High Pressure Air Floor Dinghy

[capngeo]

My venerable old Achilles is not up to another year, so I'm in the market for a new dink. My boat is only 28', so I need something light and easily stowed. Deck planks are a PITA, so this time around I want to go either air floor or slat and fabric so the dink is a true roll-up. I've heard the air floors don't like to be stowed any length of time while rolled up.... True? Most of the use will be my annual 30 day cruise, then rolled, and stored for next year.... The rest of the year I daysail only and from a dock at that!

While I'm at it, I'm going to downsize from a 9.8 to a 2.5/3.5hp (another quick loss of 40#!)

[lancelot9898]

Have you considered the Archilles roll up Al floor? I'm also am looking for something easy to store and yet want some type of performance. My old Achilles was 25+ years old when sold and it was the plywood floor model and pain to knock down and put back together. Good Luck.

[deckofficer]

Maybe a Takacat Lite, and because it has an efficient air entrapment catamaran hulls, it will plane with that 2 1/2 hp outboard.
HOME - Takacat.com

[Cheechako]

The ones with the athwartships floor planks (aluminum etc) tend to get air under them and buckle up while planing. Not the end of the world , but just a bit of caution I guess. The Air floors do this some too. Everything's a compromise. I guess if you can convince yourself that the brand of air floor you are getting doesnt have problems, I'd go for that for the less weight. Seems like the perfect roll up dsign would have a solid floor in the center/aft to avoid the buckling and roll up onto that from either end.....Boy if someone couls solve this "light and stowable" dingy problem they'd get rich fast!

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Maybe a Takacat Lite, and because it has an efficient air entrapment catamaran hulls, it will plane with that 2 1/2 hp outboard.
HOME - Takacat.com

that does look pretty cool. maybe the cat design gets rid of th air floor air bubble issue....VIDEO - Takacat.com

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

that does look pretty cool. maybe the cat design gets rid of th air floor sir bubble issue....VIDEO - Takacat.com

It is the only dinghy that I know of that if your a bit old and out of shape you can still get into it from the water, just enter by pushing down on the bow and the flat floor deck at the bow becomes level with the water and you can slither right in. No need for rope ladders.

[Sluce]

We have a Mercury inflatable with the air floor that's 5 years old. It spends about 8 months a year rolled up and stored and one year it was not inflated at all. So far it has not given us any problems. I'm still happy with it.

[PDScott]

Buy anything but a Zodiac. Bought a Cadet 285 with air floor. Fuel tank vented gasoline on a hot day. Where ever the fuel ran the floor went like glass and leaked air. Zodiac told me that the floor could not have gas on it. What a load of garbage. Have repaired it myself with liquid latex. Can't roll it up though. Am spending the rest of my sailing life warning folks of the crap products that Zodiac puts out!!

[tartansail]

Originally Posted by capngeo

My venerable old Achilles is not up to another year, so I'm in the market for a new dink. My boat is only 28', so I need something light and easily stowed. Deck planks are a PITA, so this time around I want to go either air floor or slat and fabric so the dink is a true roll-up. I've heard the air floors don't like to be stowed any length of time while rolled up.... True? Most of the use will be my annual 30 day cruise, then rolled, and stored for next year.... The rest of the year I daysail only and from a dock at that!

While I'm at it, I'm going to downsize from a 9.8 to a 2.5/3.5hp (another quick loss of 40#!)

We bought a high pressure air floor inflatable at West in 2002. It lives in its bag except when we're using it. We've never had any trouble with it stowed for most of its life. I would much rather have it in the bag than absorbing UV. When we do any overnight passages, we deflate and stow it below. It takes about fifteen minutes to pump up with a foot pump. When we're using it consistently, it needs a dose of air every couple of weeks, but I can live with that. We take it ashore on sand and rocks, but we're pretty careful if the ground has sharps. It planes easily with an 8HP 2-stroke Tohatsu, but I rarely run it fast since it is squirrelly in anything but calm waters. If I were a full time cruiser, I'd get a RIB, but we're not and we don't.

[Stu Jackson]

We have a Zodiac, it's about 10 years old now, still fine, stays rolled up most of the year. We got a transom mount fuel tank and the best trick we learned, oddly enough the day we bought it, was to buy some outdoor carpeting for the floor.

[capngeo]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Maybe a Takacat Lite, and because it has an efficient air entrapment catamaran hulls, it will plane with that 2 1/2 hp outboard.
HOME - Takacat.com

Think I've found my new dink.... Only concern is PVC!

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by capngeo

Think I've found my new dink.... Only concern is PVC!

Please keep us posted as to how you like it. I don't know why they stopped offering the Hypalon option, they still offer it for all the other models. My guess is demand was too low for Hypalon on the Lite due to the quickness of folding up and stowing with the air floor and 65 lb weight.

[Boracay]

We started with a 9' light aluminium dinghy (De Haviland Cub) that came with the boat. It was in dreadful condition so I brought a 9' Achilles air floor with a 5hp Tohatsu.

We only used the Achilles a few times while we were at the marina. When we moved to a mooring it was just too heavy and too much trouble to use.

I ended up buying another De Haviland Cub. Perfect for two and stores on our foredeck or davits just fine.

I also brought a 7' fibreglass. Ok for one person.

I would imagine that the larger air floors would be too big for your boat, even rolled up.

What about the Achilles LT-2 or LT-4? They're light (37-57lbs v's air floors at 53-66lbs) and the LT-2 looks like it would roll up pretty well.

[capngeo]

I'll look at them, but the Cat design has me pretty much sold. I'm struggling with the logistics of rolling.... any dink. If I have to go ashore to roll (not enough deck room), how do I get back to the CAL? I am beginning to think of going back to towing as I have done in the past.

Anyone have experience with a Lehr Propane Outboard?

[AiniA]

We have a Walker Bay air floor and can't recommend it. It is only four years old and has been nothing but problems. The main tubes are fine, the air floor terrible and the connection between tunes and transom a problem.