Inflatable boats and modifications

[retrosub]

I'd like to hear experiences people have had with their inflatable boats and what modifications they have made to make them more diveworthy.

I have a 14' Baltik I bought brand new on eBay for $800. It appears to be a decent boat, and it has a 5-year warranty in any case. The boat is rated for 40hp, but I'm using a 15hp Evinrude that a friend gave me. It'll plane (barely) with 3 people on board. I'd prefer more power, but that's what I have for now. If you have a 14' inflatable, I'd be interested to know what your experience is with different engines.

If I stick with the same engine for a while, what about planing flaps, do those things work well? I want to get some beach wheels, and it seems like you can run one or the other because of space on the transom. Or what about those fins that attach to the motor (dolefin?), do those work well?

I don't like the wood floor it came with, the panels are heavy, slippery, and they just seem like the first thing you'd need to change out. Anyone make their own floor? I was thinking a composite sandwich would be really light, you could even make the front section curve up and be rigid. Maybe a 1/2" layer of divinycell, 1/4" plywood on top, and then fiberglass it?

One problem I'm having is water collecting between the wood floor and the inflatable keel. Even when you get the boat on plane, all the water does not empty from the keel area to the stern so you can't get it all out until you remove the floorboards. I was thinking of cutting a hole in the floor that I could put a hand pump into. Any reason why I shouldn't do that? Or is there something else that would work better?

What about speargun racks, anyone make one? I was thinking that a rack that attaches to the transom might work well. Or racks on top of a bimini...

[Man-O-War]

Hey man, this sounds like a sweet setup on a budget! Don't worry about what others say, for close to no money you are able to go out and dive offshore!!!

I would not worry about water collecting down there, its not worth trying to fix it, boat will never really run totally dry. The water exit hole will fill it up every time you stop.

For the guns, you have to find some solution, so they don't end up puncturing the chambers. Transom upright mount sounds sweet. Plexiglass slots to slide handles in, and that will keep them out of the way. Some bungee to prevent falling out and flapping.

For the wheels, only ones I saw are for use when boat is turned upside down. No-go with mounted 15hp on there. If you are crafty you might be able to find two wheels on some kind of foldable bracket (with option to lock in place when extended) so that you can tilt them back up after getting to the water? They would remain on the boat. PM me and I'll explain further what I mean.

Floorboards, maybe coat them with Rhino Liner? Or similar? It will add some weight, but will be non-skid and rugged. Wooden boards suck ass.

To get it on a plane, move gear/passengers forward. Or get 25hp.

[surfsk8boy]

I have an aquasport 14' rib and I love the fact that I can get up all close inside kelp. Mine has a 40hp suzuki 4 stroke which gives it tons of speed, like 35mph. I have taken it offshore from newport harbor and paddie hopped for yellows. And I recently started launching it in huntington harbor and running it over to pv. Its easy to take care of, its light, its fast and its easy to dive off of.

[jfjf]

You can try to change the floor board, but you need to understand that any modifications must be exact. If you change things and the external hull is no longer streched tightly, it will flap around and this results in an unbeleivable amount of cavitation at the motor (in my experience).

The other tip I can offer is: Take a tennis ball, draw a big X on it with a sharpie and then burn a small hole in it with a hot nail at the X. This is the BEST speargun tip protector available. You need to mark the hole with the X, or the fuzz will obscure the hole and make it a pain to find the hole. Make a few and toss them in the boat, they are much easier to find than small pieces of rubber etc. I even made them for the 3-prong pole spear.

You will almost surely want to have some type of dry box, rubbermaid box with lid held down with bungies (or a dry sac).

[irikawa]

For the wood floars there is an easy and inexpensive way to make it walkable.

Get some clear varnish, epoxy etc..and sugar, yeah sugar..

Sand, clean and coat, sprinkle sugar over floorboard, dry and then soak with warm water.. The white powder goes away and the surface remains softly rugged for you to walk, no more slippery stuff..

Maintain every so often, bi yearly or so..

