V floor sibs

[Wazzajnr]

Hi all, long time no speak, been a mad year work wise but light at the end of the tunnel now so considering options for this year.
My chinesium 3.2m ally floor is getting tired now and I was considering something slightly bigger anyway.
My main question is, do the V floor boats have a deeper vee than ally or air floor boats?
Not bothered about having a flat floor inside the boat if it helps handling.
I hate mine in the turns as it just skids sideways and is very unnerving in anything but the gentlest of turns.
That said if I go to around 4m with inflatable floor, is it going to get a bit floppy anyway.

Just playing with ideas at the moment.

Thanks all.

[Steve509926]

Hi Wazz, nice to hear your still around.

I don't think it's so much that V floor sibs have a deeper V than sausage keel sibs, I think it's more that they don't have the flappy pvc keel causing drag, and not giving a more defined profile in the water to gain a bit of grip. It's well documented on here that V floors handle "better" than a sausage keel and if you don't need a flat deck then it's worth considering. Not much choice though - T38, Boatworld "V" and as an outsider the Excel Volaire.
I've learned to like the slide turn of my SD360, it's like drifting on a speedway bike, not precise but gets you to where you want to go!

[Wazzajnr]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the reply.
I looked at the boat world one but the crappy trim tabs at the back are a deal breaker.

I actually like the ally floor and have no problem building it but I do have an issue with not much option for transom wheels.

If it were significantly better with a v floor then I would consider it but if its only a slight improvement then I think I would go for the boat world 4.2m and build myself a holiday trailer.

Idea being, I can cart it to the campsite in the back of the pickup, build it once then trailer it for the whole holiday.

However, that probably means a new motor as the 15hp will be a bit weedy so might just have to stretch another year out of the old tub.

[Steve509926]

4.2 is bloody big Wazz! the difference between my 3.6 and a Excel 3.9 is massive. I would really struggle, size and weight, going any bigger than 3.9. I think if I was going to change (not that I'm thinking of doing so) it would be for a 3.9 Volaire.
I use a trailer for the SIB when we go away in the caravan for anything longer than a few days and for me it was a game changer. Diane really didn't like the daily setup and the collapsible trailer has changed all that.
Dont know if you've seen my thread on the "beachmaster" type transom wheels, but I'm hoping that I've now found the wheels suitable for me.
I've changed my 15hp for a 20hp, I always felt that the SD360 was slightly underpowered with a 15, so if you went to a 3.9 or a 4.2 I think you would feel the need for more hp.

[beamishken]

Doesn't anyone consider car topping a lightweight rib? Once you get to 4m the difference is night & day , a modern aluminium hull rib would easily car top on a decent custom roof rack on a pickup or 4x4 20 odd years ago we built 2 lightweight 3.8m Ribs with clip in consoles purely to take away with our caravans. Powered by a 30hp 2 cylinder 2stroke Yamaha & a lightweight trailer we had a proper boat which took no more set up than an inflatable & was easily slid onto the car by 2 folk and as long as on grass it was manageable for 1 person. We used lwb pajero hilux surf & even a swb pajero 1 year for trips from Durham to pentewan Cornwall and a few loch tay trips. The boat sat upright on bunks with the tubes vacuumed flat looked like a surfboard on the roof when packed down.
Picture of boat attached laterally fitted with a 3 cyl 40

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[Steve509926]

Good idea Ken, well worth considering. Do you have any pics of the roof rack?

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Good idea Ken, well worth considering. Do you have any pics of the roof rack?

Unfortunately don't have any pictures to hand, it was in the early the days of digital cameras, might have some stashed in a box somewhere or maybe stored on a floppy disk[emoji2357] I'll ask my wife tonight if theres any old holiday pictures about. It was basically two bunks screwed to a board all carpeted so the keel sat on the board & the chines on the bunks, the whole thing was u bolted to roof bars & boat was secured with straps front & rear as you would on a trailer. The swb pajero I made a vertical stay from the front A bar to bow eye as the boat over hanged the roof almost to the front of the car

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[daiquiri]

If what you are looking for is more precise handling in fast turns, you should also consider Zodiac Futuras, they have speed tubes on the sides and apparently, they turn like they are on rails. They are available both with airfloor and alu floor in multiple sizes. Pretty expensive if you buy a new one though, better to seek out a used one in good condition.

[Peter_C]

Originally Posted by daiquiri

If what you are looking for is more precise handling in fast turns, you should also consider Zodiac Futuras, they have speed tubes on the sides and apparently, they turn like they are on rails. They are available both with airfloor and alu floor in multiple sizes. Pretty expensive if you buy a new one though, better to seek out a used one in good condition.

