Cursing My Ply Floor Quicksilver 380

keithb7 · 29 July 2008, 04:29

I own a Quicksilver 380 with a plywood floor. We have a 2000 Mercury 25 HP 2 stroke. This boat rips! We do like it. My wife waterskiis and wakeboards behind it no problem. Last week we went down river with 3 adults in the boat, and 3 10yr old kids on a 3 man tube. Plus gear, food, cooler of drinks, wakeboard ect...We came home against a decent current with all that load too...Wow I was impressed.
The only complaint I have about this boat is the plywood floor with aluminum trim around the 3 floor pieces, as well as the locking bars that hold everything in place. We bought the boat used and the seller did not instruct us how to efficiently install and remove the floor. My wife and I are getting better at it, but we still curse and swear sometimes. We have done it about 10 times by now I guess. We do not have a boat trailer so we assemble and disassemble the SIB every time we use it. It is a real pain in the butt to get the locking bars in place. We resorted to using long slot screw drivers and a hammer. Goes together and apart a lot easier. We are very careful not to pinch any part of the boat. The other complaint I have about the aluminum floor trim and lock is the material that seems to come off it. Like a fine talc powder, it mixes with any water in the boat and makes a grey messy liquid. It dries and sticks to everything. I find myself washing down full boat after almost every use to wash off the dried grey aluminum water. Anyone else experience this?

I have a herniated disc in my back and struggling to get this ply floor assembled and apart is quite uncomfortable. Last weekend I took my 9 yr old out with me alone in the boat. I pretty much had to assemble the floor alone. What a chore that was! It was hot and I was sweating like a pig. I kept jumping in the river to cool off (and cool my temper) every 5 mins or so.

My questions are: Is the newer inflatable floor a good alternative? I found a dealer willing to sell me just the "air deck" floor. Would save my back, and the frustration of trying to assemble the floor alone. The plywood floor is very stable, will I loose this stability with an inflatable floor?

We mainly use the boat for family recreation. Tubing, wakeboarding, water-skiing, fishing. We only use it in lakes and rivers, never in the ocean so large swells are not an issue. Storage room at my home is limited so a trailer is not an option. It would be nice to leave the boat assembled and inflated but that is not possible.

Anyone have any comments about the air deck inflatable floor?

Thanks.
Keith
Kamloops, BC Canada

Sinistre1 · 29 July 2008, 05:15

Did you confirm that the airdeck he has is for a 380. I know the 340 has an airdeck not sure about the bigger models. Well, I can tell you the air floor in my 340 has turned out to be a very good investment. I too had to assemble that plywood floor and it did get old really, really fast. I gladly forked over the money for the airdeck. I find the trade-off to really favor the airdeck for one major reason. I use the boat alot more. Between my Bravo pump, E-Z launch wheels and airdeck I get going in no time. From the sounds of it it would make your experience more enjoyable. Keep in mind, if they do make the airdeck for your boat it is not a permanent change. You can still choose to use the hard floor whenever you want and switch in the airdeck for days when you are solo or with a little companion. Your back will thank you. And you WILL have more fun.
As for performance my boat only suffered a little in terms of speed. A wee bit more in terms of tracking (she wanders now whereas she was arrow straight before). Not much mind you but I am aware of it. But the single biggest change is getting used to having the sea caress your bottom. The boat will do a sort of flounder dance underfoot at speed. It is weird but not awful. Really just different. I never tow anything so I cant say anything about the hole shot but the boat will sit everso slightly higher in the water especially with one on board. I jump right onto plane with my 15 so no problems there.

I really can't imagine you NOT being happy.

prairie tuber · 29 July 2008, 07:27

Place your oars under the boat fabric (between the ground and the hull fabric) when installing the floorboards and stringers. It will provide a flat even surface for the floorboard and make slipping the stringers into place much easier.

dim. · 29 July 2008, 15:10

Haven't had any problems when following those steps while assembling.
http://www.boatstogo.com/PlywoodFloor.asp

John Kennett · 29 July 2008, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithb7

My questions are: Is the newer inflatable floor a good alternative? I found a dealer willing to sell me just the "air deck" floor. Would save my back, and the frustration of trying to assemble the floor alone. The plywood floor is very stable, will I loose this stability with an inflatable floor?

If you need ease of assembly then an Airdeck is brilliant. With a decent inflator I can easily get mine from the back of the van and into the water in less than 10 minutes.

Performance is markedly poorer than a hard deck version though, especially in any sort of chop. What Airdeck are you being offered? As far as I know, Quicksilver only goes up to 3.4m. Bombard do a 3.8 Aerotech which has a different design inflatable floor - this has had great reviews here, but it a lot more money than a Quicksilver.

Edit: Looking at the pictures you posted, if that's typical of your boating then an airdeck should be just fine!

John

dim. · 29 July 2008, 17:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

What Airdeck are you being offered? As far as I know, Quicksilver only goes up to 3.4m.

That seller http://stores.ebay.ca/aquamarineboat is local to Keith. And I know he had 3.80 air decks for 175 + 30 + tx

codprawn · 29 July 2008, 18:01

With most cars you can just stick the boat on the roof - much easier to leave it inflated all the time - just put the engine on when you get to site.

