Re tubing a RIB

Did a quick search but did not come up with anything.

I have a 2004 Caribe 12’ RIB w/40hp Honda with side console. And yes it is way too much HP for a 12’ boat!

Looks pretty rough but everything is there and working but clearly it only has a season or two left in it.

Does anyone in the PNW do this? Is it worth doing?

With the cost of a complete new unit so high I am looking for options.

Anyone have a local source for Anacortes?

Thanks in advance!

Charlie

Bajabuzz said:

Did a quick search but did not come up with anything.

I have a 2004 Caribe 12’ RIB w/40hp Honda with side console. And yes it is way too much HP for a 12’ boat!

Looks pretty rough but everything is there and working but clearly it only has a season or two left in it.

Does anyone in the PNW do this? Is it worth doing?

With the cost of a complete new unit so high I am looking for options.

Anyone have a local source for Anacortes?

Thanks in advance!

Charlie

Click to expand...

Titan, in Sidney BC re-tubed the RCMSAR boat a couple of years ago. It still looks like new. Give them a call.

I have a Caribe 12 with a console and a Honda 40. The boat is rated for 40 hp, which is just right, with a fin on the outboard.
Mine is a 2003 and has lots of life left. I clean it with toluene every couple of years and coat it for sun protection.

I re-tubed a 14ft Rendova center console (also with a 40HP Honda) in 2011 In Ft. Lauderdale. As I recall, it cost about $3K. Went together well. Compared to the price of a comparable boat, well worth the cost. No idea where to get it done in your area.

Try https://www.inflatableboatpro.com

Retubing or restorative work?

Is your RIB tired looking or suffering structural/delamination issues with the tubes?

If its tired looking you might explore some options to restore it. When we purchased NWD she came with a 2001 Avon RIB that was dirty and faded looking, and had a pinhole leak on one tube.

I reseached the exact best practice for patching the leak, and found my pinhole was a poorly applied (one part glue on a Hypalon tube) patch. I patched it properly and have no leak, then moved on to the cleaning and restoration.

I had seen several youtube and blog posts about people using inflatable paint to restore the look of their RIBs, and started going down that road. I bought Amazon (not the online store) brand cleaner, and found that after cleaning my RIB's tubes with that, it looked so good I didn't want to even try the inflatable paint. I then put 303 Aerospace protectant on it which made it look even better. I still have that inflatable paint sitting in my garage.

I didn't take a series of before and after pics, but here's one of the "For Sale" pics before we bought NWD, and one from our vacation in August. About the only part I couldn't get "like new" was some areas of the stripe in the rub rail. The pictures don't adequately show the dramatic difference in the cleaning.

I re-tubed a Zodiac YL340 a few years ago.

The whole job took a couple of hours and the results were as expected, pretty spectacular.

The cost was not cheap at around$3600 but with the cost of a new comparable RIB well over that, it was a easy decision.

Thank you all for your help.

There is a lot of wear in spots from previous charterers pulling up crab traps with the rope against the tube. In one spot it has worn through the outer layer. But it is not leaking. Some of the taped seams are cracked.

No doubt it would look a lot better if I cleaned it up.

I just figured it was time to re tube based on age and wear.

I will check out inflatable boat pro.

If you do decide to start by simply cleaning the tubes you should try to at least do a test run on the dockside. I cleaned our blue Rendova (do not remember cleaner brand) and ended up with a blue mess on the dinghy deck that was real PITA to clean up. Dinghy looked better but deck was a mess!!

This in Nanaimo BC: https://www.nanaimoboatyard.ca/inflatables/

What they do:
INFLATABLES
From cleaning and annual servicing to complete refurbishment we have extensive experience of working on inflatables.
Inflatable repairs is more than sticking on a patch. Our trained and experienced technicians repair inflatables with the highest quality materials to ensure the appearance of the inflatable is the best it can be.

Typical services we provide include:

Tube refurbishing
Double skinning
Cleaning
Valve servicing
Install of underside overlay protection
Tube repairs such as – patching, delaminations, parts replacement, lifelines, etc.
Installation of after-market fish rod holders, downriggers, rubber handles, etc.
Installation of new transoms in foldable hypalon boats
Rebuilding of wood floorboard systems
Supply & installation of electronics (GPS, radar, chart plotters)
Install of lights, batteries, rewiring, etc
Emergency onsite assessment
Trailer repair
You can also order parts and accessories through us.
Inflatable dinghy repairs now available
Inflatable dinghy repairs now available
Nanaimo Inflatables also partners with Pacific Wave for NEW inflatable dinghies

I have started to think about retubing my RIB. It isn't holding air well and having other issues. Not sure how hard a job it is to do it myself.

fractalphreak said:

I bought Amazon (not the online store) brand cleaner, and found that after cleaning my RIB's tubes with that, it looked so good I didn't want to even try the inflatable paint. I then put 303 Aerospace protectant on it which made it look even better. I still have that inflatable paint sitting in my garage.

Click to expand...

Chrisjs said:

If you do decide to start by simply cleaning the tubes you should try to at least do a test run on the dockside. I cleaned our blue Rendova (do not remember cleaner brand) and ended up with a blue mess on the dinghy deck that was real PITA to clean up. Dinghy looked better but deck was a mess!!

Click to expand...

Great, another thing for my to-do list. I've likewise got an Avon that's pretty tired looking but in otherwise serviceable condition. Which cleaners did you guys use? If it's going to be a messy job it'd be one best NOT done while on my swim platform.

Personally, I feel only a handful of Ribs are worth re-tubing. I'm probably not going to spend $3,500 re-tubing a rib that can be replaced for $3,500. If there is a substantial savings, then absolutely.

wkearney99 said:

Great, another thing for my to-do list. I've likewise got an Avon that's pretty tired looking but in otherwise serviceable condition. Which cleaners did you guys use? If it's going to be a messy job it'd be one best NOT done while on my swim platform.

Click to expand...

I used MDR Amazon Cleaner.....I chose that because I was dead set on needing to coat it and was going to use their inflatable paint. In retrospect I should have been looking for the good cleaner before making the coating decision.

Here's an older Practical Sailor test of some cleaners, there may be other choices out there...https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/34_3/features/Inflatable-Boat-Cleaners_5589-1.html

fractalphreak said:

I used MDR Amazon Cleaner.....I chose that because I was dead set on needing to coat it and was going to use their inflatable paint. In retrospect I should have been looking for the good cleaner before making the coating decision.

Here's an older Practical Sailor test of some cleaners, there may be other choices out there...https://www.practical-sailor.com/issues/34_3/features/Inflatable-Boat-Cleaners_5589-1.html

Click to expand...

Waay back, I wanted to glue Weaver davits to a hypalon inflatable. I bought the Weavers at a dinghy store, so naturally went with their process for installation. That process began with cleaning. They recommended Toluene. They also recommended unopened and recently purchased glue.
Over the years I have had various events that have validated both of those recommendations.
For cleaning, toluene is too strong for the fabric used on the seats. If only the seats were also made of hypalon!
On the tubes it takes most everything off but does not damage the hypalon.
303 protectant after cleaning helps, but needs to be renewed frequently, perhaps even monthly in the season.

A friend tried out the repainting with hypalon paint. 5 or so yrs in, his blue dinghy still looked new, when he sold it. His was notable as getting the roughest use of any that I know of, much harder use than my own gets.