whitmore designed the modern whitewater inflatable pontoon boat, and in fact designed several models. The one that has been produced the most is a three-tube model of unparalleled maneuverability and load bearing capacity. This boat which is fourteen feet overall, can carry 6 passengers, their baggage, and a guide.
The Benefits of Inflatable Fishing Boats Inflatable fishing boats are great yacht tenders/camping boats that are light enough to be carried in a backpack. Some 8-foot inflatable fishing boats are good for two and gear, and are large enough to float in moderate whitewater rivers.
