Store 14ft RIB in VAN?

[DeltaDawg]

Hello:

I am considering buying a van to transport, launch, and store a 13 or 14 foot inflatable with a motor between 10 and 35 hp. I anticipate I would have to partially deflate the boat to get it in the van. Is this feasible?

I would probably set up a quality battery powered inflator if necessary. I could build a sliding panel on the floor I could pull out a few feet at launch time. I would try to rig a bracket to hold the engine upright while it is still on the boat.

I haven't researched van cargo dimensions or boat dimensions yet, but from the pictures it looks like a RIB of the size I want wouldn't fit in the cargo area without at least partially deflating and "bending" or folding it.

-Dave
Walnut Creek, California, USA

[sailit]

why don't you just buy an enclosed trailer. its all the van with out the van.

[DeltaDawg]

Originally Posted by sailit

why don't you just buy an enclosed trailer. its all the van with out the van.

There's a thought, but a trailer is more conspicuous. I can park a van anywhere as a second car and not need any special permission.

[DeltaDawg]

I researched the dimensions:
Typical RIB dimensions are 14 feet, 6 inches long
and 6 feet, 7 inches wide.

A full sized Ford cargo van has a floor size of 10 feet long
and 6 feet wide (not including wheel wells).

So the RIB would have to reduced in size or "bent" to reduce its length by 5 feet and width by 1 foot.

Can it be partially deflated to accomplish this? Any thoughts?

[headdamage]

I use a 8ft wide cargo trailer sometimes, I think that you might need to look at some sort of Uhaul van if you want to do this with a motorized van.

[DeltaDawg]

I watched some videos on youtube.com, and it appears that a RIB could easily fit in a van after being partially deflated. In fact, it looks like a small van or SUV would do, providing that the engine will fit in the hatch.

Allowing that the engine can be tilted approximately 45 degrees, I think an opening of 2 1/2 to 3 feet high would do.

If you would like to see the videos, go to youtube.com and search for "stryker inflatable" and look for the dude standing in a small store room narrating the video.

He also uses a nifty self-contained inflator about the size of a small vacuum that would be nice to have.

Cheers.

[Peter_C]

Instead of a van, why not just pay for storage and launch? Probably be far cheaper and easier. Where are you in the Sacramento Delta area? I kept a wakeboard boat at B&W Resort on the North Mekulumne for years. Tractor launch was included as part of the fees.

Which also begs the question of what do you want the boat for? If fishing you might want a more specialty designed boat, with a small electric motor to get you back into places.

[DeltaDawg]

I live between the Delta and San Francisco Bay. I want to boat in both places, but the Delta is where I really like to go. I just want to get out on the water and maybe tow some float tubes and hang out on the water.