AVON ROVER R 310 Air Deck keel Inflatable Boat Rib

tbgbc · 01 June 2011, 19:21

hi
im new to ribnet so please forgive me if i post in the wrong place.
i recently bought a AVON ROVER R 310 Air Deck keel Inflatable Boat Rib from barnet marine. its my first rib with an inflatable keel and deck.
my query is , when its all inflated the inflated floor isnt flat due to the keel which is also inflated, when i queried it with barnet marine they said it should level out once on the water but it doesnt, my fuel tank sits on top the ridge and flops side to side , hasnt anyone else had the same problem, the inflatable floor is comfortable to kneel on but is a pain cos everything you put down slides to one side. can i put in another floor? or am i stuck.
gary

Nasher · 01 June 2011, 19:30

Hi

And welcome to Rib.net.

If your airdeck is inflated to the proper pressure, once it's been cooled by the seawater, then it should be flat.

Barnet Marine have a good reputation, and I'm sure will listen if you approach them again. Make them work for the money they've taken from you.

Oh, and technically you've purchased a SIB(Inflatable boat) not a RIB, but we won't hold it against you

Nasher

rik_elliott · 01 June 2011, 19:32

What you have there is a sib not a rib!
What pressure are you running the floor at?
I have heard of folks fitting a wooden floor to originally air decked sibs. It hurts the convenience a little but for some is overall an improvement.

Doh pipped to it by nasher!

tbgbc · 01 June 2011, 19:37

thanks for the speedy reply,i pumped the floor up as far as i could with the supplied foot pump but it was no where near the max .8 psi the book says, i even stood on the pump and the only air that was coming out of the pump was through the inlet valve. so i dont know how i can get it any harder, also we used the sib/rib ( sorry dont know the difference) for 4 hours on tuesday and it just wouldnt lie flat.
gary

rik_elliott · 01 June 2011, 21:19

You need a two stage pump. They are expensive but bravo 12hp pumps are electric and do it all for you. Bravo also do a nice cheap multiple stage hand pump that would do the job.

It's vital to get the pressure up or it won't work properly. You should find it works as intended once you get the right pump.

willk · 01 June 2011, 21:44

Nice boat (SIB). It is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that the various sections are at the recommended pressure, even after the boat is on the water (which cools it and lowers the pressure). With an engine like yours you will get a good speed up, but the boat will NOT PERFORM correctly at lower pressures.

This pump will go up to over 12psi.

John Kennett · 02 June 2011, 07:55

Hi tbgbc, welcome to RIBnet! I've moved your thread here as what you have is an inflatable boat (aka Soft Inflatable Boat) and not a RIB because it doesn't have a rigid (normally fibreglass) hull.

Like everyone else said, the floor must be up to pressure. Even fully inflated they tend to flex a bit, but it sounds like yours is way under.

That Quicksilver pump that willk linked to is good, but I'm surprised that the one supplied with the boat won't do the job. Does it have a separate high pressure outlet for the floor?

Fenlander · 02 June 2011, 10:24

Barnet Marine are on my short list of suppliers for the new inflatable we,re deciding on in the next few days. From the brief chat I had with them I'd say they'd want to make sure you were sorted and happy with the boat. That Avon is very expensive so I'd want it 100% and not be thinking of adding another DIY floor.

I'm still really undecided about air floors because of the fact that, in theory with the right pressure, the floor should be flat and rigid but so many people seem to find them bendy or uneven in use. I'm wondering if it is down to different peoples expectations of just how flat/rigid they should be.

Since I've been looking I've noticed pictures and videos of air floors with a gentle upwards bend down the centre line.

It does seem the Bombard Aerotec with its deeper V design is the only air floor where you never hear a single complaint.

Also with alu/wood floors there is never any doubt... flat is flat.

PeterM · 02 June 2011, 13:23

I'd not want a 100% flat floor anyhow. I want any water to run off to one side o under the floor rather than slosh about on top .... just my thoughts having had a few differant floors...

tbgbc · 02 June 2011, 20:16

thank you all for your replies to my question, i been to bristol boats and they told me the pump i have is the ones you guys have been telling me i need to get the floor to the right pressure, it doesnt say in the manual anything about inflating the air deck , i also bought the quicksilver pump you recomended.
thanks again i will be trying my pump out this weekend and hopefully get my floor to the right pressure .
gary

tbgbc · 05 June 2011, 20:45

i inflated my floor to the correct pressure and it worked brilliantly yesterday.
thanks to all who answered my questions.
gary