For many beginners, choosing their first boat, the acronym PVC It's become a familiar term, but when you look at the specifications of models, you often hear the term "pillar boat." What's behind this word and why is it so important when you buy it? It's basically a hard floor design that turns inflatable tubes into a full-fledged vessel that can withstand loads and provide stability when you move.
Unlike simple inflatable mattresses or inflatable floor boats, it uses a solid base assembled from individual sections. floorboard And it gave the name to the whole class of boats, and it's a game-changer, allowing you to have more powerful engines and feel comfortable on the water even with a small wave.
Understanding how it works The pile boat what is it? For being a beast in the world of small boats, you can avoid making mistakes when you're choosing, because a poorly designed floor can cause assembly problems or discomfort during long fishing, and let's go through the details of what the skeleton of your future boat is made of.
Design features of the paillon floor
The basis of rigidity in these boats is a set design consisting of flat sheets connected to each other, these sheets, or paioles, can be made of various materials, most often moisture-resistant plywood or light aircraft aluminum, they are inserted into special pockets located on the sides of the boat, or attached to strained stringers.
The key element of the system is stringer They're profiles that run along the bottom and connect the floor sections together, without them, the structure would not have the necessary longitudinal rigidity and would simply fold under load. Stringers can be made in the form of pipes, profiles of complex shapes or even inflatable tubes in simpler models, but in a classic solder boat, these are metal or composite elements.
Technical detail
Why are floorboards not solid?: The whole floor cannot be packed into a compact bag. The collapsible design allows you to fold the boat into a comparable one or two backpacks, which is critical for transportation and storage.
It's important to note that the quality of the sections' joints has a direct impact on safety, and if the paioles are going to be cruising or have a backlash, not only will this create unpleasant noise, but it can also damage the PVC tissue in the areas of friction, so manufacturers are paying special attention to the system of locks or slots that lock the floor elements into a single plane.
Materials of manufacture: plywood or aluminum?
When choosing a boat, the buyer invariably asks about the material of floorboards. Traditionally, marine plywood is used, which is high strength and relatively low cost. However, a tree is a tree: it can absorb moisture, requires periodic drying and treatment with antiseptics, otherwise the risk of fungus or stratification becomes a reality.
The alternative is aluminum-floorThese floorboards are much lighter than plywood, they're not afraid of water, they don't require any care, they're ideal for people who appreciate every kilogram of weight when they're carried to the water, but they have their own peculiarities: they're noisier (fishboxes are more loudly heard) and they tend to be more expensive to produce.
There is also a trade-off between combined floors or paioles made of special plastic, which are free of the drawbacks of wood and metal, but are less common and more expensive. The choice of material often depends on the conditions in which it is used. pit-boatFor quiet fishing, plywood is also suitable, and for frequent long trips, it is better to consider aluminum.
If you have chosen a boat with a plywood floor, after each fishing, be sure to wipe the floorboards with dry rags and leave the boat in a straightened form in a ventilated room for at least a day. This will prolong the life of the floor for years.
Types of Section Connections and Stringer System
The reliability of the whole structure depends on how the individual floor slabs are connected. There are several common schemes. Budget models often use a "groove" system, where the ends of the paioles have protrusions and indentations, which is a simple solution, but over time the grooves can break and the floor will begin to creak.
A more advanced option is to connect using H-profile In this case, the sections are not rubbed against each other directly, but are fixed through an intermediate element, which ensures perfect flatness and no backlashes even after many seasons of use, and the stringers in these systems play the role of stiffness ribs, distributing the load from the weight of the people and the motor.
- 🛶 T-shaped stringers: A classic solution where the profile is inserted into the paioles slots, providing stiffness to bend.
- ⚓ Round pipes: They are often used in inflatable stringers or as a support for rigid floorboards in simple models.
- 🔧 The Swallow's Tail system: complex joint profile, excluding the displacement of sections in the horizontal plane.
It's worth remembering that it can take longer to build a boat with a complex stringer system, especially at the initial stage, but the effort is paid off with the certainty that the bottom will not bend under the weight of a powerful engine in the planing.
Comparison with inflatable floor boats (BBBB)
Often buyers fluctuate between a classic plyol boat and low-pressure inflatable floor (LDPB) models, the former providing a rigid platform resembling the hull of a boat, the latter providing incredible comfort, since the inflatable floor works like a cushion to extinguish the shocks of the wave.
The main plus is this. geometryThe hard floor does not change its properties depending on the water temperature or the pressure in the cylinders. It is easier to stand on a solder boat, easier to move with gear, and it is less susceptible to sailing in the parking lot, since the bottom does not bend under the weight of the angler. In addition, the hard bottom wears less when in contact with a rocky shore or shell.
