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Old 04-28-2017, 01:32 PM   #1
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Inflatable Dinghy

Hi Everyone,
We have a 10 ft Avon Inflatable Dinghy. The question is; is it common for the dinghy to become somewhat deflated over night and then get hard again during the day. Should I pump it up in the morning?
We live in Florida where the temperature fluctuates.

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Old 04-28-2017, 02:00 PM   #2
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I have an older AB rib and I find the temperature has a large impact on the level of inflation. I generally have to reinflate the boat the next morning if I used it the previous day.
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Old 04-28-2017, 02:08 PM   #3
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If you pump it up in the morning you do take a risk of overinflating it and possibly causing some damage unless it has a relief valve built in as mine does (Grande).
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Old 04-28-2017, 02:13 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon B View Post
Hi Everyone,

We have a 10 ft Avon Inflatable Dinghy. The question is; is it common for the dinghy to become somewhat deflated over night and then get hard again during the day. Should I pump it up in the morning?

We live in Florida where the temperature fluctuates.



Thanks

Gordo


You want it at the proper pressure when you use it. If you aren't using it at night when it is cold, you don't need to worry about it not being as hard then. If you are going to use the dinghy in the morning, add some air to get it to pressure, but you might want to let some out before it gets hot and risk over inflation.

An inflatable dinghy, like some other things, only needs to be hard when you are about to use it. The rest of the time it can be a bit flaccid.
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Old 04-28-2017, 02:30 PM   #5
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This is a subject that Tom Brady and almost everyone in New England is well versed on. Don't forget to pump it up!!! ��
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Old 04-28-2017, 02:49 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gordon B View Post
Hi Everyone,
We have a 10 ft Avon Inflatable Dinghy. The question is; is it common for the dinghy to become somewhat deflated over night and then get hard again during the day. Should I pump it up in the morning?
We live in Florida where the temperature fluctuates.

Thanks
Gordo
Yes, though it would be easy to say "warm air expands, cold air contracts", some physicists will be quick to point out about how it's actually the movement of the air molecules as they get warmer, and that in colder temps there is less movement of the air molecules, therefore they take up less space......yadda, yadda, yadda.

As stated, avoid blowing it up in the morning, unless you're going to use it. If you do, be prepared to release some air pressure as the day warms up.
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Old 04-28-2017, 04:25 PM   #7
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Our nights are getting down to 9c C. and my dingy goes down by 11pm at night thats when I do the last dog pee run .The dingy is the same at 6am in the morning for the morning dog pee run and by 10am its inflated back to 90% and 2pm its 100% .I just live with it otherwise Id be pumping up and deflating every time I use it
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Old 04-28-2017, 07:12 PM   #8
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Most of us do not bring our dinghies up to full pressure as we should. We are afraid of damaging it from over pressure. If you were to use a pressure gauge for a while you will learn the "feel" of proper inflation. With proper inflation, the dinghy should be useable day and night, with very occasional topping off. If the dinghy is underinflated in the cool of the night, it was probably not fully inflated during the heat of the day. There is more damage done to inflatables by underinflation than by over inflation. Worked at Zodiac/Avon customer service and rib engineering for many years.
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Old 04-28-2017, 07:29 PM   #9
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Thanks for the info tadhana.
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Old 04-28-2017, 09:32 PM   #10
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I've been inflating all kinds of tenders large and small for decades and never worried about over inflation.

Nor have I every seen one get damaged from it. In fact I don't know if it's possible to truly over inflate one with a manual pump.
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Old 04-29-2017, 02:41 AM   #11
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I've been inflating all kinds of tenders large and small for decades and never worried about over inflation.

Nor have I every seen one get damaged from it. In fact I don't know if it's possible to truly over inflate one with a manual pump.


I think all inflatable dinghy's have a safety relief valve in every chamber so you cant over inflate
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Old 04-29-2017, 02:53 AM   #12
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I think all inflatable dinghy's have a safety relief valve in every chamber so you cant over inflate
Yep, mine does, but one chamber has a non standard pressure relief system I`m about to try to fix.
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Old 04-29-2017, 02:54 AM   #13
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Originally Posted by Capt.Bill11 View Post
I've been inflating all kinds of tenders large and small for decades and never worried about over inflation.

Nor have I every seen one get damaged from it. In fact I don't know if it's possible to truly over inflate one with a manual pump.
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I think all inflatable dinghy's have a safety relief valve in every chamber so you cant over inflate
No they don't, actually, but as pointed out by Tad Hana & Capt Bill, above, and stated categorically in the manual that came with my inflatable dink, if you only use the foot operated pump that comes with the dinghy, it is virtually impossible to over-inflate them, even when they then expand/firm up a bit more in the sun. So be happy, pump it up in the am if needed, and don't worry.
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Old 04-29-2017, 05:51 AM   #14
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The only overpressure valves I've seen in inflatables have been in the military boats we built for the USCG and US Navy when I was at Zodiac/Avon. The ones we installed were bulky and expensive bronze fittings. I have not seen an O.P. valve in a recreational RIB. If someone has such a device in their RIB, I would be most interested to learn more about it and know who built it. I was in the inflatable boat industry with Zodiac until 2008. As of that date, there were no inflatable recreational ribs with an O.P. valve. We cruise full time, and so we see a lot of dinghies, I have not seen a dinghy with an O.P. valve in my wanderings.
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Old 04-29-2017, 05:55 AM   #15
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#11



https://www.google.com.au/search?q=i...w=1680&bih=888
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Old 04-29-2017, 06:13 AM   #16
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Thank you, I had not realized they were now available. I wonder what manufacturers are using them as standard equipment. From what I have just read, it seems that it is an optional fitting, but if someone has it as standard that is great.
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Old 04-29-2017, 06:28 AM   #17
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Thank you, I had not realized they were now available. I wonder what manufacturers are using them as standard equipment. From what I have just read, it seems that it is an optional fitting, but if someone has it as standard that is great.


They have been around since 1943 and most if not all inflatables have had them standard for as long as I can remember and thats a long time
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Old 04-29-2017, 06:50 AM   #18
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I read somewhere where wasn't actually the air but the moisture in the air that cause the expansion and contraction. That's why they fill car tires with nitrogen it is dry and does not expand or contract
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Old 04-29-2017, 06:56 AM   #19
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I read somewhere where wasn't actually the air but the moisture in the air that cause the expansion and contraction. That's why they fill car tires with nitrogen it is dry and does not expand or contract

By volume, air contains 78.09% nitrogen

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Old 04-29-2017, 07:03 AM   #20
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Greetings,
Mr. 30. From my poor recollection of physics 101, everything expands and contracts due to temperature change. The use of nitrogen in tires for the average motorist is mainly a marketing gimmick BUT pure nitrogen does expand and contract less than air by a small amount. I don't think moisture content has all that much to do with it, again, for the average motorist/inflatable user.
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