Perfect Day

[manonthemoon]

After 10 weeks of SIB ownership finally got the chance to spend a whole day on the water. With good weather and a calm sea I was able to do some of the things I bought the boat for. A 2.5 mile jaunt along the coast, some reasonably successful fishing and some practice anchoring the boat was all good. The merc engine is nearly run in and all 6 horses were doing a great job of pushing the boat along at a fair rate of knots (how many I've no idea).

One thing I did notice was at the end of the day was the air floor did seem to be a tad less rigid. Now this could be a consequence of my bravery at the end of the day pushing the boat a bit faster or a drop in pressure due to prolonged use in cold water. Would it be sensible to add slightly more pressure before launching to take account of this?

MOTM

[kelson]

Both your boat tubes and the floor will have a change in pressure as the cool water lowers the temp or bright sun/air temps raise it. You will optimize your performance if you maintain the proper pressure, particularly with air floors. You should not add extra pressure above the specified limit to compensate. You need to add some air after the pressure drops. Don't forget to let off some pressure when the boat comes off the water if the ambient air temp is much higher.

Big swings between air temps and water temps here in California. I've seen droopy inflatables on the water and popped tubes on trailered boats. I'm not checking the pressure all of the time, but the boat gets adjusted when there are significant changes in the environment around it.

Have fun with the new SIB!

[manonthemoon]

Thanks Kelson. Yes it makes sense to add air once the pressure has dropped to avoid going over the recommended pressures. Inconvenient though it'll be.

Cheers
MOTM