Avon Redcrest Floorboards

[B. Tilland]

I have an old Avon Redcrest that my dad carried on his sailboat. He was mainly a live aboard and I don't remember him ever using it. It's been in its carry bag for years. It holds air and appears to be in excellent shape.

The only part of it that's beat up are the plywood floorboards. I'm going to sand them down and put some marine varnish or polyurethane on them -- I may have to replace the middle one but the two end ones are certainly salvageable.

One of the three pieces still has a "rib" down the middle -- a beveled piece of wood about 2" high and 1 1/2" long. The other two plywood pieces have holes for a similar rib and an outline on the surface which indicates that ribs were once attached to them as well.

I'm assuming that the rib side is down, because having a rib on top wouldn't serve any purpose. There is certainly nothing structural involved. Also. the bold heads on the top of the rib are recessed while the bolt ends and nuts are not -- and you certainly wouldn't want the bolt end and nut sticking into the rubber bottom of the boat.

What is the purpose of these ribs? Do they have any function as a kind of rudimentary keel? Or are they just there provide a little space under the floorboard for water so that the top of the deck keeps a little drier?

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

Post some pics...of issues you are asking. A photo is better than 1k words...

Happy Boating

 

[B. Tilland]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

Thanks, good suggestion. I haven't tried posting photos on a forum so it might take me a day or two. But I'll figure it out.

 

[B. Tilland]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

My son helped me out here -- so I think there should be a couple of pictures attached. Let me know if you can see them and, if so, what you think. I suspect the rib is just to keep the floorboards up out of the water a little. Looks like "factory equipment," but I can't tell, because I can't find any information about wooden floorboards for Avon inflatables of this vintage.

Thanks,

Bill T.

 

[Sea Rider]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

Those wooden floorboards do look strange, all are supposed to be completely flat. Do you know if your father got it new or was a second hand sib ? if so, probably floors are not original any longer, adapted kind.

Avon being a UK brand, better go to www.ribnet.net and ask, definitely will have a better answer to your tech issues.

Happy Boating

 

[Chris in Indiana]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

Wow, that's an old boat. No worries though if it's been stored out of the sun. Hypalon lasts forever.
I've seen pics of just a couple of boats like that but never in person and I don't know much about them. Prior to inflatable keels some boats had multi piece wood keels and it looks like you are missing the key piece. There is a long section that goes in the front of the boat and attaches to the forward floorboards (Screws, I'm assuming.) It's sort of tear drop shaped but it's been a couple of years since I've even seen the picture. On the upside I probably saw the photos here some place on iboats.

 

[B. Tilland]

Re: Avon Redcrest Floorboards

Thanks for the posts. I will follow up up with the website that was suggested. My father died over twenty years ago; he probably had his boat for fifteen years prior to his death; and since I never saw him use the inflatable, it may have come with the boat (which was by no means new when he bought it). So yes, the inflatable could easily be forty years old, or more. And it's possible that the floorboards were not original equipment but instead an afterthought, although they certainly look old enough to be original equipment.

I can see vague outlines of the rib on the other two floorboard pieces (the one in the pictures is for the stern). It's interesting to think that the original configuration might have involved more than the rib, although the only holes in the floorboard are dead center (for the bolts for the rib), plus four bigger holes on the center piece (two on either side of the rib), presumably for drainage.

That's what makes me thing the the whole purpose might be just keeping things stored on the floorboard a little drier if there was a bit of splash water slopping around in the bottom of the boat.