Choosing the right decking for an inflatable vessel is not just a matter of comfort, but a critical aspect of the safety and running specifications of the boat. Many beginners, when purchasing a PVC boat, often underestimate the role of floorboards (boards), considering them as a secondary element, but it is the quality and type of decking that determines the hardness of the bottom, the controllability of the boat and even its durability. Floor construction directly affects the distribution of the load when moving along the wave and when installing the hinged motor.
In the marine engine industry, the most commonly used term for boat boards is removable decking, which is inserted into cylinders. The market offers a variety of options, from low-end plywood to high-tech aviation aluminum. Understanding the difference between them will help you avoid frustration during operation and save you budget for subsequent improvements. In this article, we will discuss all the nuances so that you can make sure that you can make the most of the most of the most of the best of the options. weighted.
Incorrectly selected or installed flooring can cause rapid wear of the bottom fabric, especially in areas of friction against the ground. In addition, the weight of the paiole significantly affects the total weight of the kit, which is especially true for those who carry a boat in the trunk of a passenger car without a trailer. Let's look at the main types of materials, their advantages and disadvantages, so you know exactly what you are buying.
Materials of manufacture: Aluminum vs. Plywood
The main dilemma when choosing decking always comes down to the struggle of two materials: plywood and aluminum. Plywood floorboards (usually laminated birch plywood) are the standard for most budget and mid-range boats: They are cheaper to produce, have good kink strength under static loads, and have a rough surface that prevents them from slipping even when wet. However, plywood has an enemy, water. When constantly in contact with moisture or improperly stored, it can dissect, lose shape, and gain significant weight.
On the other hand, aluminum-floorboard (often called "AMG piolas") are a more modern solution, completely inert to water, rotting, swelling, and drying after every fishing trip. Aluminum flooring is much lighter than the plywood equivalent of the same thickness as is critical for single boats or long walks to water. But it has its own specifications: high thermal conductivity (it is always cold to the touch) and higher cost.
- 🛡️ Strength: Aluminum can withstand large point loads without deformation, while plywood can crack when hitting a stone.
- 💧 Wet resistance: Aluminum is completely waterproof, plywood requires mandatory processing of the ends and regular drying.
- ⚖️ Weight: Aluminum flooring is lighter than plywood by 20-30%, which is essential for transportation.
⚠️ Attention: When buying a plywood deck boat, be sure to check the quality of the lamination. Cheap film can peel off over time, and the plywood will start to soak up water, turning into a heavy sponge.
The choice between these two materials often depends on budget and operating conditions. If you plan to keep the boat assembled in the garage or walk often on a rocky bottom, aluminum will be a more reliable investment. For rare trips in calm weather and on a limited budget, quality plywood will also be quite good.
Design features: Slan, Paiola and inflatable floor
When you talk about boat boards, you can't ignore the design differences. In addition to the classic removable floorboards, there are boats with sleigh (non-removable hard bottom) and inflatable floor (BBB). Removable floorboards It's a set of individual boards that connect to each other and fit inside the cylinders, and they provide good stiffness, but they take time to assemble and disassemble, and each board has its own weight and size, which you need to consider when you complete it.
Boats from NDND (low pressure inflatable floor) They don't have separate boards in the classical sense, because they're internal stringers inside the inflated bottom, but many anglers still use extra hard inserts to improve comfort, and in these models, the boards can be represented as removable plywood or aluminum platforms that are stacked on top of the inflated bottom to create a flat area under the feet or chair.
What is the difference between floorboard and sleigh?
Slate is a single hard sheet (or multiple large sheets) that is inserted into a boat and is often a non-removable structural element or requires a complete disassembly of the boat to be retrieved. Pyolas are a set of individual boards that are easily removed one by one, making it easier to dry and replace the damaged element.
An important element of the design is stringer They're metal or plastic profiles that connect the boards together and give the floor a stiff bend. Without the stringers, the floorboards will just lie on the bottom without creating the rigid body needed to plane. The quality of the stringers is often more important than the quality of the boards themselves, because they hold the geometry of the boat.
Types of board connections and stringer system
The hardness of the floor in a PVC boat is not only due to the material of the boards, but also the way they are connected. There are several basic assembly schemes. H-shaped profiles The system is easy to build, but it has one caveat: there are small gaps between the boards, where water and sand can enter, and sand stuffed into the grooves can make it difficult to disassemble the boat in the field.
A more advanced system. lock-joint In this case, the boards have special protrusions and slots that snap together to form a monolithic surface with no visible gaps. This eliminates debris from the elements and increases the overall stiffness of the bottom. However, assembling such a floor requires more dexterity and physical effort, especially at low temperatures when the material becomes less elastic.
- 🔩 H-profile: Easy to replace a separate board, but it is possible to backlash and water ingress between the elements.
- 🔒 Locking connection: Perfectly flat surface, high rigidity, but more difficult to assemble and disassemble.
