How do you measure an inflatable??

km1125

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Aug 10, 2016
Messages
496
How do you measure the length on an inflatable?? I have (what I thought, and what's registered as) an 8'6" inflatable with a hard floor. I always thought it was measured either on overall length or from the transom to the bow. Yesterday I measured mine and it comes up as 7'6" from transom to bow, and over 9'4" overall, neither of which matches the 8'6".

What's the correct way?? We're looking at getting a bigger one, but now not sure what size we really want.
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
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12,345
You have a Hard Floor on a Sib or Rib inflatable ?

For measuring sibs lenght you need to : deflate the air keel, flip it up side-down, place a tall verical wooden, metal bar standing perpendicular at front bow tube, place a horizontal bar touching both cone ends, measure the distance between both bars in a straight line.

Click image for larger version  Name:	Locker Lenght.JPG Views:	1 Size:	172.6 KB ID:	10867601

For Ribs the entire hull must me measured that's front bow area to transom's end in straight line as in pic.

Check if any of your Sib's lenght measurements dials same, near of what stated ?

Happy Boating
 
Last edited:

km1125

Chief Petty Officer
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Aug 10, 2016
Messages
496
Mine is a SIB with a plywood inserts for floor and an inflatable keel.

Are you saying on a RIB it's just the glass hull from transom to bow?
 

Sea Rider

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
12,345
Mine is a SIB with a plywood inserts for floor and an inflatable keel. Are you saying on a RIB it's just the glass hull from transom to bow?

Will depend entirely on the fabricator, at least on mine being a 450 mtr Rib is what the hull lenght measures aside from the tube collar. On sibs, there's a 3 +,- % allowed tolerance regarding lenght mesurements. By how far will the lenght of your sib be different from the stated form of being measured ?

Happy Boating
 

Tassie 1

Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Apr 13, 2018
Messages
581
" how do you measure an inflatable "

with some sort of flexible tape measure l'd imagine...
when fully inflated of course,

I know, l'm going....
 
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