Dinghy death?

[Sea Dreaming]

Our boat came with an older Avon inflatable with a rigid floor. The poor thing is probably 25 years old. It's patched in many places. The former owner had suggested a product to stop slow leaks (similar to bicycle tire goop). Anyway, we used the stuff suggested but our poor dinghy still leaks a lot. We suspect a seam is failing.

Anyway, we were going to sell this rubber ducky with the included motor. But I am wondering if we ought to just call the dinghy dead? Overnight the port side has gone nearly flat.
Is it worth perusing further fixes?

I told Jim we out to sell it as motor, plus free dinghy (with full disclosure of course).
We had already ordered a new dinghy, I'm just wondering if we should bother to keep trying to fix this one?

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

Our boat came with an older Avon inflatable with a rigid floor. The poor thing is probably 25 years old. It's patched in many places. The former owner had suggested a product to stop slow leaks (similar to bicycle tire goop). Anyway, we used the stuff suggested but our poor dinghy still leaks a lot. We suspect a seam is failing.

Anyway, we were going to sell this rubber ducky with the included motor. But I am wondering if we ought to just call the dinghy dead? Overnight the port side has gone nearly flat.
Is it worth perusing further fixes?

I told Jim we out to sell it as motor, plus free dinghy (with full disclosure of course).
We had already ordered a new dinghy, I'm just wondering if we should bother to keep trying to fix this one?

You wouldn't be doing anyone a favor by giving the thing away. On the other hand, however, I did see a fellow here abouts that resurrected an old Avon Red Crest by injecting foam into the chambers. The stuff expanded enough to fill the chambers (and the excess blew out the fill valves) and he ended up with a "rigid" permanently "inflated" boat powered by a 2-1/2 horse motor that he carried on his fore-deck.

FWIW...

[capt-couillon]

Local boy has renewed several "salvaged" deflatables found in the mangroves by thinning 5200 with MEK or acetone and rolling on the exterior surfaces. Seems to work. Ugly as sin but ya ain't gotta worry bout anyone stealing them

[a64pilot]

I like your idea of selling the motor with free dinghy, plus sometimes people need a temporary fix and that free dinghy might be it

[Dockhead]

Just describe it honestly and sell it for whatever someone will pay for it. Why speculate? The market will tell you. If no one will give you even anything for it, then give it away. If no one wants it for free, then scrap it.

If you clean it up and make it more or less usable, even if it has some unsolved leaks, this will greatly increase its appeal and your chances to sell it. But be careful that you are not spending more time and money doing this, than you might hope to recover at the end.


In my experience, there are a fair number of buyers who are handy and who want nearly dead RIBs if they are reasonably cheap. If it floats, then I guess someone will probably want it, at some price, anyway.

[brownoarsman]

Hypalon is always worth something, even if its worth is just to be cut up and turned into patches for other hypalon dinghies.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by brownoarsman

Hypalon is always worth something, even if its worth is just to be cut up and turned into patches for other hypalon dinghies.

Indeed. Also, remember that RIBs can be retubed, which might cost half or less than the price of a new one.

Decent RIBs, especially Avons, are quite popular with a variety of different contingents, and might still be in demand among someone or other in surprisingly bad condition.

[zeehag]

sea dreaming--i need hypalon material to repair my redcrest-if you have it when you arrive here i will take it off your hands for dough--i will even pay you money for it without the hard shell part.. i donot need engine, just dink without hard floor. thankyou.

last i researched avon retubing,. the fee was for parts 1500 usd and the labor was more. (2004) worth it if you like that model dink. and i can still have the material from the old one ..... please

[Jim Woodall]

Originally Posted by capt-couillon

Local boy has renewed several "salvaged" deflatables found in the mangroves by thinning 5200 with MEK or acetone and rolling on the exterior surfaces. Seems to work. Ugly as sin but ya ain't gotta worry bout anyone stealing them

I saw two old, worn-out, inflatables on the small beach in Dragon Bay, Grenada a couple of years ago that had been sealed up by this method. Both boats looked terrible but the guy working the bar said they held pressure and worked well. He said the local guys who had fixed them up had been using them for several years.

It's amazing the "fixes" people come up with to address necessity.

[capt-couillon]

Craftsmen of Necessity

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Sea Dreaming

The former owner had suggested a product to stop slow leaks (similar to bicycle tire goop). Anyway, we used the stuff suggested but our poor dinghy still leaks a lot. We suspect a seam is failing.

I have repaired a soft bottom Zodiac inflatable like this. However, I had a dozen strong lads in the diving club who spent an hour turning it over up and down a football pitch to get the sealant spread over all the inside surfaces.

A 25 yr old Avon will have been made in the South Wales factory at a time when Avon made the best Hyperlon in the world. Sadly they have been taken over by the French and they are no longer the same quality.

Throw a party, invite lots of guests and get rolling.

Pete

[zeehag]

avon did not make hypalon.
dupont did.
then dupont changed slightly the recipe for hypalon when it became public domain., or 20 yrs after patent was taken out. it is not the same as the first 20 yrs of its life.
this is how it all works. same thing with dows pyrex.
that slime stuff does NOT work, btw--btdt.
if you gonna do that, i donot want to buy the hypalon material;. i will find unadulterated --not slime laden--slime is latex. screws up the dink, i learned.

[hariandro]

Originally Posted by Pete7

I have repaired a soft bottom Zodiac inflatable like this. However, I had a dozen strong lads in the diving club who spent an hour turning it over up and down a football pitch to get the sealant spread over all the inside surfaces.

A 25 yr old Avon will have been made in the South Wales factory at a time when Avon made the best Hyperlon in the world. Sadly they have been taken over by the French and they are no longer the same quality.

Throw a party, invite lots of guests and get rolling.

Pete

Great its seems very difficult work actually repairing the inflatable part ..In that worse time we have to do something to save us and safe our boat ..You did really well as mariner..

[SailFastTri]

IMHO either sell it cheap or patch it. You can find the leaks with a spray bottle of soapy water.

There is a two-part paint that would supposedly work but I never tried it. I was told it would add a few years but eventually start to wear off (or detach of the surface prep isn't perfect) then if you need a patch you need to sand off the paint in that area first and you have a less repairable dinghy.

Hypalon gets thinner over time as it oxidizes and wears, and if budget allows I'd replace it or retube. My last one lasted about 13 years and I got tired of chasing leaks and patching.

[MarkJ]

Yes, sell engine with free dinghy.