Help with an old 1987 Zodiac RIB

[seanavent]

I'm new to the RIB thing and have always wanted one. I picked up a 1987 Zodiac rib with tubes that need a lot of help and a motor that may be too big. The fiberglass is in top notch shape all around.

These are the numbers from the hull tag - some numbers are corroded quite a bit. It was made in Canada.
Can anyone tell me what model this might be?
Type: 3619, 3819, or 3919?
Weight: 130 kg
Total Weight: 287 pound
Weight capacity: 600 kg
Max hp: 50
Serial no. xdc p40?1 h787

First off, is the motor too big for the boat? It's a mid-1980's Mercury 3 cylinder 70 HP. the hull reads max 50 HP, but is that because of weight or power restraints?

Secondly, I'm preparing to start getting the tubes sealed and refurbished. I want make sure I go about his in the right way. There's a medium-sized patch that is failing and the cones at the aft end of the tubes have many little pinholes. someone tried to repair it by coating the cones with some thing like the truck bed material (like rhino lining).

I plan on:
1) removing the tubes (already done)
2) removing bad patches and repatching inside and out
3) sealing the tubes with Inland Marine Sealant
4) Sanding off the bad job of painting it with some kind of rubberized paint
4) Refixing the seam tapes with 3m 5200 (the old glue is going to be hell to remove it, therefore the 5200)
5) Applying a coat of Inland Marine rubber paint in spots that need it
6) Paint it with a coat of Inland Marine Top coat

I'm not sure about how to reaffix the tubes to the transom though.

I'm also inquiring at a dealer to see what new tubes will cost. But there's got to be some company out there making aftermarket tubes, isn't there? Anyone have a good source? I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, California.

Thanks for any input or thoughts!

[ssobol]

Here is a cross reference of model numbers

Westport Marina, Zodiac Model Numbers and Years,

or here

Zodiac Nomenclature|Parts Schematics for Zodiac Inflatable Boats|Zodiac Nomenclature

Depending on the type of tube (PVC or Hypalon) you might just be better off getting new tubes. Provided you have the original tubes, even a hypalon boat from '87 will be pushing it even if the boat was cared for.

Provided the boat can carry the weight of the larger engine, there is no law that says you have to operate it flat out (and exceed the boat HP limit). Assuming that the motor has been on the boat for some time, it would seem that the boat can handle the larger engine.

[seanavent]

Thanks much ssobol!

Unfortunately neither of those references go back to 1987.

I was thinking the same about the engine. I could just limit the throttle it if need be.

But tubes may be hard to get a hold of. Does anyone other than Zodiac make tubes that could fit? It's not rocket science and my Aunt Mayble could make a pattern from the old tubes - she just doesn't know how to heat weld PVC yet.

[jyasaki]

Polaris Inflatables in Canada, or Wing in Arcata could build a new set from the old. Would be somewhat pricey, I suspect.

Where are you planning on boating?

jky

[cgoing]

Do yoiu have any photos that you can post?

I had no issue geting tubes for my Zodiac rib and it is a 1989.

[captnjack]

Without having seen the rhino lining and other BS attempts at fixing the existing tubes... I think you might just want to use them as a pattern so someone can replace them.

[seanavent]

Thanks for the advice -

I should have also posted something on the BAdivign forum or the SF reefdivers forum. I've seen you around those boards as well. I'm going to try to get quotes from Arcata to see how much the tubes are from there.

I plan on using the RIB for a variety of purposes from family camping trips on Lake Sonoma to salmon fishing in the bay and out of Half Moon Bay and of course divng on the Sonoma and Mendocino north coasts and Monterrey too.

I played with the boat yesterday and found leaks only at one previous patch and in the cones. it hold air otherwise just great. But the baffles are gone and I wonder if there's any remedy for that (in case one seam separates, having enough flotation in the other chambers to get me back to shore at least.

I've put in a request for a quote from the local Zodiac dealer and so far it's been a week without word.

The quote I got last night from the RIB shop was:
$2809 tubes
$328 shipping
$609 VAT
________
$3746 total

Two other in the UK told me they need me to ship my current tubes over to make a template. That is probably cost-prohibitive.

