What is the correct name of the floor in the boat: from sleigh to floorboard

For many aspiring boaters and anglers, the question of exactly what to call the bottom of the inner space of the craft may seem trivial. PVC Or repairing aluminum boats, there's a clear terminology, and mistakes in names can lead to misunderstandings when ordering parts or discussing design with experienced boatmasters, and most often, you hear the word "bottom" in colloquial speech, but technically, this is not quite true, because the bottom is the outer part of the hull.

Depending on the type of vessel, material intensity and year of construction, this element can be called differently. slateWhile rigid hulls use the word "floorboard" more often, understanding the difference between these concepts is essential to the right choice of accessories, such as protective mats or can mounting systems, let's take a closer look at what gender is in today's small vessel.

It's important to note that floor design has a direct impact on performance and comfort during fishing, surface rigidity determines how comfortable you'll be standing for hours in the same pose, waiting for a cool bite, and the type of flooring affects the weight of the entire set in the assembly, which is critical when transported over long distances.

Terminology: slate, paiola or flooring?

The first thing that a customer encounters when looking at an online store catalogue is the variety of names, and the main difference is the design of the boat itself. If you own an inflatable boat, the term for you is going to be the basic term. slateIt's a set structure, made up of individual sheets that are stacked inside cylinders, and it comes from a marine term for wooden flooring that is stacked on top of beams.

In the case of metal or fiberglass boats, the situation is different: here the floor is most often an integral part of the hull or is assembled from separate sheets called sheets. paiolaPaioles are generally removable elements that cover the bilge space or form a flat surface in the cockpit. In some contexts, especially when it comes to homemade or specific tuning, the universal word "flooring" may be used.

The difference is not only linguistically important, but also functionally important: the slate in a PVC boat often acts as a force element that gives stiffness to the entire inflatable floor structure, while the piolas in a metal boat primarily provide safety and dryness of the legs, hiding water pockets and hull construction elements.

⚠️ Attention: Never use the term "bottom" when ordering floor parts. If you ask for "bottom" for a PVC boat, you may be sent the balloon itself (the cloth bottom) rather than the hard liner. Always make sure you need it. slate kit floorboard.

Floor design in PVC boats: types of slags

In the world of inflatable boats, there are several basic floor types, each with its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on whether the vessel is purchased for a quiet fishing trip on the lake, for going out into large water with a powerful motor or for rafting on rivers with a rocky bottom.

The most common option is plywoodThe sheets of moisture-resistant plywood (usually 9-12 mm thick) are covered with a special anti-slip coating, which provides excellent rigidity, allowing you to stand confidently on your feet even on the wave, plywood keeps warm well and does not freeze as quickly as metal, which is important for autumn fishing.

An alternative to the tree is aluminumAluminum sheets with riffled or profiled strips are assembled into a single flat floor, this option is lighter than plywood and is not afraid of water at all, but has a significant disadvantage - high thermal conductivity. In the cold, the legs in such a boat will freeze much faster if you do not use special insulated mats.

Special attention should be paid to the boats with NDMA They have a hard floor membrane with lots of vertical strands, and although there's no formal rigid sleigh, functionally that's the floor, they're faster to assemble, but they lose in stiffness and plane speed to hard sleigh models.

Floor in metal and fiberglass boats

Unlike inflatable boats, rigid boats deal with gender in the design and construction phase, and the terminology shifts to the side. floorboard and lattice-deckIn small aluminum boats ("Kazanka", "crows"), the floor is often a grooved sheet of aluminum welded or glued to the frames.

However, in many cases, especially flat-bottomed boats or complex hold geometries, removable floorboards are used to access the insides of the hull to pump water, repair or store things in sealed boxes, most often the same aluminum, sometimes with anti-slip coating, or moisture-resistant plywood, protected by fiberglass.

In fiberglass boats, the floor is often part of a single matrix, but for ease of use, removable sections can be installed in the holds. It is important that the floor surface has the correct slope to the drainage holes (spits), otherwise water will accumulate in the legs, creating discomfort and increasing the weight of the vessel.

Why do metal boats often make the floor removable?

Removable floorboards in metal boats are needed to access bottom plugs, the ability to dry the hull from the inside after the season, and to place additional equipment such as fuel tanks or batteries in protected niches under the floor.

Materials of manufacture: comparison of specifications

Choosing a flooring material is always a trade-off between weight, durability, cost and comfort, and to make an informed decision, you need to understand the physical properties of the basic materials used in sleigh and floorboard production.

