A new Project! Old half dead Zodiac SIB.

[Mr-d]

Right, I seem to have "aquired" a old 5.5M Zodiac which is full of punctures, and is missing one valve, all of this for the amazing price of: NOTHING!

So far i have spent 6 Quid on it (Calmac ferry charges getting it to the mainland from The Isle Of Rum.)

The boat has been used as a tender/Mobile platform for painting bigger boats by the looks of it.

There are more patches on it than i have fingers so far as i can see.. half of the patches are alright, the other half seem to have been glued on with paint or something similar, i ripped a patch off today which i could pull off with two fingers, and it had so much gunk on the otherside it could never be airtight.... the gunk is sanded away now. New patch is applied and it is drying at the moment

It has a rather major puncture next to the transom underneath everything, and the floor needs to be detached to gain access...

So my question is.. has anyone ever converted a SIB to RIB?
I am VERY tempted to have a go at it, since this boat has cost me nothing really.... I already have spent about 10 quid on Bostik stuff and IBS PVC.

I'll post some pictures later

Ta ta.

Daniel..

[Nick Hearne]

Sounds like a lot of work, to end up with some nackered old tubes on a hull
But I bet you would learn a hell of a lot doing it!
Nick

[Seaharrier]

Transformation of an old Zodiac MK2 1974.

http://alexandre.coste.free.fr/modifYOYO/modif.htm

Have fun!

[Mr-d]

Wow, thanks for that link, I'll have to stick Babelfish onto it i think.
That boat is the identical of mine, but it looks a bit worse!
The tubes seem to hold air, and are in quite good shape, except for the patches... There are no abrasions and huge scratches going down the the reinforcing in the PVC. Its just those holes!

Im going to have to order myself some Marine Ply and Fiberglass (if i can get the tubes airtight first..)

Thanks,
Daniel.

[Seaharrier]

It took them almost half a year. I think the owner’s email is coste_alexandre@yahoo.fr

On www.pneuboat.com they have good information on different rib related topics.

Paul

[Mr-d]

Thanks for the link,

I really wish i spoke french!!!

Also i dont presume they worked on that boat every day, they must have had jobs, well.. guess what, i dont! At least not until august when school starts..

[Seaharrier]

They only worked during the weekends with 2 sometimes 3 or 4 people

If there are some words you don't understand, send me a mail.

[Mr-d]

Right, my patch failed miserably. It leaked out the side for some reason, so i got furious, started trashing the boat etc, ripped the transom out, tore the front deck off. (in the process i found another hole, at the side of the transom...)

Anyway, time for pictures
1. Nice side view of the magnificent dinghy.
2. Lovely picture of the professionally patched hole (with the patch removed.)
3. View from the front with the still intact front deck thingy.
4. Still going, with transom and half the floor removed.

I'll post some more lateron.

As for the website, I dont speak/read French at all. Would be best if it was in an understandable language like English.

Thanks for the offer

[Seaharrier]

Send me a PM with your e-mail. I made the translation via a very handy web-site. But it's too big (800kb) to upload it on this forum.

[prairie tuber]

Mr D,

What year is that boat (it looks early-late 70s)? It should say on the transom plate (if it is still there). I am pretty certain that the fabric of that boat is hypalon, not PVC, therefore hypalon fabric and hypalon glue must be used for repairs.

[Mr-d]

Uh-oh... I thought it looked like PVC... I know it has canvas reinforcing and has the dents patern like PVC has ... i've never really seen Hypalon from closeup, but i thought it was smoother, and had a patern to it similar to small crosses.

Anyway, pic on the transom (which has been removed )

Something about 1969 on it, dont know if its manufacturing date?
65HP max.. on a thing like that... i think that was before the days of the HSE.

[118118]

could be from 1977
----hense 77 at end of serial number?

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by 118118

could be from 1977
----hense 77 at end of serial number?

That's correct. I have a Mark I, also from 1977, which I once thought was a '69 because of the notation at the bottom of the plate. Is the fabric that forms the hood for the bow a single continuous piece or does it unzip in the middle (which I suspect it does)? Do you have the floorboards and aluminum stringer for it? What is the condition of the transom?

If it were me I would simply restore it to it's original setup as a SIB. Around here a hypalon Zodiac Mark III of that age, if in good working condition, would sell for between $3500 -$5000 Can (about $ 1500-2200 GBP), maybe more. Hypalon boats hold value for a long time, whereas PVC boats don't. Zodiac lost a tremendous amount of credibility by going to PVC in their mainline boats.

[prairie tuber]

Oh yeah! one more thing. If you come across any more hypalon Mark IIIs (or IVs) that are free, let me know! I dont' care how many holes it has, I'll pay the shipping to bring it here in a heartbeat!!!

[Mr-d]

The Fabric for the "hood" is one piece, well, WAS one piece.. its kinda *cough* torn now. Floorboards are there, they have angled pieces to "click" together, with aluminium rails to go along the side under the decking to keep the pannels straight. The transom WAS quite nice... but its out now... and it had a leak on the tube exactly where the transom was stuck on. so it had to come out...

So how sure are you that this IS hypalon, and what would happen if i stuck the PVC on?

Oh, the front hood thing was also very thin, and already torn in a few spots, its like the same material that rainclothing is made from. very thin...

Im starting to inquire about fiberglass now, so there is no turning round now

*EDIT* Heheh, will do.. but perhaps (depending on this "project") I might keep them myself

[prairie tuber]

My 'hood' thing zips up, but is also torn, I rarely use it anyway since I need the extra space that the open bow gives (esp. on a Mark I).

I doubt you will get an effective patch by using PVC on hypalon since they require different types of glue. Besides, if you are going to go through the process of a RIB conversion you may as well get the patches & reinforcements right from the outset. Sounds like a very cool project - hopefully you'll keep us updated with progress pictures.

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Mr-d

So how sure are you that this IS hypalon, and what would happen if i stuck the PVC on?

All Zodiac boats prior to 1985 were made of hypalon In 1985, Zodiac went to to PVC in all of their non-military/commercial boats. Here is one link to repairing hypalon leaks;

http://www.rivermarine.com/zodiac/zod13.htm


For minor leak patches a one part hypalon glue is OK. For structural bonds (esp to a fiberglass hull) I'd consult someone like Paul Tilley or Olmec tubing about what is needed.

[boatster]

Originally Posted by Seaharrier

Send me a PM with your e-mail. I made the translation via a very handy web-site. But it's too big (800kb) to upload it on this forum.

Or you can cut and paste the code into Google.com. Go to the Language translator.