Construction

CONSTRUCTION
	Three Main Air Chambers Most Air-Docks are constructed with three separate air chambers. Smaller models have two stern chambers only and larger models have two stern chambers and two front chambers. The stern chambers are connected to each other with rods through hinge type "knuckles". The front chamber (or chambers) is connected to the stern chambers with shock cord through stainless steel grommets. All chambers can be separated for removing, transporting, storing, or repairing. The three chambers of a B-Model, for example, together weigh 110 pounds. The three chambers of a much larger D-Model weigh 205 pounds.


OTHER INFLATABLES

Air-Dock's inflatable chambers are constructed with techniques developed over fifty years on military boats and life saving devises. The inflatable boat to the right is constructed of a similar copolymer as the Air-Dock.
	Military proven field applications have provided invaluable data from products designed and used under the most adverse conditions. The Air-Dock requires much less pressure, however, than inflatable boats and is used under less stressful conditions. By comparison, the Air-Dock requires approximately 1/2 pounds per square inch while a typical inflatable boat requires 2 to 4 pounds per square inch.
Inflatable air chambers inherently have tremendous lifting power. At the right, a tractor trailer is being lifted after it has turned over on the highway. Air-chambers like these are also used to lift commercial airliners for maintenance and repair.
Material Air-Dock's inflatable chambers utilize the latest materials and construction techniques. They are constructed from a Coast Guard approved Elvaloy® coated/polyester reinforced fabric. This fabric is chosen for it's high tear strength and puncture and abrasion resistance. All air-retaining seams are constructed with advanced high-frequency sealing techniques. Each one meticulously assembled, inspected and tested to meet or surpass military standards, including MIL-I-45208A. The Air-Dock material has a polyester fabric base which gives it a tensile strength of 400 pounds per lineal inch. This strength makes it highly resistant to punctures and tears. When it comes to inflatable boats, most are constructed of vinyl (PVC) or Hypolon®. Vinyl boats are much less expensive but do not hold up well to sunlight. Hypolon® boats have been known to last twenty years or more with exposure to sunlight. The Elvaloy® material has been tested in an accelerated weather chamber and has shown to be even more resistant to sunlight than Hypolon®. It has also been proven to be more abrasion resistant than vinyl or Hypolon®. Elvaloy has been used for many years as membrane roofs on buildings, chemical tank covers, pond liners, oil spill containment booms, and more recently inflatable boats.

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Air-Dock Boatlifts 727-577-0151