What Is A Drop Stitch Floor

Drop stitch a high tech material that lets us build new innovative inflatables that are stretching boating world boundaries.

What is a drop stitch floor.

About drop stitch floor technology. The term drop stitch is a method of construction which allows for much higher inflation and pressures than a standard pvc floor. Drop stitch fabric drop stitch fabric construction is what allows an inflatable sup to maintain its shape when it is inflated to high pressure. The rigidform drop stitch floor.

A bubble formed and the floor failed. Aquaglide blackfoot 125 angler hb for 1 2 paddlers this is further illustrated in the image above showing an aquaglide blackfoot 125 hb inflatable fishing kayak which is 6 psi for the floor and 3 psi on the side walls. It s created by thousands of little threads that go from the top of the material to the bottom of the material and it s also what allows you to put an external keel on the outside of the kayak. The image above shows a low pressure 1 psi pvc floor on the bottom versus a 4 6 psi drop stitch high pressure floor.

In a standard pvc floor as shown above long i beams run the length of the floor connecting the floor ceiling to bottom. At the moment drop stitch technology for inflatable watercraft is fairly new. Drop stitch is basically a technique of running thousands of stitches from the top to the bottom of the board all at the same fixed length. When the air pressure goes up and the board wants to go round the stitches hold the flat shape.

Without drop stitch the board would bulge out in the middle like an over inflated air mattress. In one circumstance this happened to a floor for a dragonfly and to 2 other 14 ft. It is used for inflatable stand up paddle boards and some manufacturers of high end inflatable kayaks like advanced elements offer drop stitch floors which replace the original floor to create a more rigid hull. If you re looking to pack and go drop stitch is the way to go.

Once a drop stitch floor is placed within the kayak it creates a hull with chine which is what enhances the tracking and hull speed. This is definitely not ideal for people with limited space capacity. As shown in our inflatable standup paddle boards drop stitch technology allows us to create high pressure forms that are extremely rigid. The drop stitch floor rolls up with the boat saving you precious cargo space.

Rafts that was used for 20 years in new zealand for the us fish and wildlife service and a university rental program. Where the laminations glue on the drop stitch let go.