| Inflatable boats, also called rubber
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| | boats have been added to the mix. Some
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| boats or dinghies, have been around in
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| | inflatable boats run 45 feet in length or
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| one form or another for thousands of
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| | more and may include inboard steering,
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| years. They now come in many different
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| | luxury features, and even full cabins.
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| sizes and models and include inflatable
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| | Inflatable boats have evolved so much
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| kayaks, sport boats, and inflatable
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| | that today, the only thing inflatable on
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| catamarans. Their versatility and
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| | some boats is the collar around the
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| relatively low cost have contributed to
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| | perimeter gunwales of the deck.Hull
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| their popularity, and more and more water
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| | Designs & Types of Inflatable
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| enthusiasts are discovering the
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| | BoatsInflatable boats come in rigid hull
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| advantages of owing an inflatable
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| | design and soft-bottom style. Soft-bottom
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| boat.Evolution of the Inflatable
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| | boats have floors made of fabric and
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| BoatHistorical records indicate that the
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| | slats (usually wood) running across the
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| first inflatable boats were animal skins
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| | beam. This design is generally found in
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| filled with air. Over the years, many
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| | smaller inflatables ranging from about 6
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| cultures have created various versions of
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| | to 8 feet in length only.Rigid hulls, or
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| inflatable watercraft, and in 1839, the
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| | RIBs, were introduced in 1967 by Tony
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| Duke of Wellington tested the first
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| | Lee-Elliott and advanced by Admiral Hoare
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| inflatable pontoons. In the decades that
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| | and the Atlantic College in Wales. As
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| followed, many new designs were
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| | opposed to soft-bottom boats, which have
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| introduced and some of them were utilized
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| | a fabric hull with inflatable or wood
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| by European military forces.The
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| | keels, RIBs have hard fiberglass or
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| inflatable boats were used to transport
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| | aluminum hulls and large, inflatable
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| torpedoes and other cargo. They also
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| | tubes. This allows for a combination of
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| allowed troops to make discreet landings
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| | the best features from both types of
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| in shallow water, and their compact size
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| | boats.Some RIBs incorporate the V-shaped
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| and storability made them easy to bring
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| | bow similar to that of a traditional
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| with, even on overland marches where it
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| | boat. This design consists of a separate
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| would not have been possible to bring a
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| | inflation tube running the length of the
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| traditional boat.One of the models, the
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| | boat beneath the floorboards. Once
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| Zodiac, grew to be very popular with the
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| | inflated, it pushes the floor materials
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| military and contributed significantly to
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| | down to form the V-shape that helps in
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| the rise of the civilian inflatable boat
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| | steering. The flotation collars on many
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| industry, both in Europe and in the
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| | RIBs are removable, making them easier to
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| United States. After World War II,
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| | store and to clean.RIBs typically range
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| surplus inflatable boats were sold to the
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| | from 10 to 30 feet in length and are
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| public and the general population had a
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| | propelled by either by an outboard motor
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| chance to experience how easy and
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| | or an inboard motor turning a water jet
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| enjoyable these boats can be.Since then,
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| | or z-drive. They were first used as
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| inflatable kayaks, sailing inflatables,
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| | lifeboats in 1970, and later as dinghies
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| inflatable canoes, sport boats, and belly
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| | or tenders on larger pleasure yachts.
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