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Creating an inflatable houseboat through an enclosure

Projects | November 1, 2026 | By:

A green and clear-enclosed inflatable houseboat sits on gravel, surrounded by greenery and a rustic wooden structure in the background.

A customer wanting a tent enclosure for a six-person inflatable boat turned to the creative fabricators at IMS New Zealand Ltd. in Onekawa, New Zealand.

“I have never encountered anything similar before,” says Milos Vukovic, IMS canvas fabrication specialist/manager. “It was a big challenge to connect an inflatable boat and a tent, to make something strong enough and light enough at the same time.”

The design needed to ensure that the structure was easy for one person to set up and take down and adaptable. The roof and sides are connected with zippers so that each part can be used independently. The roof can be used without the sides, if desired, and the sides can be rolled up or removed. Each side also includes a window with mesh to guard against insects.

A black inflatable houseboat with a blue slatted deck rests on green grass, surrounded by gravel and a metal frame in the background.

Materials used include PVC fabrics over a Stanley steel frame. Elastic straps woven through grommets on a reinforced bottom edge keep everything stable and tight, yet the release of just a couple of hooks connecting the cord and rope allow an easy transformation of the walls with the zippers. The boat is 5.5 by 2.2 meters long (18 by 7 feet), and the enclosure is tall enough to stand underneath.

“The client was delighted,” says Vukovic. “He said that he could not even imagine such a thing. I was satisfied with the final result and a very unusual and unique look.” 

For the Supreme Champion winner in the ATA New Zealand 2026 Awards for Excellence, see the October 2026 issue of Specialty Fabrics Review. 2026 ATA New Zealand and International Achievement Award winners will appear throughout 2027. Next month, we will have a report on the member group’s annual conference.

Company

IMS New Zealand Ltd.

ATA member since 2021

Title: Inflatable Boat Tent

Awards: 2025 ATA New Zealand Awards for Excellence Winner, Recreational; 2025 International Achievement Awards, Recreational/Extreme Sports Products, Outstanding Achievement

Materials: Clear PVC, heavy-duty webbing, Panama PVC 900 grams per square meter (27 ounces per square yard), SP6 eyelets, elastic straps

Images: IMS New Zealand Ltd.

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