What is an Inflatable Boat?

An inflatable boat is basically a V-shaped boat that comprises of several large tubes filled with air pressure that ensures it keeps afloat. It is usually made from a thick and flexible material such as PVC or Hypalon. The flooring may consists of several removable hard plywood or aluminum plates fixed between the tubes but not joined rigidly together. The transom or back of boat is made from thick marine plywood and provides a location point for mounting an outboard engine. Most inflatable boats are designed so that it can be deflated and packed into a small package and easily stored or transported whenever needed. Other terms for inflatable boats are "rubber dinghy", "tender", "raft", "blow up boat" or simply "inflatables".

A rigid inflatable boat, referred to as RIB, is a light-weight but high performance and high capacity boat constructed with a solid, shaped hull and flexible tubes. The design is very stable and seaworthy. The inflatable collar allows the vessel to maintain buoyancy even if a large quantity of water enters on board due to bad sea conditions. The hull is usually made from molded compound fiberglass.

Those who love being outdoors and near a body of water whether it is a lake, river or ocean should consider an inflatable boat or a rigid inflatable boat. It is a lot more attractive than the traditional bangka and no where near as expensive as a conventional speedboat or yacht.

Other form of inflatable boats comes in rescue or flood boats, river rafts, banana boats, and inflatable kayaks.