Patent ID: 7748339

Claim:
A rigid inflatable boat comprising: a boat body including two sides; an inflatable tube attached to each of the two sides of the boat body for increasing buoyancy of the rigid inflatable boat; a folding panel disposed on each of the two sides including a first end hinged on a lower portion of the side of the boat body configured to fold against the side of the boat body when the tube is deflated; and a connection mechanism configured to connect the tube to an inner surface of the folding panel and to the side of the boat body including a pair of guide plates and a pair of insertion bars, one of the guide plates having one side attached to the inner surface of the folding panel, the other of the guide plates having one side attached to the boat body and another side of each guide plate formed with a respective guide groove disposed longitudinally along a length of the boat body, the insertion bars being wrapped with protective fabric and attached to an outer surface of the tube and configured to be inserted longitudinally into the guide grooves.