RIB repair?

[ontherocks83]

I have my heart set on a Achilles Rib but am having a hard time with the fact that it is twice the cost of other Achilles that are hard floor inflatables. If I were to severely damage one of the tubes on the rib can you have a new tube attached to the fiberglass hull or do you need to scrap the whole thing.

My thinking being that the RIBS are nice but if I can replace a regular wood floor inflatable if damaged and still be at or less than the cost of a RIB I might just go for the regular inflatable.

( and just to head off any arguments, I know there are other less expensive brands than Achilles I am more interested in the repair aspect then the brand arguments)

Thanks again for any and all help

[Sailmonkey]

Yes you can re-tube a rib. Specific to the cost I can't say for sure.

[Cotemar]

Maybe, think of a hard dingy as they have a 30-35 year life span and no maintenance.

No soft tubes every morning.
No repairs every few years.
No sun damage problems.
Easy to row if the motor dies.
Dryer ride.

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Maybe, think of a hard dingy as they have a 30-35 year life span and no maintenance.

No soft tubes every morning.
No repairs every few years.
No sun damage problems.
Easy to row if the motor dies.
Dryer ride.

I've thought about this but like the idea of being able to easily deflate and stow on board or throw in the trunk to take somewhere else if needed. The hard dingy is still an option though. Need to do some more pondering on the idea.

[Cheechako]

Most any damage can be repaired. large ones I would take to a good inflatable boat shop. It'll be as good as new if well done. The boats are glued to gether new, so gluing a large repair on really isnt any worse than a new boat. Realistically, the tubes are pretty well protected when you drag the dink up on shore, the V bottom helps with that. However, watch the aft end of the tubes on bottom, they can scrape. Other potential problems are wind vanes etc hanging off the back of your boat.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by ontherocks83

I've thought about this but like the idea of being able to easily deflate and stow on board or throw in the trunk to take somewhere else if needed. The hard dingy is still an option though. Need to do some more pondering on the idea.

Just got rid of my inflatable for all the same reasons listed above and many more.

Maybe this will help you with some ideas.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ml#post1347622

[robert sailor]

Your right about windvanes and dinks. Friend with a Hydrovane removed the rudder and on a windy day the tube on the vane punched a nice round hole thru his dink.

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

A few years ago our nearly new Gemini 3.5 m RIB was stolen from astern of our moored boat. The idiots who did this drove it 15 miles up the Derwent river (Tasmania), took the 12 year old crapped out Suzuki 15 off, poured petrol on the floor and set it alight.

We recovered a scorched and blackened aluminium hull and some charred rags of Hypalon. I spent several hard days cleaning up the hull, and then the OEM replaced the tubes for about 1/2 the cost of a new dinghy. I anticipate that other mfgs would do the same, or that an independent repair shop could custom make tubes to your specs.

And further, I wouldn't trade our RIB for any hard dink that I've ever seen. For our full time cruising, mostly at anchor for months at a time lifestyle the RIB just works better for us. Yes, they are more costly than a "tinny" of the same size, but their utility makes up for this IMO.

Cheers,

Jim

[ontherocks83]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

FWIW,

A few years ago our nearly new Gemini 3.5 m RIB was stolen from astern of our moored boat. The idiots who did this drove it 15 miles up the Derwent river (Tasmania), took the 12 year old crapped out Suzuki 15 off, poured petrol on the floor and set it alight.

We recovered a scorched and blackened aluminium hull and some charred rags of Hypalon. I spent several hard days cleaning up the hull, and then the OEM replaced the tubes for about 1/2 the cost of a new dinghy. I anticipate that other mfgs would do the same, or that an independent repair shop could custom make tubes to your specs.

And further, I wouldn't trade our RIB for any hard dink that I've ever seen. For our full time cruising, mostly at anchor for months at a time lifestyle the RIB just works better for us. Yes, they are more costly than a "tinny" of the same size, but their utility makes up for this IMO.

Cheers,

Jim

Thanks that's awesome to know! In my mind I want certain things but am trying to be reasonable and weigh out all the options to see in reality what do I need not necessarily want. However there is nothing worse then trying to be economical and then finding out after the fact that you should have just spent the money in the first place. More things to ponder

[chrisjs]

We had our 12ft RIB re-tubed with Hypalon in Ft. Lauderdale for about $3K 2 years ago. Like new-holds air all season!!

[44'cruisingcat]

I got some quotes to re-tube our old RIB earlier this year. About $2500 for tubes on a 3.5metre PVC aquapro in Australia. (Price could vary depending on the condition of the hull) I also priced tubes with DIY in mind, tubes, glue, extra fabric paint for the hull etc, materials would have cost between $1500 and $1700. (From RFD)

As it happened I found a brand new, unwanted prize, hypalon 3.5m rib with tons of extras for sale and paid $3000.

Anyone want to buy a 3.5m Aquapro RIB hull?

[Reefmagnet]

I've had the misfortune to slip over in my 10 ft tinny and overbalance it. This caused it to sink. The floation foam did keep it afloat, but my weight drove the outboard under water. Result was 1 hour bailing and 1.5 hours getting the outboard running again. On the other hand, I've had three people in an old 9 ft Avon donut dingy that filled to the brim with water from a horrible chop and had no issues getting back to the mother ship without incident.

I also have a 9 ft hypalon rib with fibreglass hull. It's great, but next time I'd get the aluminium hull because fibreglass is heavy and chips and dings easily dragging it up boat ramps and rocky beaches.

[44'cruisingcat]

Originally Posted by Reefmagnet

I also have a 9 ft hypalon rib with fibreglass hull. It's great, but next time I'd get the aluminium hull because fibreglass is heavy and chips and dings easily dragging it up boat ramps and rocky beaches.

Like everything there are pro's and con's with both. With alloy RIBs the paint can fail, which happened to our old one. The tubes are glued to the paint, so when the paint comes off so do the tubes.

But yes, glass is heavier and easier to damage. Our new RIB is alloy.

[svmariane]

Okay - IMHO:

The RIB - or a hard shell - is better for beach / rocky landings than a soft bottom with wood (or what-not) inside panels. Not all beaches are sandy.

Check out this link Repairing a PVC or Hypalon Dinghy | Do-It-Yourself Advice Blog.

Something else to consider: hull shape. We bought a RIB that has a mostly flat bottom with a small Vee up forward. While true that it's lighter than a full Vee hull, and gets up on the plane quickly, one regret of mine that gives us a small problem: slightest bit of rain when ashore and it's bail & sponge before loading up the shopping bags. With a full Vee, it would have been easier to create some kind of flooring to keep things out of the water.

We have both a Walker Bay 8 (no inflation tubes) and a Caribe 8 ft RIB with Hypalon tubes. At anchor, the Walker Bay remains lashed upright on the fore deck as a rain catcher; the Caribe serves tender duty, propelled with a Torqeedo electric motor. (Torqeedo replaced our 9.9 Nissan 2-stroke.)