- 🧩 Combined method: The use of profiles only on the sides and center, which reduces weight, but can yield in stiffness to full stringers.
When choosing a boat, pay attention to the thickness of the stringers. Thin aluminum can bend under load, especially if there are two passengers and a heavy motor in the boat. Optimum thickness The profile should be at least 1.5-2 mm for reliability, and check if the stringers have holes for water drainage - a trifle that makes life much easier when drawing water from a boat.
Instructions for installation and replacement of flooring
If the floorboards are crooked or not fully loaded, they can be displaced, causing the cylinders to deform or even collapse. Before mounting, make sure the boat is pumped to working pressure but not over-pumped, as the rigid cylinders can interfere with the insertion of the last elements.
The installation process always starts with the side, and first you put the first board along one of the cylinders, then you put stringers in, and then you put the rest of the pieces in the direction of the center and the opposite side. plank-end entered the profiles tightly, but without excessive effort, which can damage the laminated layer or aluminum oxide film.
☑️ Checking before installing floorboard
⚠️ Attention: Never use a hammer or heavy objects to hammer boards! If the item doesn't fit in, you've broken the geometry of the assembly or you've skewed the boat. Trying to hammer the board by force will cause PVC fabric to rupture or the lock to break.
When you replace a damaged board in the field, you often have to partially lower the boat, so you have to be careful: remove the stringers, replace the element, and reassemble the structure. If you have an H profile boat, you can sometimes take out the center board without taking the whole floor apart, if the design allows it.
Care, storage and extension of service life
The durability of the flooring depends on how you care for it. After every fishing, especially in salt water or muddy (dirty) pond, you need to carefully flush The sand left between the boards works like an abrasive, rubbing the fabric of the bottom and the profiles themselves when transported in a rolled-up form, and the water left in the pores of the plywood will lead to stratification.
Keeping a boat with installed floorboards in a rolled-up state is only possible if they are completely dry. Ideally, for winter storage, plywood elements are better removed and kept in a dry room at room temperature. Aluminum floorboards are less demanding, but it is recommended to wipe them dry to avoid oxides or whitish plaque that stains the clothes and fabric of the boat.
To make it easier to assemble during the cold season, put the paioles warm before installation. The warm material becomes more flexible and the locks snap easier, reducing the risk of breakage.
Regularly check the edges of the boards. If you notice burrs on aluminum or chips of laminate on plywood, immediately treat these places. slash When loaded or in the assembly process, you can use special plastic linings to protect the edges or carefully treat the edges with sandpaper and coat with epoxy glue.
Tuning and modernization of the boat floor
Boat owners often resort to tuning to improve comfort. One popular way is to install an extra extra one. carpeting Not only is it nicer for the feet, it also protects the flooring from scratches and the fabric of the boat from abrasion, but the carpet accumulates water, so you have to remove it for drying, otherwise it will rot (if there is plywood) or mold.
Another option is to replace standard plywood boards with custom aluminum ones. Many workshops offer custom-sized paioles. This makes sense if your boat's regular boards are too heavy or not rigid enough for a powerful engine. rack-floor It's a floor that's made up of narrow slats connected by a cable, which is always self-cleansing of water and sand, but it's less comfortable to walk barefoot.
| Characterization | Plywood floorboards | Aluminum floorboards | inflatable floor (NDB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight. | Medium/Severe | Light. | Very light. |
| Toughness | High. | Very high. | Medium (depending on pressure) |
| Moisture resistance | Low (requires drying) | High. | Absolute. |
| Price. | Low. | High. | Medium/High |
| Assembly | laborious | Medium | Minimum |
So to sum up, there's no perfect board, there's no perfect board, there's a perfect plan for your task. If you fish alone and value every gram, you're choosing aluminum. If you're saving money and you're willing to take care of your gear, plywood is a reliable companion. High-quality flooring turns an inflatable boat into a full-fledged boatIt can confidently keep the wave and please the owner for many years.
Can I use regular boards from the store instead of regular floorboards?
Theoretically, you can guess the size and thickness, but it's risky. Store plywood often doesn't have the right laminate quality and can be too heavy. Also, staffed floorboards have a specific shape of ends designed for the specific stringers of your boat. A homemade can damage cylinders or not provide the necessary rigidity.
How to remove the creak of paiole when the boat is moving?
Screaming occurs because boards rub against each other or stringers, and it can help lubricate the silicone spray of the joints, use special PVC lubricants or lay a thin layer of material (such as insolone) between the boards, and creaking can disappear when the paioles are slightly soaked and "glued".
What if the floorboards don't fit into the packaging bag?
A common problem with first assembly or replacement: Try changing the order of stacking: put the largest, toughest elements first, and place the thinner or more flexible ones in the remaining voids, sometimes helping to roll the boat a little differently, spreading the cylinders around the edges of the bag, and the paioles in the center.