But I'll see how well the boat does in inland conditions for a while after fixing the small leaks.

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Polaris Inflatables in Canada, or Wing in Arcata could build a new set from the old. Would be somewhat pricey, I suspect.

Where are you planning on boating?

jky

[seanavent]

I need to take pictures of the whole process and post them. Where did you get your tubes from?

Originally Posted by cgoing

Do yoiu have any photos that you can post?

I had no issue geting tubes for my Zodiac rib and it is a 1989.

[seanavent]

I think you are right. Maybe I'll try to use the boat in calm conditions for as long as I can until I can get new tubes.

Originally Posted by captnjack

Without having seen the rhino lining and other BS attempts at fixing the existing tubes... I think you might just want to use them as a pattern so someone can replace them.

[seanavent]

I just got a quote from Wings in Arcata to replace the tubes for about $10,000 ($2k for template design and $8k for 17-foot tubes). Probably a bit cheaper for 14-foot tubes, but still - ouch! I understand that the product is a great one, but that's a bit steep for my personal wallet.

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Polaris Inflatables in Canada, or Wing in Arcata could build a new set from the old. Would be somewhat pricey, I suspect.

Where are you planning on boating?

jky

[captnjack]

yeah if the interior baffles are gone that's a huge concern as with any leak you'll sink. $3700 doesn't sound bad though, if kept out of the sun the PVC tubes will last a long long time.

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by seanavent

I just got a quote from Wings in Arcata to replace the tubes for about $10,000

Try Guy at Polaris Inflatables. He's done tubes for a couple of people on here.

Oh, and I hope you mean "Monterey" and not "Monterrey". The latter is a really long trailer haul, and not very close to the ocean.


jky

[seanavent]

OK - so after a month of an hour or two here an there and $20 worth of 3M 5200, I gave up on the old tube set. Removing the old outer coating of whatever it was from the cones just put more holes in the tubes than I was repairing.

So I ordered new Zodiac tubes from Defender to be drop-shipped to my workplace from France. Cost was about $2600. Now I wonder if I have to either replace the foam between the transom and the tubes or should I seal with 4200 or something else? Hmmm..

I'll post pics when I'm set to go adn ready to launch out of Half Moon bay for the dungeness.

seanavent

[jyasaki]

Foam???

Need pictures. I can't picture where any foam would be unless it was to mitigate abrasion.

jky

[cgoing]

The foam tape helps to seal the tube to hull to prevent water from coming in. The newer boats are desgined a little different and no longer use the foam tape. Zodiac does not stock that "seal kit" anymore for the older boats. I went to Home Depot or Lowe's and got a sticky backed foam tape that is about 3/8" thick and stuck it to the hull. It does the trick just fine and cost me under $20.00.
Selaing that area with 4200 or caulk of any sorts will jsut make a huge mess of your new tubes. Good luck with the boat !

-Chris

[seanavent]

Thanks for the reply John. It seems that cgoing had a great solution (previous post). I'll try the tubes with what is on there now and if it leaks, Ill remove and go to home depot for some new stick on foam sheeting.

But because you asked, I've attached a couple pics. You can see that the PO used silicon caulking to try to seal it. I guess the tubes were leaking and didn't create a good enough seal when only partially inflated. I'm trying to remove all that silicon and get it back to a smoother surface.

SA

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Foam???

Need pictures. I can't picture where any foam would be unless it was to mitigate abrasion.

jky

[seanavent]

Thanks! That's just what I was looking for.

SA

[jyasaki]

Gotcha.

If you Google "Adhesive backed EPDM foam" you'll get quite a few hits; just have to figure out thikness and width.


Luck;

jky

[columbiachop]

Hey I just bought the twin of your boat yesterday. Here's a picture. It says zodiac Pro System. I assumed it was a pro 420. I got lucky and the tubes are holding air with only a couple existing patches. The foam against the transom seems solid. It was in storage for 15 years and sat on a commercial fishing boat in Alaska before that. I just slapped a 25hp tiller on today and ready to test in the columbia. Let me know if you need any pics or info that can help you.

[seanavent]

Nice Rib. Have you taken off the tubes yet? I'd love to see how the rear end looks between the tubes and the hull.