[OceanEd]

I have been using a 12 foot Caribe RIB (rigid bottom inflatable) for many years. I started with a 15 hp engine and eventually went up to a 25 which has worked beautifully. It gives plenty of power to get 4 freedivers up on plane, even with the boat loaded with fish and gear.

Some things I would recommend that may make a difference:
1. Yes, the "planing fins" do work well. They help the boat get up on plane faster and easier, especially with a load. I always have them on my outboards.

2. Check the depth of the propeller in the water against what the manufacturer recommends. Even 1" of extra depth will negatively effect the performance of the boat and engine.

3. Check and see the pitch of your propeller . The standard pitch prop that comes with many of the smaller outboards is not necessarily the best choice for a boat that is used by divers. If you plitch it one way you will be slower to get up on plane but will have higher top speed. Pitch it another way and you will have a better low end for getting up on plane, but will not have quite the top end speed.

4. Mount a bilge pump, permanently on the inside of the boat transom, next to the outboard. I use a Whale Gusher. When you are constantly getting back into the boat during a day of diving you are bringing a tremendous amount of water with you. I find the easiest solution is to have the bilge pump and I have a long section of hose that ends in the lowest part of the boat. Then it is easy to just give 10 or 15 pumps and the boat is dry before taking off for the next dive spot. Water is weight, I don't need unnecessary weight in the boat. You could probably drill a hole in your floorboards and put the hose under then where the water collects.

5. Carry a small sea anchor with you. In many situations while you are free diving you can let the boat drift along with you while you dive in front of it. This is made easier with a sea anchor.

6. Carry about 150 feet of small diameter ( I use 3/8") line to use for anchoring. I do not use an anchor at the end of it. I put 8 feet of stainless cable (not chain) at the end of the line to prevent chafe (less weight and does not rust) and on the very end I have a stainless, 3 prong grappel hook. It is light, strong, and will hook on the bottom easily. When we are drift diving I am either letting the boat drift with us or I am towing the boat on about 20 feet of line. I have the anchor line free in the bow of the boat and the grappel is just hooked on the side of the boat. When I see something that makes me want to stop and stay a while in one spot I simply drop the grappel. Easy and fast.

7. Inflatables are NOT bullet proof. Keep protective tips on your spears while they are in the boat. Be very careful with lobster because they will put holes in the inflatable faster than anything else. I carry a big bucket with a lid on it. Most of the lid is cut out but about a 3 inch lip remains. When we get lobster we bring them up and put them in the bucket which is about half filled with water. They can not get out and the water does not slosh out because of the lip. My bucket is about 20 lbs. so it holds a lot of lobster and reasonably large fish. This practice saves countless holes in the boat and keeps the boat neater and a lot cleaner at the end of the day and over time.

I have a new 12 foot AB RIB and a new 20 hp, 4 stroke Yamaha outboard that I will be testing when I get back to the Bahamas in about 2 weeks. It will be interesting to see if 20 hp is enough power for 4 divers. I wanted the 4 stroke for the gas economy. I can go a lot farther on my 6 gal. gas tank using a 4 stroke than I can with a 2 stroke. We shall see.

I hope this will give you a few ideas.

[retrosub]

Thank you all for your very thoughtful replies. I'll be getting the tennis balls, bucket, and other assorted stuff pronto. A friend of mine got me a sea anchor at a garage sale, so I have one, though I haven't tried it.

I have some very fine sand, and I was thinking of using that and epoxy for the floorboards. Would sand be too rough? Is sugar better than sand in this application?

OceanEd, I'm very interested in your bilge pump method, I'll try that. Because of the floorboards, I can't see where the water is collecting, but I think it's in the middle of the boat, where the inflatable keel is at its lowest point. It should be easy to run a hose from this spot.

[irikawa]

Hey retro..

I think it would be a great idea starting a section of the forum on inflatables, ribs and the rigging, I do infatable diving and just like you, want to learn as much as I can..
I am taking some pictures of the stuff I have done, well, mostly undone, as I took out console and a bunch more.. I'll post'em later..
Regarding the sugar.. well sand works just fine, but you will see the sand on the board, wors just fine, and maybe a bit rougher than sugar..

