Inflateable Dinghy Restore

[ted_reshetiloff]

I got this nice 8.5' inflateable from a neighbor that is a few years old and a little faded but otherwise in pretty good shape. (hey it was free) It holds air pretty well. I used it 2 weekends ago and after sitting overnight it needed a little topping off, maybe 2 or 3 pumps. Has a wood transom, inflateable keel and wood floorboards. I am refinishing the wood and was wondering about 2 things:

1. Is there anything out there worth buying to fix the slow leaks?
2. Is there anything out there worth buying to help with the faded/oxidized material? Not sure what the material is, ie hypalon, pvc etc. The dinghy is a Calypso. Made in Annapolis I believe by calypso who is now called something different, like API I think. I was hoping there might be something like Armor All for inflateables but I realize that there probably is no "restore your dinghy in a can"

 

[mark reed]

Ted,
FWIW, here's my experience with an older PVC inflatable that came with our boat. I found a few of my slow leaks by sponging soapy water on and watching for bubbles. Fixed these myself with a patch kit. But the boat still leaked a bit of air, so I took it to a local inflatable repair shop and the guy was able to locate the remaining leaks as coming from the area where the transom attaches to the tubes. He cut slits in the tubes and patched from the inside, then patched the slits that he had made from the outside. The boat holds air perfectly now.

For restoration/UV protection, I cleaned with Simple Green and then sprayed on some 303 aerospace protectant. It looks great!

I'm now into this boat for less than $200, vs. a comparable replacement for ~$1500.

 

[ted_reshetiloff]

Yeah I think I'll look for the leaks with the soapy water like you suggest, but I know they are pretty slow. I also plan to take it in and have it looked at as there are a few areas with some minor abrasions that I think could be patched over and I would rather have the pros do the patches. Tell me more about the aerospace 303 stuff, what is it called and where can I get it.

Thanks

 

[mark reed]

303 aerospace protectant

http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=protectant

I haven't used this stuff for that long, but friends who have used it for longer, rave about it.

303 also makes a fabric protectant that is good for Sunbrella. My old dodger was puddling and eventually leaking in one spot, after I put on the 303 fabric protectant it stopped leaking.

 

[jreddington]

I guess this revives an old thread but thought it better to search and add to a related thread than to automatically start a new one.

I have an old RIS (made in Yugoslavia) dingy. Came with my '84 E-28 12 years ago. It looked a bit ratty so I figured It would get me by until I bought a new dingy the next season. Well, it's still around.

I have had to put new D-Rings on her and a local shop put new Achilles oar locks on her. She oxidizes pretty bad each year. But for those looking for a good cleaner, Amazon works great. Then I hit it with 303 protectant. That gets me through most of the season. By the end (or if I get to it late the following year), it still chalks up and leaves you gray on your hands and clothes.

Has held air pretty well. Needs a top off about every two weeks.

To keep her going I did hit her with some new paint for the boards and transom a couple years ago which has spruced her up quite a bit.

I picked up some of the two part dingy paint from West Marine to freshen her up and maybe seal her a little tighter. As things go, that turned out to be one of the projects I didn't get to over the winter.

But, going down the river from her winter home to summer mooring I noticed one of the tubes deflating withing a few hours. At the dingy dock I did see bubbles coming from near the starboard towing D-Ring.

Before hitting her with Amazon, then painting, I'll have to patch. But then a question comes. Is this boat Hypalon or PVC? I have a feeling Hypalon since I don't think PVC could have lasted possibly 20 years (I'll have to check my history books to see how far back "Made in Yugoslavia" is valid. So while pretty sure I thought I'd ask here before I use the wrong solvent, adhesive, and patch material.

I did find a site that shows what boats are Hypalon and which are PVC.

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=hypalon+or...u=http://www.nrsweb.com/repair/inflatable.asp

But, as expected, due to age, RIS isn't there. Does anyone have one of these antiques and can confirm it is hypalon?