From looking at the Airbed inflatables, they are what I call "pure inflatables" - that is they do not have a rigid
keel or bottom. My old 11 ft
Avon roll-up is the same type of dinghy even though it has a
fiberglass sectioned floor.
- - The
keel of a pure inflatable dinghy is an inflated high pressure tube and the floor is normally a separate inflated bladder or sometimes
plywood panels.
- - Unless you seriously over-inflate the keel, floor and tubes, the pure inflatable dinghy will do a "snake dance" when you try to get it up on plane. If the tubes are not rigid then you can get a dramatic folding in half of the dinghy as the outboard engine pushes the stern forward but the bow half of the dinghy is held back by
water pressure. Overpowering with a larger engine makes the bending more pronounced.
- - My 11 ft
Avon does a dramatic snake maneuver as it tries to get up and on plane. The bow wave ripples back through the boat as a "hump" until finally it is left astern.
- - This is normal for pure inflatables and why most everybody has moved to RIB's (fiberglass or metal hulls with inflatable tubes surrounding).