Plywood remains the leader in price/quality. It is good thermal insulation properties, is strong enough and, when properly processed, lasts for decades. However, plywood is afraid of prolonged contact with water when the coating is damaged and has a significant weight. Aluminum is light and eternal, but cold and noisy (thunders when moving).

Modern composites are beginning to take over the market, with plastic cells filled with foam or special polymer sheets offering lightness of aluminum and heat of plywood, but the cost of such solutions remains high, making them the lot of the premium segment or specialized tuning.

Materials	Weight.	Heat insulation	Durability	Price.
Plywood (9-12 mm)	Heavy.	High.	Medium (depending on coverage)	Low.
Aluminum (groaned)	Light.	Low.	Very high.	Medium
NDND (PVC)	Medium.	Medium	High.	High.
Composite	Very light.	High.	High.	Very high.

Slip problem and safety on the water

Water safety starts with stability under your feet. Wet aluminum or smooth plywood becomes slippery like ice, which creates a risk of falling overboard, especially when you abruptly maneuver or get on plane. slip-coating It is not just a matter of comfort, but a requirement of safety.

Factory sleighs often use a special mesh, quartz sand spraying or ruffling, and owners of boats without such coating often resort to self-tuning, and a popular solution is the use of EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) mats, a foam-like material that does not absorb water and holds the leg perfectly.

• 🛡️ EVA mats: Easy to wash, do not rot, perfectly cushion, but can absorb the smells of gasoline with prolonged contact.
• 🛡️ Rubber mats: Cheap and affordable, but water often accumulates beneath them, causing corrosion of the aluminum floor or plywood rotting.
• 🛡️ Slip-proof tape: Sticked in stripes on the existing floor, cheap and effective, but over time, the edges can pick up.

When choosing a coating, it is important to consider that it should not prevent water flow to the drainage holes. Smooth mats can create a suction effect or retain water in the pockets, which will adversely affect the differentiation of the boat.

Floor care and maintenance

Whether you call the floor in your boat slate, paiola or flooring, it requires regular maintenance. At the end of each season, and ideally after every long fishing trip, the floor elements must be removed, washed with fresh water and thoroughly dried, which will prevent mold, rot (in the case of wood), and electrochemical corrosion (in the case of aluminum contact with other metals or salts).

If you own a plywood sleigh boat, look at the ends of the sheets, and it's through them that the moisture enters the structure of the tree, and they should be treated periodically with olive oil, varnish or special impregnations for wood.

to be oxidized, especially in the places of attachment to the body.

⚠️ Attention: It is strictly forbidden to dry floor elements, especially from PVC and composites, in the open sun or at heating devices. Ultraviolet and high temperature deform materials and destroy binder resins, making the floor brittle.

Tuning: how to improve the staff floor

Many anglers don't stop at factory-made and are keen to upgrade the boat floor for maximum comfort. frame-floorIt's a tool that raises the level of the legs above the regular sleigh, which allows you to organize niches for storing tackles under your feet and improves air circulation.

Another option is to integrate the mounting systems, and the rail systems are hitting the floor (e.g., the mounting system). Track System) for the installation of spinning holders, sonar holders or tables, which requires high precision, as it is unacceptable to break the tightness of cylinders or bottoms. For aluminum boats, rubber-based carpeting is popular, which reduces noise and improves thermal insulation.

Whenever you interfere with the floor, remember the weight balance. Adding extra pounds to the nose or stern of a boat can significantly change its performance, lead to a budding nose in the wave or, conversely, to dolphinization.

Can I replace plywood slate with aluminum in a PVC boat?

Theoretically, it can, but it requires recalculating the load on the cylinders, aluminum is heavier than plywood, which can lead to overloading of the boat, and aluminum is cold and requires the use of mats, and you also need to make sure that the geometry of the floorboards exactly matches the shape of the cylinders of your model.

What if the slate doesn't get into the boat after winter?

If the boat was in a deflated state for a long time, the cylinders could deform or "remember" the folds. Try to slightly pump the boat and leave it in the sun (for a short time) or in a warm room to straighten the material. Do not use force when installing the sleigh, so as not to damage the seams.

What is the name of the floor in a hard bottom boat (RIB)?

In RIB boats, the floor is an extension of the hull and is usually simply called a "cockpit" or "bottom." If there are removable elements to access the hold, they are called hatches or floorboards, but the solid floor surface has no separate name.

Do I need to grease the slate before installation?

You don't have to lubricate the slate itself. However, if the boat is new and the slate is very tight, you can slightly moisten the cylinders with water (not oil or solidol!) to make it easier to slip. Oil and petroleum products destroy the PVC material of the cylinders.