[bluesquids]

How about a box of Kosher salt. Bigger grain than sugar and won't make your driveway sticky and full of ants.
Better yet.... have a bunch of spearos over....lick floorboard/slam tequila/bite lime.... repeat.

Good Idea about having an inflatable section.

[OceanEd]

Retro:

If you are not sure where the lowest point is below the floorboards, just locate the end of the hose at the aft end of the boat, by the transom. Once you start to get the boat up on plane and when you are running the water will be at the aft end of the boat and it is easy to pump out. Of course, with this method you have to start moving the boat before you start to pump if you want to get all the water out.

[NorCal Hunter]

One thing we did for guns on our SU-18 before we put a center console in it was we cut a piece of blue sewer pipe and mounted it to the front d rings in the bow of the boat. One word of caution tho if u want zero scratches on ur guns this may not b the way to go. For me I dont really care n I oil them every year or so and they dont get real beat up but they can get scratched. We could put about 6 guns (mix of band and pneus) in the pipe. Ill try to post a pic, i recently converted the pipe to an anchor box.

[Sherpa]

I'm still (shrug) working on my trailer for my new Duxboat..... I bought another
catamaran-hull boat complete with motor, fuel tank, etc. then Dux had a sale
end of last year, so I bought a brand new boat. still waiting to take it out.
as of writing, the Dux will be running a 55hp Merc 2 stroke, Bob's marine
modified bullet nose cone with lo-water pickup, and a fully-labbed, sharpened
stainless, cupped, 3 blade surface-drive cleaver race prop. we're looking at
70mph on paper with 25% slip........ I'm also making a jack plate for it.
my dive buddies have named the set-up
"The Scuba diver Quizinart" ..........

The original boat I bought with the motor will be for sale. IT's a 1999 Mako
Cat hull. almost exact to the Dux. You can google ZapCat racing, Duxboat,
Thundercat racing to see these hulls.......... hang on..

--Sherpa

[Cruzan Hunter]

Does anyone have pics of inflatables that have been modify for diving and spearfishing????? :confused:

[Man-O-War]

Here is mine, 22ft "Bully" RIB with inboard 130hp Turbo Diesel Volvo Penta. Just started to rig it up for diving, Oto and I took some measurements today and I am tomorrow getting the ladder installed, speargun rack is on its way, scuba tank roll control as well....and 150qt cooler(s)....and I am gonna use the engine cover to make a rim around it and keep buckets on there (for weights, masks, etc), another cooler, and similar misc stuff

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/zizabgd/RIB/IMGP1771.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/zizabgd/RIB/IMGP1772.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/zizabgd/RIB/IMGP1773.jpg
http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f71/zizabgd/RIB/IMGP1774.jpg

[miles]

I owned a 4.7m Gemini Semi Rigid with a single 40hp mariner which later was upgraded to 2x40hp mariners.

Now, i have a 21' Semi Rigid with 2x50hp 4 strokes.

Your BIGGEST dis-advantage of a inflatable is STORAGE space!! You NEVER have enough space, no matter large your boat is!!

Some idea's:
When putting guns on the deck, ALWAYS let the points of the spears face backwards, towards the transom.
I've used U shaped brackets on my trolling/ski bar to hold my guns. ALWAYS make sure you have a seperate clip which clips your guns to a solid peice of the boat, in case your brackets break!! Lost quite a few guns that way.
Use those crayfish/lobster mesh type bags as storage space to keep your mask and snorkel, gloves, etc, etc. (see pic's)
Another simple option is to buy a length of PVC tube, like the ones plumbers use, and close of the one end, with a special cap you also buy. You then simply slide your guns into it, with the handle protruding at the rear end. Use velcro straps to strap it down to the floor.
Nice thing about a ski/trolling bar, you can attach cradles to carry a safety container, which free's up LOADS of space. Both my inflatables had TWO canisters like these (yellow with red lid, in pic's). One holds your safety kit, like flairs, etc and the other your persoanl items, like car keys, phone, camera, etc. As these containers are water-proof, all your stuf stays dry and neat, as well as being easily accessable.

