How to assemble a PVC boat with the hard floorboard

PVC inflatable boats have a number of obvious advantages over boats with a “hard” hull – lightness, compactness, mobility, safety, quick assembly, reasonable price.

We invite you to read articles on this topic already published on our website – “How to choose an inflatable boat: 6 advices”, “PVC Boats — main features, advantages and disadvantages”, “Popular models of KOLIBRI boats: we describe the features of each”.

PVC inflatable boats, having a number of the above “lightweight” and “mobile” features, must have decent technical characteristics that allow them to compete with their older counterparts, such as RIBs, rigid hull boats and large crafts.

Responsible for this are such structural elements of PVC boats as an inflatable keel, a stationary transom for mounting the motor, a hard floorboard, which gives the entire hull of the boat the necessary rigidity and retains its shape. This improves the performance of the inflatable boat, improves maneuverability, makes it possible to move in planing mode, improves safety, comfort, etc.

Consider the process of installing an aluminum floorboard for a popular model of a functional and versatile inflatable motor boat manufactured by our company – KOLIBRI KM-360 DXL. This model has a spacious cockpit, excellent seaworthiness, high stability and carrying capacity. This is the best choice for family holidays and professional use.

Installation of an aluminum floorboard for a KOLIBRI boat KM-360DXL

Aluminum floorboard with stringers – made of aluminum profile and used exclusively for keel motor boats. Parts of this floorboard are interconnected using special profiles – H-shaped and U-shaped. The floorboard for the KM-360DXL model consists of 5 sections. To give the floorboard additional rigidity, stringers are used that connect the parts of the floorboard to each other, providing a monolithic structure. This type of floorboard has the highest rigidity, which is very important for keel motor boats. The disadvantages of this floorboard include more weight and a longer installation-dismantling time relative to the folding flooring sole-book and inflatable floorboard Air-deck

1. 1. First of all, choose a suitable place for installation – a flat horizontal area without stones, bumps and sharp branches. You can position the boat on two parallel oars, this will help solve the problem of uneven surface and protect the valves from sand.

1. 1. Before installing the floorboard, it is necessary to inflate the boat’s cylinders to 1/3 of the volume so that the boat straightens out and the sections are easier to install. All sections are numbered.

1. 1. Let’s start with the first section, which is also the bow section. We put it with a rough (anti-slip) surface up. We center the keel balloon valve with the hole for the keel valve in the bow section.

1. 1. Installing the second section. Along the edges of each section, aluminum profiles are installed H-shaped and U-shaped.

1. 1. We connect the third section of the floorboard with the second one, engaging the aluminum profiles.

1. 1. Then we install the fifth section, wind it under the transom stops and rest against the transom.
   2. After we install the fourth one, lift both sections and put them in a “house”.

1. 1. On the last fifth section, an aluminum profile of the Y-type is mounted, which allows the last two sections to be engaged.
      Next, click on the formed “house” and the floorboard takes its working position.

1. 1. After that, install the stringers.

For ease of installation, you can put an oar handle under the boat or pump up the keel cylinder to 1/3 of the volume.

1. After the floorboard is mounted and the stringers are installed, we inflate to the nominal pressure first two stern tubes of the boat, then the bow one, and only after that we inflate the keel.

We also recommend reading our article “How to properly inflate a PVC boat”, which describes this issue in detail.

The dismantling of the floorboard is carried out in the reverse order.

We hope this article has become useful for you in understanding how to properly install a hard floorboard on a KM-360DXL boat.

Specialists of the KOLIBRI Service Center will answer your technical questions by phone and e-mail indicated on the site.