Avon Rover R2-50 project advice wanted

[WhatsDaHapz808]

Hello and Aloha everyone, 1st off gotta say this forum is awesome! enjoy viewing your rides, getting info and tips are very helpful too. so now I just bought a second-hand Avon Rover R2-50, 8 foot for $200, A+ condition. It has a soft bottom so I would like to install a wood flooring. I live on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii. boat will be used for surf/ photo exploring, fishing poles are always on automatic, hehe. searching on the Avon and various websites, its impossible to find upgrade parts for this guppy.

May I ask you all for some helpful tips and info. keeping this little project at a $1000 bugdet.

1. flooring design, number of cuts, type of wood? I can cut and finish
2. bench and bimini top? handmade?
3. trim tabs and hydro foil? $150+
4. Honda 9 horse, rent-to-own from neighbor $550

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: Avon Rover R2-50 project advice wanted

Well, Avon isn't making this model anymore. The smallest inflatable offered is the R 260. So it isn't surprising that there aren't accesories or replacement parts available. It is a nicely made hypalon boat. They were sold with either the air floor or a slatted wood floor. This was primarily to facilitate rolling them up and storing them. If you wanted to build a solid wood floor it would be easier to go with a one piece floor. Wooden floors with sections have side rails that capture and hold the sections in place. A single piece wood floor wouldn't need those for rigidity, but getting a flat wood floor to fit snuggly in the inflated hull might be an issue. The side rails are thicker than the floor and are held tightly in place when the boat inflates. A plywood floor might not fit tight enough at the sides by itself. You would have to give it a try and see if you need to add some wood along the sides to get the floor to hold in position when the hull is inflated. All corners have to be rounded and all edges too. Think smooth. But the floor has to barely wedge into the deflated hull. It is a friction fit that you want. Additionally, hard floors usually key into a bracket or fit below a block on the transom to keep them from riding up. I'm not sure what air floors have. Instead of this modification you might consider a simple cover for your air deck. A piece of carpet or other durable material can protect your airfloor from the hooks and stuff it might get punctured by. Air floors work fairly well when fully inflated. Make sure your pump is capable of reaching the right psi. You may have issues with the 9 hp Honda. I assume that it is a four stroke motor. It probably weighs more than the boat is rated for (43 lbs I believe). The r 250 is also only rated for a 5 hp motor. You can get away with a bit of overpower, but the weight of the outboard is very important. Only capable of doing something like 12mph you better be careful approaching any real waves! Hydrofoils do work and I run tabs due to kelp here in CA. One or the other would help. But getting the weight forward in the boat as you speed up to a plane will be the most effective in such a small vessel. A tiller extension or shifting a buddy upfront is great. Bench seats and bimini's are good additions. Here in CA I occasionally see benches on Craigslist for small inflatables. They can either fit into glued on pockets or tie to glued on strips with eyes installed. I have seen basic benches tied to the carry handles too. I make my own benches out of marine ply and prime and paint them with marine polyurethane paint. Not cheap. But marine polyurethane dries to a hard, durable and watertight finish. Some on this forum have used rafting frames to add accesories and seats onto inflatables. Check out NRS online for frame parts. Personally, and please don't take offense, this is one small f'n boat. I would hesitate to put a lot into it. Maybe you should just have fun with it as is. Remember this boat is rated for and is intended to be used in calm bays and very near shore waters. If you are adventuresome be sure to take a life vest. I guess if all else fails you will carry in the current to Kauai! I'll be on Maui next week so you don't have to worry about me snaking waves from you. Aloha!

 

[nobrainsd]

Re: Avon Rover R2-50 project advice wanted

Considering your post I wondered if the "soft floor" was just the fabric bottom without the air or slatted floor. Sure hope you have a proper floor of some kind. If you want to add seating, have an attachment point for a bimini pivot and even carry a few rod holders on your small craft you should check out the following post from Drowned Rat. He has a bigger inflatable, but the raft frame system he uses is very versatile and gives you a great platform to work off since you can't mount anything directly to an airfloor.
http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=232263&highlight=seats
Have fun and catch da buggas.