how to inflate AB dinghy

[stormalong]

#1: From the picture the whole area is abraded. You need a very large patch. Use the two part adhesive and hypalon material. Hypalon is a difficult material to glue correctly. If the rest on the dink is in good shape it would be a good idea to have a pro do the repair. Experience means a lot.

#2: The Caribe and A/B inflatables (both made in the same factory) use a special fill fitting that has two hooks formed on the end. It goes into the valve and turns to hold in place. I have made one out of 1/2 inch pvc pipe in a pinch but the best thing to do is buy one from Defender - they have Caribe parts.

[Woodland Hills]

That’s the pump I have for our Novurania 435: it takes maybe 10 pumps to go from floppy loose to drum tight. I don’t have the locking fitting so I just hold the hose in place while I pump with my foot.

[Capt. Steve1]

Originally Posted by stormalong

#1: From the picture the whole area is abraded. You need a very large patch. Use the two part adhesive and hypalon material. Hypalon is a difficult material to glue correctly. If the rest on the dink is in good shape it would be a good idea to have a pro do the repair. Experience means a lot.

#2: The Caribe and A/B inflatables (both made in the same factory) use a special fill fitting that has two hooks formed on the end. It goes into the valve and turns to hold in place. I have made one out of 1/2 inch pvc pipe in a pinch but the best thing to do is buy one from Defender - they have Caribe parts.

I was hopping the academy's (it's actually the best boat accessories place local to me). 3X5" patches would be enough ?

I have some 1/2" PVC I could duplicate the air valves covers grooves maybe the dremel will save the day.

[Capt. Steve1]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

That’s the pump I have for our Novurania 435: it takes maybe 10 pumps to go from floppy loose to drum tight. I don’t have the locking fitting so I just hold the hose in place while I pump with my foot.

what size vessel are you pumping this AB is 8'
there are a bunch of these pumps which size did you get
I'm thinking the larger the volume of the pump the more force is required thus harder to press down w/ foot?
what about hand pumps are there any decent ones available?

[conchaway]

3. Get a hand pump at the marine store-- It's not that hard.

[Souzag818]

Originally Posted by stormalong

#1: From the picture the whole area is abraded. You need a very large patch. Use the two part adhesive and hypalon material. Hypalon is a difficult material to glue correctly. If the rest on the dink is in good shape it would be a good idea to have a pro do the repair. Experience means a lot.

#2: The Caribe and A/B inflatables (both made in the same factory) use a special fill fitting that has two hooks formed on the end. It goes into the valve and turns to hold in place. I have made one out of 1/2 inch pvc pipe in a pinch but the best thing to do is buy one from Defender - they have Caribe parts.

I agree. The entire worn away section needs a patch, not just the 1/2" cut. And any other abraded sections if it were my inflatable... Weaver 2 part Hypalon glue works great, but be advised once you open it, you need to use it pretty quickly or it goes to gel.

[Scrimshaw4]

I'm just curious as to what type of air pump do you have on board your boat to top off or re-inflate your AB once your off the dock? Since its only 8' a foot pump shouldn't take too much effort. As far as the patch, check with AB or google on the best approach if you can't find it here. Just a thought.

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Capt. Steve1

I was hopping the academy's (it's actually the best boat accessories place local to me). 3X5" patches would be enough ?

I have some 1/2" PVC I could duplicate the air valves covers grooves maybe the dremel will save the day.

I don't know where you are or your experience level.

From the picture it looks like the fabric under the outer layer is exposed over a large area. The patch should extend about an inch beyond the damaged area. Just like painting, patching hypalon is all about proper preparation. If you want the job to last do it right.

If you want to make that fitting go ahead. You will need a piece of 1/2 inch pvc pipe and a piece of 3/4 to make a shoulder. You will also need to make a gasket to reduce air seepage from around the shoulder. I made one because I was in the middle of nowhere and needed one. I would not have invested the time if I could have bought one.

[Mithril Bham]

You need a Halkey Roberts adaptor more than likely. Cheap and available at most marine store.
Use Hypalon material for patching.
Watch NRS Utube on hypalon repair. Hopefully you won't have to use an inner patch since that is a bitch.
Good luck

[Capt. Steve1]

my first attempt at manuely blowing up was unsuccessful because I had depressed the air valve I thought if air was able to come out then this is how to blow air in.

if I had the Halkey Roberts adaptor air fitting doe's it depress valve just for inflating manually or w/ some pump?

[sailormed]

I prefer this model handpump over the generally supplied foot pump for inflating my dinghy. The surface area of the piston is much smaller then the pump area of the footpump. So to generate the same pressure in the dinghy air chamber I only have to push with 1/3 or 1/4 of the force needed with a foot pump. The pump stroke is much longer so you push in the same volume of air.

[Capt. Steve1]

that would be great a pump w/ correct adaptor

[Mithril Bham]

Originally Posted by Capt. Steve1

my first attempt at manuely blowing up was unsuccessful because I had depressed the air valve I thought if air was able to come out then this is how to blow air in.

if I had the Halkey Roberts adaptor air fitting doe's it depress valve just for inflating manually or w/ some pump?

Yes, leave the valve out when inflating.

[a64pilot]

Don’t open the valve, and the adapter doesn’t open it either, it opens when the air pressure from the pump exceeds what is in the dinghy. When you remove the hose, you won’t lose any air at all, if you open the valve, you’ll lose an astonishing amount before you can close it.
If the exterior rubbery covering is coming off the Hypalon, there are paints to paint a dinghy with, but it’s nearing the end of its life, so decide how much work and money you want to put into it, cause it may only last another year or two.
But new AB’s aren’t inexpensive either, I believe them to be one of the higher quality ones, my opinion anyway, I bought an AB.

[jstevens]

Here's a link to a short saga of my attempts to find the best inflation pumps for my AB Dinghy: Maintaining a RIB
No best solution found.

john