Leaking RIB

G

Gene&Mary

New member
My RIB has a slow leak somewhere. I sprayed a solution of ~1/2 water to ~1/2 liquid detergent over the rubber tubes but didn't see anything. Are there any other methods of finding a slow leak or is that just the nature of RIBs and I just have to live with blowing it up occasionally?

Thanks
 
Most inflatables use a Halkey Roberts (HR) valve, which are spring loaded and have a seal. They may need to be tightened if you find a leak around the valve. You will need a special HR valve spanner to do the tightening. Most inflatables, including small RIBs have three chambers, is one getting low more so than another? Over time the pvc material, depending on original quality, will lose the ability to hold air for long periods of time. If your inflatable is made from Polyurethane, the leak is more than likely in one of the seams or valve.
 
Hardee- its an Endeavor purchased in 2010-2011. Looking on the internet now it is probably polyurethane. It has been consistently stored inside.

Randywusa- looking on the internet it is an HR valve and the spanner wrench costs $12.95. Seems like a good purchase. The RIB has two chambers and insert boards for the floor. Guess I'll try the spray bottle again as it is noticeably deflated after one day.

Foggy- if I could find the leaks I would patch them.

Thanks
 
Are you allowing for temperature changes between when you pump it up and when you check it for leaks.

I remember once I was towing a RIB on the highway. it was a nice sunny day about 90 deg. Going down the highway I went through a thunderstorm. Between the ambient temp dropping 20 degs, the sun disappearing, and the cooling effect of the rain on the tubes (it had red tubes), the RIB got pretty soft and floppy. After exiting the thunderstorm, the sun came out and the temperature climbed back up to 90. In about 20 minutes, the RIB was back to its normal inflation state. It was kind of interesting to watch the boat in the rearview mirror as this happened.
 
ssobol":27smq6of said:
Are you allowing for temperature changes between when you pump it up and when you check it for leaks.

I remember once I was towing a RIB on the highway. it was a nice sunny day about 90 deg. Going down the highway I went through a thunderstorm. Between the ambient temp dropping 20 degs, the sun disappearing, and the cooling effect of the rain on the tubes (it had red tubes), the RIB got pretty soft and floppy. After exiting the thunderstorm, the sun came out and the temperature climbed back up to 90. In about 20 minutes, the RIB was back to its normal inflation state. It was kind of interesting to watch the boat in the rearview mirror as this happened.
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I watch the temperature fluctuation in my motorcycle tires on my TPMS and am totally surprised how much fluctuation there is, up and down is such short time periods. That does have some affect on the tire pressures as well.

On my inflatable, I usually have to pump it every other week. That OK, I figure if I ever wind up having to ditch in it, I will either take the pump with me or plan on getting to shore with in a week. :shock:

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
I am going through this exact same situation with our RIB (which is old enough not to really owe us anything). One chamber has a relatively fast leak. I haven't gotten around to looking for it in detail yet, but it's on the list, so following this with interest!
 
The internet says to add some glycerin to the soap solution. It makes the bubbles stand out more. My first action will be replacing the valves. If it still leaks I'll continue with the soap/glycerin solution paying close attention to seams. If that doesn't work I'll try Toobseal to try to seal any leaks from the interior.
 
Foggy":1f16nv77 said:
Gene&Mary":1f16nv77 said:
SNIP

Foggy- if I could find the leaks I would patch them.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Haul it.
Hose it (inside).
Watch it (outside).
Clean it.
Dry it.
Patch it.

Aye.
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I have an old 10 ft Avon Rover R3.11 (what, 30+ years or so old now), in Hypalon. Getting into a kayak or canoe as a dinghy is getting more difficult and I'm thinking of going to an inflatable dinghy that we can just step into and easily put my Torqeedo on.

This Avon has the inflatable keel tube and inflatable floor that allows it to be "rolled up" and stored on deck or cockpit. I've bought a Dewalt 20 volt leaf blower that will inflate it in a few minutes.

The keel tube and floor leak. I'm having trouble buying the old glues that it was made with. Has anyone used some of the newer, available, glues like Clifton F4844 and had good success? I can't find Rema Tip-Top SC-2000 or SC-4000. I've also seen recommendations for using 3M 5200. I have the time required for 5200 to cure as this is not an emergency repair, but I am worried about flexibility, as 5200 seems pretty rigid, and there aren't any people that actually used it to repair Hypalon writing reviews. Many of the newer glues fail quickly.

If anyone has any Rema Tip-top SC-2000 laying around (I can get the accelerator), and no use for it to repair Hypalon, I'd be happy to buy it from you, as I really like to keep old things going (like myself). Also, if any people that have had success with available glues like Clifton F4844, particularly in the waters of the PNW, could chime in, that would be great.
 
I also had to do a lot of work on my old Avon including re-gluing the rub strip in its entirety and many small repairs on the tubes and stern board taping plus one pinhole in the HP floor. Surprisingly I found that a product made for teak deck caulking bonded very strongly with the hypalon (and anything else!) after an initial solvent cleaning of the area to be repaired, a little abrasive sanding and more acetone cleaning before bonding. initial cure is overnight. I got the stuff from Defender Model# SIS440CG
A big plus is that the stuff is gray and matches the usual dink color pretty closely.
Alain P
 
I've also seen recommendations for using 3M 5200. I have the time required for 5200 to cure as this is not an emergency repair, but I am worried about flexibility, as 5200 seems pretty rigid, and there aren't any people that actually used it to repair Hypalon writing reviews. Many of the newer glues fail quickly.
Click to expand...

I have used 5200 on a PVC boat transom/ tube interface, where I could not get anything else to work. I had to keep it clamped for several days to get the best result. It was stiff, but did work. I suspect it would work the same with Hypalon.

I have used the two part Stabond with good results on Avon patches.
 
Gene&Mary":3gt8e65c said:
Has anyone used Toobseal or another product for sealing the interior tubes of RIBs. If you have was it successful?

thanks
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A RIB dealer I dealt with once said he had a boat that someone tried that on. It just made a big mess and didn't fix anything. It's pretty hard to rotate a boat of any size in 3-axes until the tube seal stuff sets up. It's not like fixing a tire.
 
I got that tool to remove the valve to check it and removed the valve today. I was really surprised to see that the valve screwed right into the rubber. The rubber area around the valve seems to be reinforced and the threads on the valve are fairly fine so it takes quite a few turns to get the valve out. I guess what I expected was that the valve would be threaded into another solid piece of plastic which would be glued or solidly attached to the rubber.

Is this how all valves are attached to rubber rafts?

Now that its out, how should I reinsert it to be sure If the leak was there, it won't lead again? There didn't seem to be any sealant material around the valve when I removed it.

Thanks
 
They are Halkey Roberts valves and checking on the internet there is an inside piece that the outer piece threads into. I didn't see it at first because it had fallen into the inside.

So the question is, should I put some sealant between the outer flange and the rubber before I tighten the valve down?

thanks
 
I recently used our 14' Intex pool to find a leak in a PVC inflatable raft. I put it in the pool, donned snorkel and mask, and went under it so I could see the bubbles coming from the leak.
 
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