Inflatable boat parts fall into three groups: the parts that hold air (tubes and valves), the parts that give the boat its shape (floor, keel, transom, seats), and the gear you row, carry and launch it with. Nearly all are made for one brand and model, so a replacement is ordered by the boat's model code.
The same part names apply to an inflatable rubber boat, as many owners still call it. Most boats sold under that name today are PVC, including the Kolibri, Bark, Navigator and Adventure boats we stock parts for.
Inflatable Boat Parts by Name
The table lists the parts of an inflatable boat from the air-holding parts to the fittings, with the one detail each replacement has to match.
| Part | What it does | What a replacement has to match |
|---|---|---|
| Tubes (chambers) | Hold the air and carry the load. Separate chambers keep the boat afloat if one is holed. | Not a spare part. Repaired with a patch in the boat's own fabric. |
| Air valve | Lets air in and holds it there. | The valve make fitted at the factory. |
| Overpressure valve | Releases air when heat raises the pressure in the tube. | The boat series. |
| Keel | An inflatable tube under the floor that pushes the bottom into a V. | Its own chamber and valve. Repaired, not swapped. |
| Floor and floor slats | Stiffen the bottom so you can stand and the hull can plane. | Floor type and model code. |
| Transom | The rigid board at the stern that carries the outboard. | Protected by a transom plate, which is the replaceable part. |
| Drain plug (drain valve) | Lets water out through the transom. | The boat model. |
| Seats (thwarts) | Bench across the tubes. A fitted seat also braces the boat sideways. | Seat length for the model. |
| Oars, oarlocks, oar holders | Rowing, and keeping the oars on the tube when you aren't. | Oar length and the rowlock type on the boat. |
| Handles, tow rings, lifeline holders | Carrying, towing and tying off. | Brand and fabric, since they are glued to the tube. |
| Rub strake (rubbing band) | Takes the scrapes along the outside of the tube. | Factory-fitted. Repaired as part of the tube. |
The diagram shows where the fittings sit on a Kolibri boat, along with the two hard floors it can take, plywood and aluminum.
Kolibri's numbered view picks out the smaller fittings. The numbers are Kolibri's own, so they skip where a fitting isn't used on this model.
| No. | Part |
|---|---|
| 1 | Functional handle |
| 2 | Lifeline holder (ending) |
| 3 | Lifeline holder (passable) |
| 4 | Swivel rowlock |
| 5 | Oar clutch (left, right) |
| 6 | Anchor roller |
| 9 | Tow with the plastic ring |
| 10 | Bravo air valve |
| 11 | Overpressure valve |
| 12 | Oar holder |
| 13 | Transom mounting support |
| 15 | Transom plate |
Before You Order a Replacement Part
Start with the model code on the boat's plate or in its manual. Boat length on its own won't do it. Kolibri's plywood seat comes in six sizes, from 650 × 200 × 15 mm for the K-190 to 1,020 × 250 × 21 mm for the KM-400DSL and KM-450DSL, and two boats of the same length can take different ones.
Next is the fabric. The Kolibri KM-330D, for example, is built from 1,100 g/m² PVC that is 0.9 mm thick. PVC and Hypalon (CSM) take different adhesives, so anything glued to the tube has to match the fabric: patches, handles, rowlock bases, tow rings.
The third is the floor the boat was built for. A keel boat and a flat-bottom boat of the same length use different floor sets, and the article codes on our product pages are listed by model for that reason.
The parts on this page are made for Kolibri, Bark, Navigator and Adventure boats. For another brand, the boat's own manufacturer or dealer is the right source.
Tubes, Valves and the Overpressure Valve
The tubes are divided into chambers. A Kolibri KM-330 has three. The KM-330D has four, the fourth being the inflatable keel, and both run 42 cm tubes. A hole in one chamber leaves the others holding air, and the boat stays afloat.
The Bravo air valve is the inflation valve fitted to every Kolibri boat. Valves are made to several patterns, and a replacement has to be the same make as the one in the tube.
The overpressure valve is a second, separate valve. Kolibri fits it to all its motor boats except the KM-200, and it opens when outside temperature pushes the pressure too high. That prevents damage on a hot afternoon. It also means the tubes are soft again once the air cools in the evening, so the pump stays in the boat.
Floors and Floor Slats
The floor decides how the boat packs, how much it weighs and how it rides, so it's the part owners replace or upgrade most deliberately.
Types of floors
- rigid floors in RIBs
- hard floors
- roll up floors
- air floors
Roll-up Floor
A roll-up floor is a row of floor slats that stay in the boat when you roll it. Kolibri's slats are 9 mm film-faced plywood with an anti-skid surface, held in PVC side protection that keeps the slat ends off the tubes. The KM-260, KM-280 and KM-300 take four or five slats of 87 × 25 cm, and the KM-330 takes six of 94 × 25 cm. A single replacement slat is sold on its own. It's the fastest floor to set up and the most flexible underfoot.
Hard Floors
Hard floors come in three builds. The folding floor, which Kolibri calls a sole-book, is three or five sections of 9 mm plywood joined by PVC tape, running the full length of the boat. The plywood floorboard with stringers is 12 mm film-faced plywood with an aluminum edge profile, locked together by aluminum stringers. The aluminum floorboard is 12.6 mm anodized panel with the same stringers.