You don't even need a roofrack!!!

Airfloors aren't as rigid and they reduce the space inside the boat.

m chappelow · 30 July 2008, 16:33

how about a one piece ply main board and carry that on a roof rack ,does away with aluminium stringers ect .

spartacus · 30 July 2008, 22:16

If you could invest in a trailer - then that would be the way to go. Constant inflating and deflating, plus the added hassle of removing the stringers will take it's toll. If you have no where to park a trailer (I can't believe that in Kamloops), then an airdeck is a sensible alternative.

Channel Ribs · 31 July 2008, 07:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithb7

We bought the boat used and the seller did not instruct us how to efficiently install and remove the floor.

As per the very good photos in the link above, the trick really is to get the tubes partially inflated for the majority of the assembly; once everything is in the right place you can then top off the pressure and away you go.

With practice (and fairly level ground) you can assemble these boats faster than some people can launch from a trailer.

John Kennett · 31 July 2008, 09:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by malthouse

With practice (and fairly level ground) you can assemble these boats faster than some people can launch from a trailer.

But to be fair, you could probably build a house faster than some people can launch from a trailer!

I've yet to see a hassle-free flooring system - apart from an airdeck which has its own limitations. Having had a few inflatables over the years I would be reluctant to go back to a hard floor unless I had a trailer for it.

John

thornbackflound · 31 July 2008, 10:59

I never really have any trouble with mine altho my sib is smaller then most others,,,,,,,,,,,it came with 3 slates that fit in the three slits ,,,,,,,,,,,,,but i just added more slates,,,,,,,,,,,bow peice which i have just renewed,,,,,,,,,,and folds in half with hinges length ways,,,,,,,,,,,,,,i slot the bow peice in, then the rest ,first inflating one side semi ,i have nothing to hold it all to gether just chuck me rubber anti slip mat over the lot, no prob

Channel Ribs · 31 July 2008, 15:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Kennett

But to be fair, you could probably build a house faster than some people can launch from a trailer!

I have been known to challenge RIB crews to a launching race when demonstrating SIBs as club safety boats, they get really quite flustered when me and my mate just saunter about unrolling things and admiring the view.

Mind you, the compressed air may be a bit of a cheat.

facedown · 18 August 2008, 06:49

oh the learning curve i went through!...I have an aluminum floor on my seabright 380 and learned the hard way how to put it together...especially in 37C heat!...well I am not sure about the quicksilver but... I make sure there is no air in the boat before i put the floor down...then spray the rubber hull down with water where the stringers slip in...works fine and I can do it pretty quick now...trailering you only need to do it once!...

Locozodiac · 18 August 2008, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by keithb7

I own a Quicksilver 380 with a plywood floor.

My questions are: Is the newer inflatable floor a good alternative? I found a dealer willing to sell me just the "air deck" floor. Would save my back, and the frustration of trying to assemble the floor alone. The plywood floor is very stable, will I loose this stability with an inflatable floor? It would be nice to leave the boat assembled and inflated but that is not possible. Anyone have any comments about the air deck inflatable floor?

Thanks.
Keith
Kamloops, BC Canada

Hola Keith

Sorry to read about your general suffering when inflating your 380 sib, would be nice if you could try the inflatable floor being offered before buying it, if possible to go for a test run, inflate the air floor to it's max working pressure. Inflatable floors do rock a bit even correctly inflated compared to ply or aluminum floors. Would not recommend a 380 flat inflatable floor for sea use because of its lenght, will rock more unless it would be a pro inflatable floor, the ones found in costly zodiac brand like in the Classic model. They are more ridgid, better crafted with thicker fabric than low/cheapo standard inflatable Quicksilver floor including other brands too. Use on lakes, rivers would be ok.

I'm not stating that won't cruise properly, this is all about the ridgidity you'll expet to find/experience as compared to your normal ply/alu floor. Have in use a 320 sib with inflatable floor (flat/cheapo) although it's inflated to max 1.0 PSI, floor still rocks a bit when at full throttle, imagine a standard 380. With time will get used to. Won't sacrifice stability, will sacrifice a bit of floor ridgidity.

Been using for years a cheap third world roof transport method, it's applicable to most cars/vans roofs. If you have sufficient house space to keep your sib inflated leaned to it's side against a wall, this is for you. Just car top & drive to water. Will place the overall idea soon including refference pics to make your sibbing life a breeze.

Happy Sibbing

Starfish · 07 April 2009, 13:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by prairie tuber

Place your oars under the boat fabric (between the ground and the hull fabric) when installing the floorboards and stringers. It will provide a flat even surface for the floorboard and make slipping the stringers into place much easier.

Top tip this from PT. I'm a complete and total novice to SIB's and I have mine currently in my sitting room at home undergoing a leak test (it's a secondhand boat, but new to me.)

I just fitted my 4 piece ply floor for the first time and followed the instructions on the website boats to go but the thing that made it all a lot easier was the tip about putting the oars under the boat so it sits level, also, when you lean over from the outside, this has the effect of helping to ease the stringers into place.

I got my QS300 together in about 15 mins including fully inflated using a Bravo 12v air pump.