Regards
miles

[retrosub]

Man, those are two nice RIBs!

I could easily attach a U-shaped bar to my transom and support a speargun rack there, that's a neat idea. I wonder if that'll be too much weight aft... I have a tiller steer and already having a hard time getting enough weight in the bow. Hm.... food for thought.

[FGCdiver]

How far out do you guys take these inflatables out. We have to be out 3 miles to hit 15 feet of water and really any structure with shootable vis. I have always wondered if a 12-14ft inflatable would get me out 5 miles on a nice day.

[surfsk8boy]

I've taken the drive back from avalon in a 14' rib which is roughly a 24 mile trip. It was pretty flat and we made it to the harbor in just under a hour.

[CTFreeDiver]

It's a neat raft yet, add a couple hundred pounds of fish and it's not so neat anymore. The farthest I took it was 80 miles round trip one day, the last 30 miles in a small craft advisory. The raft faired better than I.

15 footer,

CT

[Man-O-War]

Here is the link to some transom mount wheels for inflatables, that can be tilted up when not in use:

http://www.fishreports.net/boat/inflatable-boats.html


Look for:

Avon

Products Dinghy Dolly Wheels

Product Available: yes
Sku Number: 369260013
Manufacturer ID: 300
UPC Number:
$ 64.99



Products Dinghy Dolly Wheels When attached to your boat's fiberglass, wood, or metal transom, Dinghy Dolly Wheels deliver increased mobility, enabling you to easily roll your boat over hard ground. The large 3-1/2 wide, 5 diameter wheels will support boats up to 250 lbs. The unique two position design allows you to flip the wheels down for moving your boat around, and flip the wheels up out of the way when the boat is in the water. Made of a super-strong graphite-filled copolymer so they won't corrode or deteriorate. Sold in pairs.

[DEF]

We bought a Zodiac Mk II with a 25 hp Yamaha 2 stroke in August. We have a fifth wheel camper so this was the best option for camping and boating. Plan on doing some camping/boating/fishing/diving trips to Lake Erie this Summer and hope to make it to Ft. DeSoto in the fall. The wife and I are starting open water classes next month and hope to do our open water training dives in April wile on vacation. The boat is very stable and tops out at about 26 mph (gps) with two onboard.

[ROBERTO REYES]

CT, last time we talk about your RIB, we were driving from NY to NC.
Inflatables are really nice boats, 5 miles is nothing for them, they can hold
a lot of weight capacity but the interior room is very limited.
Here a few pics.

[Mariner]

It's a neat raft yet, add a couple hundred pounds of fish and it's not so neat anymore. The farthest I took it was 80 miles round trip one day, the last 30 miles in a small craft advisory. The raft faired better than I.

15 footer,

CT

SWEEET!!! Nice aired out pic!!!! What kinda speeds do ya get with it??

[fishfan]

Any modifications/suggestions are more than welcomed!!!
1999 5.6 meter yamaha 115 v4

[Man-O-War]

Nice RIB there fishfan! Big outboard, small trolling motor, 18ft center console! In "rescue orange" too LOL I think you don't need to modify it much, looks like excellent diving boat :beer: :beer:

[lost@sea]

Hey, I've got a 14.5 caribe with a Honda 50, both '98. Its in the Puertocitos Pictures thread in the California forum. Pros: fast, durable, comfortable. It's basicaly a little powerhouse. Ive had it in the surf line in 12 ft seas, practicing for rescues and such, taking white water on the bow and it took it all with a smile. It's been to the islands offshore a few times and it does just fine. I've never had any unschedualed maintenance and I love it. Cons: space, to heavy to beach launch with 2 people, slim down what you bring and you get wet when it's snotty. If I had to switch... maybe an 18 foot aluminum for baja trips and trailoring durability. But t serves it's purpose like non other. Cheers