What you pay for the stiffness is weight and assembly time. The KM-330D, with a plywood floor and a keel, packs at 58 kg. The KM-330 with an air floor packs at 31 kg.
Air Floors
An air floor is a high-pressure panel built from two layers of PVC tied together by thousands of threads. Kolibri's Air-deck floorboard runs at 0.6 to 1.0 bar (8.7 to 14.5 psi) and is 70 to 80 mm thick. The manufacturer puts it at about half the weight of a hard floor, and it packs into a bag. It needs its own high-pressure hand pump, which comes in the set, and it's the one floor a sharp edge can hole.
Rigid Floor
The floor of a RIB is the hull itself, moulded in fibreglass or built in aluminum. There is nothing to assemble or replace, so the parts list for a RIB comes down to tubes, valves and fittings.
Foot Pumps and Electric Pumps
A foot pump fills the tubes and travels with the boat. Bark's BT-330S ships with one, and the Kolibri foot pump set comes with a 1,350 mm hose and a bayonet adaptor.
A 12 V electric pump does the same job with less effort. The 110 W two-stage pump moves up to 350 L/min in its first stage and 70 L/min in the second, with the target pressure adjustable from 0 to 20 psi (1.38 bar). Check whether a pump also deflates before you buy: one of the 12 V models we list inflates only.
Oars, Oarlocks and Paddles
On a Kolibri the rowing gear is four separate parts: the oar, the swivel rowlock it turns in, the oar clutch that locks it, and the oar holder that keeps it against the tube when you aren't rowing. The clutches are handed, so left and right are different parts. The standard Kolibri paddle is 1,500 mm (59 in) assembled, and the blade is sold separately if that's all you broke. The Bark BT-330S comes with two paddles.
Seats and Gear Bags
A plywood seat is cut to the inside width of one model range, which is why the six Kolibri sizes exist. Soft seat pads follow the same logic, from 65 × 20 cm to 102 × 25 cm. The gear bags that fit under them run from 58 × 19 × 23 cm to 89 × 25 × 29 cm.
Two other options change how you sit. The inflatable seat for Bark boats has a backrest 65 cm high and is made from 850 g/m² reinforced PVC, but at 60 cm wide and 55 cm deep it takes floor space a bench doesn't. For Navigator boats, a swivel plate measuring 173 × 173 mm and rated for 200 kg goes between the bench and a fishing chair.
Transom Parts and Drain Plugs
The transom on a Kolibri keel boat is marine-grade plywood held in moulded transom holders. The part that wears is the transom plate, a 30 × 9 cm metal plate that takes the bite of the motor clamps instead of the wood.
The function of a drain plug is to release the water trapped in an inflated rubber boat. On the KM-330D it's a drain valve set into the transom. We don't list drain plugs separately online, so ask for one by boat model.
A boat without a rigid transom can still carry a small motor on a hinged transom. The Navigator LG series version is rated for outboards up to 3.5 hp, and that ceiling is the limitation.
Transom wheels bolt to the transom and fold up once the boat is afloat. The Kolibri set uses wheels 143 mm across and 86 mm wide, carries 140 kg (309 lb) and weighs 2.3 kg. The alternative is a trolley under the hull. The TL2 has 260 mm pneumatic wheels and an 80 kg load limit, so weigh the boat and motor together before choosing it.
Repair Kit
A repair kit normally comes with the boat. Bark lists one in the standard equipment of the BT-330S, alongside the foot pump, two paddles and two sliding seats. It covers small holes, and those should be patched straight away. Larger damage is a workshop job, as our guide on how to maintain an inflatable boat explains.
A replacement kit has to match the fabric for the adhesive reason given above. We don't list repair kits as a separate product online, so ask for one by boat model.
Storage Bags and Covers
Bark packs the folding floor of the BT-330S in its own bag, so the plywood doesn't travel against the folded tubes. Covers come in two kinds: an overall cover for a boat left assembled, and a transport cover that keeps rain, UV and road dust off a boat on a trailer. Kolibri's overall covers are cut per series, so the model code applies here too. Where the boat spends the winter matters more than the cover does, and that's covered in how to store your inflatable boat.
Miscellaneous Inflatable Boat Accessories
Most of what's above the boat needs in order to float, row or carry a motor. Accessories are the additions. For these brands that means rod holders, tables for a fish finder, bow bags, an anchor roller and bow cleat, bimini tops and full tents. The full tent for Bark models 290 to 450 stands 125 cm above the floor. Most accessories bolt to the seat or glue to the tube, so brand and fabric decide fit here as well.
Where to Find Inflatable Boat Parts at M-Oceans
Parts are grouped by the boat they fit. The Kolibri shelf is the deepest, with valves, floors, seats, oars and transom parts: accessories for Kolibri boats. Seats, tents and transom wheels for Bark are under accessories for Bark boats, and bags, tables and transom fittings for Navigator under accessories for Navigator boats.
Parts and accessories carry a 3 to 6 month warranty, and we ship across Canada and the United States. If a part isn't listed, send the boat model to sales@m-oceans.com or call 1-888-988-9934.