Inflatable raft floor

hello! Could anyone help me on how to build an inflatable floor for rafting rafts?
Self bailing floor
I would appreciate any kind of help, photos, videos!

 

Welcome to the Forum Martin.

Could you explain please in some more detail what you are trying to do?
I presume that these are the type of rafts which you would float down a river on - do they have to be able to withstand rapids as well?

 

Could you use or modify an inflatable bed / air bed. Not one with inbuilt electric inflation pump. I have seen them with seam welded holes in a pattern, which would allow drainage. Would a King size mattress be big enough; or connect several. An out of date marine emergency raft with its inflatable bottom still intact ?

 

It is to make a new rafting raft. I can't find information on how to build the inflatable floor

 

To make a floor, self-bailing, it simply needs to be higher than the waterline outside the boat.
You could do that with an inflatable floor.
Usually, they drain aft, through the transom.

 

If you are wanting to have a "flat floor" when finished, it is unlikely more than likely out of your DIY capability. Air deck inflatable manufacturers build them in a specialized piece of equipment than allows material fibre to be connected to the upper and lower floor layer so when inflated these strands/ fibres hold the deck flat.

Obviously, when you inflate a balloon, or other single walled pontoon/hypalon structure, the internal pressure wants to form a round profile, cylindrical if long.

A quick search on Google should show you the manufacturing process for "air deck" inflatables. Certainly, you could joint smaller round cylinders together making a semi flat floor BUT there would be little stability/strenght lengthwise to the floor.

I have owned a couple of Air Deck inflatables 10 - 12 feet, Quicksilver and when inflated to the manufacturers specifiation offer extremely good rigidity as you walk on it.

I was trying to find a cross section of the Air Deck Floor and ran across this link.
Evidently Aquamarine would sell an air deck style floor
Replacement Floors,Deck Aquamarine Inflatable Boats https://www.aquamarineboat.com/index.php?mode=kat&id=36

I would imagine that the current whitewater raft manufactures would be able to sell a replacement floor and in keeping with a profile/footprint dedicated for this purpose

Added a link to show how the air deck floors are made, not within the ability of a DIY
project
Benefits of high pressure air deck floors. https://www.boatstogo.com/inflatable-air-floor-vs-hard-floor-for-infaltable-boats.asp#:~:text=Inflatable%20air%20floors%20consist%20of,a%20series%20of%20small%20stitches.

 

Is this for a boat that has to be collapsible so that it can be hiked in to bodies of water? Do you already have an inflatable boat that you want to convert to self bailng? If you are trying to convert what you already have, that might be very difficult because holes would have to be placed in the existing floor to allow for drainage. Making Holes for drainage in the Floor of an inflatable boat might weaken the structure, or cause other problems..

Once it's known if drain holes can safely be made, it's a lot easier to do that floor if the floor doesn't have to be inflatable. Would a foldable floor be acceptable?

Here's a link to a company that has materials and tools for building small inflatable pack boats, maybe their plans for an inflatable seat can be modified to meet your needs?

Shop - DIY Packraft https://www.diypackraft.com/shop/

 

That should clear that up.