With water-based recreational activities gaining popularity among the masses, inflatable boats are becoming the most popular small crafts for recreational and life-saving reasons. An inflatable boat is a small open boat powered by oars, motors, or sails.
It’s a versatile craft that is easy to deploy and light to move, with many different types to fit the need. Most importantly, people still pick different inflatable boats for different purposes. So, let’s take a look at a few factors that are essential to know before you buy an inflatable tender boat:
- Boats Without keels: The keel is considered the backbone of a boat as this structure holds the right boat upside-down and ensures it moves longitudinally. Besides, boats without keels are compact, easily portable, and easy to inflate and store.
- The right type of hull: Inflatable boats are available in a wide range of hull shapes, varying in shape from flat hulls, V hulls, to Deep-V Hulls. Each hull serves a different purpose, function, and utility.
- A Flat Hull boat doesn’t have a keel; without a keel, it lacks stability. They are suitable for short distances or short fishing trips at lower speeds.
- V Hulled inflatable boats have an inflatable keel. These hulls are suitable for fishermen, divers, and wildlife enthusiasts with good stability.
- The Deep-V Hull boat is mostly found on RIBs and offers enhanced wave stability, control, and speed.
- Fabric type: Fabric makes the boat sturdy and durable. Below are a few reliable types of fabric used in making inflatable boats:
- PVC: Boats made from PVC are affordable, lightweight, and portable. PVC boats are available in many colors, and repairing them is extremely easy.
- Hypalon: Hypalon is resistant to abrasion or wear and tear. Boats crafted using Hypalon are resistant to extreme temperatures and UV rays.
- Floor Type: Different floor types offer different levels of compactness, mobility, and storage ease.
- Roll-up floor: This is the most basic floor type and is commonly seen in inflatable boats without keels. Besides, boats with these types of flooring offer portability and ease of setup.
- Hard Floor: This flooring is the most popular choice due to its sturdiness. It creates a better hull shape resulting in increased speed.
- Air Floor: In this case, the entire flooring is filled with air making it lightweight.
- Self-bailing Floors: Boats with this type of flooring feature sealed tubes. These boats are extremely helpful in activities like white-water rafting to prevent water from entering the boat.
Endnote
A quick reference to the abovementioned guidelines can help you pick the right inflatable tender boat to suit your requirements and budget. With China Inflatable tender boat manufacturers offering a great variety of inflatable tender boats, available in different types of flooring, fabric, etc., you can invest in the best inflatable tender boat and sail smoothly!