I had an aluminum floor 4.2m Zodiac MKII Futura Sport GT with a 40HP 2 stroke, and it did handle like it was on rails. We prepared to crash on the lake and put it through it's paces and couldn't get it to falter. I have owned a Correct Craft Nautique that had some of the best flat water handling available for a comparison. Unlike a Mastercraft it never skid in the turns while pivoting off the front skegs.

I wouldn't consider it a portable boat, from weight to setup time. I kept it on a trailer. For beach launching it couldn't be beat, and is something I miss with my current RIB. In rougher water, which ours typically is, the RIB can't be beat.

You want handling? Get a Zapcat!

[SoCal Hurricane]

Peter makes a good point… the newer cats are fantastic! They tend to soak you though when water comes over the bow. They turn on a dime but so do the Zodiac Futura boats with speed tubes.

I am a huge Zodiac Futura fan as well and have had many over the years. I’m presently on the sales side for military Zodiacs but closing down my operation. That being said… and full disclaimer… I’ve got plenty of boats Futura/FC line, Hurricane line, both aluminum and air floors, etc…

I’ll keep one of the hurricanes and one of the FC-470’s for my next chapter in life (retirement with 3 young children), but everything else will be up for sale here in the weeks as I get it all cataloged. Feel free to reach out if you’d like a smoking deal on a boat.

[Fenlander]

Wazza my way of looking at it is that broadly speaking the "hull" profile as seen by the water is not massively different between the usual "Honwave type" V-floor models and a correctly inflated alloy floor with sausage keel. They both flatten right out towards the transom. The advantage of the V-floor models is as much in the lack of flappy material in contact with the water as the actual depth of the V.

As you mention, air floors be they flat or V-shape HP models can struggle as they get much over 3.6m due to flex.

There are two models that are largely excluded from this situation due to shape/design/quality which are the Futura as mentioned above and of course the Aerotec. As I understand it the Futura tends to corner quite flat a bit like a Cat but the Aerotec behaves in much more of a hard hull way banking in turns with a good grip on the water. It is also noticeable on the river at slow speeds and with less room to manoeuvre the Aerotec full V-hull does not suffer nearly so much in terms of being taken by the wind.

Having said all that we've owned and enjoyed all types of sibs and never struggled with turns, just taken it into consideration when they were a bit skiddy.

Were you thinking larger for space or in an attempt at better handling?

[Wazzajnr]

Hi all and thanks for all the replies.

I'm not desperate to change but I think ours will be starting to give up by the end of the season.
Last year I had to reglue the rowlocks so it's a safe bet that the glue is getting older.

All that said, if I am going to get a new boat, I do need more space.
I was just wondering if the v floors handled any better than the ally floor but I think the answer is basically no.

I agree a 4.2 is a big lump but it would only be one setup and breakdown per trip. And then everything would be trailered including launch and recovery.
I would fit transom wheels just for the odd time I beached then let the tide go out.
I did toy with making a rack on the pickup to roof top it but it's a long way up and sometimes we want bikes with us as well as boat.

I have seen pictures of the aetotecs before with their noticeably deep keel at the back. Why don't they all do that? What is the downside?

It's almost tempting to rip the transom out of mine and making a deeper one then adding some material in to fill the gaps.
If it worked, could consider gluing a whole new base in of the correct shape.
Are aerotecs available in circa 4 mtr length?

[Steve509926]

Hi Wazz, all hearsay so don't shoot the messenger!
They did produce a 4.2 Aerotec early 2000s but stopped making it mid 2000s
Apparantley it was a step too far and the floor/keel didn't work as well as the 3.8.

[Fenlander]

Yep the 4.2 Aerotec was a short lived model, I can say for sure they weren't in the 2008 catalogue. I think folks were put off in that it was just longer but no wider than the 3.8 so not that much more roomy yet weighing almost 25% more and needing a long shaft outboard. Couple of folks on here have owned them so could say better than me but I too understood 3.8m was where the sweet spot was for that floor design.

[Wazzajnr]

Thanks all.
I will have a good think about what I want to do this season.
Just hope the cheapo lasts another year!

[serpa4]

I'm looking for an Air V-Floor 230-330 to buy in the US.
BoatWorld UK with the Honwave and their Air V floor do not ship.
Air V-floor Stryker in Canada doesn't ship to the US.
3D tender doesn't ship or doesn't have vendors in the US.

Anyone know how/where to get a air-V floor in the US?
Thanks all.