⚠️ Attention: Boats with hard floorboard bottoms have a higher center of gravity than NDNDBs at the same height of the cylinder. Be careful when moving abruptly on the cockpit, especially in windy weather.
On the other hand, a solder boat takes longer to assemble and disassemble, and you have to spend your energy laying stringers and fixing the floor sections, whereas NDNDD is easy enough to pump, and paioles take up more space in the trunk of the car because of their rigidity, while the inflatable floor rolls up into a roll.
Effect of floor design on driving performance
The hardness of the bottom is a critical parameter for planing. Pillet boat With the bottom properly assembled, the body is monolithic, and the water flows around it predictably, allowing higher speeds at the same power as the soft bottom, which can play on the wave.
But there's a caveat: if the floorboards are not tightly assembled or the stringers are weakened, the "drum membrane" effect occurs. The bottom begins to vibrate, transmitting shocks to the body and creating a lot of noise. It not only tires, but also reduces the life of the PVC tissue in the attachment areas, so the floor tension should be maximum.
For trolling anglers, a hard floor is also preferable, as it allows you to securely attach various accessories: rod holders, sonars, anchor systems. On a soft bottom, it is much harder to fix something permanently without the risk of damaging the cylinders.
☑️ Checking the readiness of the floor for the season
Care and operation of the soldering system
The longevity of your boat depends on how you treat its inner skeleton. Sand and fine dirt are the main enemies of the floorboard system. Once in between sections of the floor or in the grooves of the stringers, the abrasive particles begin to work like sandpaper, rubbing the PVC fabric and erasing the protective coating of the floorboards themselves.
So rule number one: before packing the boat, be sure to wash and dry not only the cylinders, but all the floor elements. If the floorboards are plywood, they should be wiped dry to prevent swelling. Aluminum profiles should be rinsed with fresh water, especially after fishing at sea, to wash off the salt.
| Parameter | Plywood floor | Aluminum floor | inflatable floor (for comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight. | Medium/High | Low. | Low. |
| Toughness | High. | Very high. | Medium |
| Gone. | Requires drying. | Minimum | Minimum |
| Price. | Affordable | High. | Medium/High |
Keeping a boat with a floorboard floor is better in an unburdened form or, if there is no space, then with folded but not compressed in a tight paiola. Prolonged storage in a compressed state can lead to deformation of sections and the appearance of a "hump" in the middle of the boat, which will interfere with further operation.
Practical tips for assembly and installation
Building a solder boat is a process that requires a sequence of actions: first, the cylinders are laid out and pumped a little to spread the folds, then stringers are laid down (if they are removable) or inserted into pockets, only after that the floorboards begin to be laid from nose to stern or from center to sides, depending on the design.
It's important to make sure that the edges of the floorboards don't get stuck in the PVC fabric or fall under the valves. After all the sections are laid, the final docking and fixation is done. The boat is then pumped to the working pressure. Often, during the pumping process, the cylinders are stretched and the floor can go a little bit, so the final lift or section correction should be done after full pressure is set.
⚠️ Attention: Never forcefully try to stuff floorboards into an already fully pumped boat. This can cause seams to rupture or tissue damage. Always leave the cylinders slightly under-pumped during the floor installation phase.
Properly assembled pitting floor should not have gaps of more than 2-3 mm between sections. If the gaps are larger, check the integrity of the stringers and the correct stowage.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I replace plywood floorboards with aluminum floorboards in my boat?
Theoretically, you can if the geometry of the boat and the mounting system (pockets, stringers) are the same, but the floorboards from different manufacturers can vary in thickness and size, and it is best to order aluminum paioles from the manufacturer of your boat or to make individual measurement and order from specialized firms.
What to do if the paioles start creaking?
Screaming occurs because the elements are rubbed against each other, you need to take the floor apart, clean all the surfaces of sand and dirt, then it is recommended to treat the ends of the floorboards and stringers with silicone lubricant or special compounds for PVC, also check whether the sections themselves have deformed.
How safe is a piper boat when breaking a balloon?
The solder boat, like any other PVC boat with separated cylinders, maintains buoyancy when one of the compartments breaks down, and the hard floor even helps in this case, distributing the weight of the passengers and preventing the boat from fully folding, making it easier to return to shore.
How to keep a boat with a paiola floor in winter?
The best option is to store the boat in a warm, assembled, but deflated form, if this is not possible, the boat is washed, dried, paioles are removed and stored separately in a dry place to eliminate temperature and humidity changes that are harmful to both the fabric and the wood.
Does the number of floorboard sections affect the hardness of the bottom?
Yes, it does. The more sections (at the same total length), the smaller the size of each section and the more joints, the optimal 3-5 sections for small boats, too many narrow slats can make the bottom less rigid to deflect, if you do not use powerful stringers.