Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
 
Old 24 February 2009, 17:02   #1
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: york
Make: avon s 300
Length: 3m +
Engine: old 7.5hp honda
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 3
hi first post a4 valves

hello, my first post , i bought an old avon s300 over winter, ive run fiberglass boats previously but i fancy the inflatable for just picking a waterway and exploring ....
my dinghy has 4 valves, but needs to have the plugs in two of the chambers to stay up! ive done some reading and see that the plug is described as the "secondary" seal? i dont fancy trying to replace these valves much so wondered what if any tricks folk have for restoring them ? i did use the dinghy back in december on my local river and had no problems so aren't too worryed but .....
oh and as a ps ! on my test run i borrowed a 5hp longshaft 4 stroke but have bought and old 7.5 hp s/s honda to use on her, what sort of speeds will i get with this? i ask this as with using the longshaft the boat didnt really like i !
cheers in advance kev
__________________
willowkevin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25 February 2009, 16:26   #2
Member
 
Country: USA
Town: Oakland CA
Length: 3m +
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,653
A buddy's Zodiac has the same problem. Not sure if there's a cure (short of rebuilding or replacing the valves.)

Perhaps a shot of spray silicone into the works while holding the valve open?

Dunno.


jky
__________________
jyasaki is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25 February 2009, 17:05   #3
Member
 
Ribshop's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: River Hamble
Length: 6m +
Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 726
Really the only long term solution would be to replace the valves. It is not as bad as it sounds and there are instructions on our web site.

http://www.rib-shop.com/prodtype.asp...ageHistory=cat

You can also purchase all the parts you need to do the job online.

If you have any questions just give us a bell.
__________________
RIB REPAIRS | RE-TUBES | RE-FIT - OUTBOARD SERVICING - ONLINE SHOP FOR RIB & TOHATSU PARTS .
Phone: 01489 556800 www.rib-shop.com
Ribshop is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26 February 2009, 11:01   #4
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: york
Make: avon s 300
Length: 3m +
Engine: old 7.5hp honda
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 3
thanks for the replies! i'll try the silicon idea first as if i have to change the valves i'd prefer to do this at the end of the season(gives me time to replace the dinghy if i mess up!) ive spent the last 2 summers rebuilding an old mercruiser and stern drive which i blew up on the second trip out so want some boating fun this year !! im only planning on using the sib on uk inland waterways and the boats stayed inflated in the font garden for he last two days ... it'll be ok unless someone knocks the valve !
another question - going thru locks ? do folk lock thru or carry their boats round ? i ask as ive only loops on the rear quarters to fasten a line to ! and am wondering how much controll ill have of the sib in a lock chamber when coming up ?
cheers once again kev
__________________
https://kev8255.fotopic.net/
willowkevin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2009, 08:25   #5
Member
 
Country: Other
Length: no boat
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 11
Hello Kevin.
I too have an old Avon S300 with A4 volcano valves. If I don't fit the bungs in then it will go flat in a couple of hours. If I fit the bungs then it stays firm for at least a week (got bored waiting after that). I just us a bit of of spittle to ease the bung in when fitting.
I really cannot see the need to cut open the tubes and fit new valve bodies. The bungs are dirt cheap.

Adrian

PS be careful that you do not get silicon on the tubes. It is not good for them.
__________________
ahebron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2009, 13:48   #6
Member
 
Country: UK - England
Town: york
Make: avon s 300
Length: 3m +
Engine: old 7.5hp honda
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 3
thanks for that adrian ! that was the answer i was hoping for !! i did take the dinghy out on the river ouse last week and had no trouble apart from a couple of pints of water coming onboard , thats curable though , i'm going to hav some fun on her , it only took me 30 mins to launch from a free slipway and i hardly used any petrol ! theres something to be said for these kind of boats !!
__________________
https://kev8255.fotopic.net/
willowkevin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2009, 18:09   #7
Member
 
m chappelow's Avatar
 
Country: UK - England
Town: yorkshire
Boat name: little vicky
Make: avon ex RNLI
Length: 3m +
Engine: tohatsu
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 2,310
in most cases there is nothing wrong its just a bit of t.l.c or cleaning the rubber seats, though a squirt of silicone spray or wipe with silicone grease usually does the trick for a few years ,also if left deflatedfor a long time i usually leave the valves open to take the weight off the seals ,regards mart
__________________
m chappelow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04 March 2009, 21:28   #8
Member
 
Country: Other
Length: no boat
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 11
Kevin we had ours out on the harbour last night and had a great time. Watching the bow fold back to 90 degrees was interesting. This happened while surfing the waves and falling off the front of the wave. Popped back down and all was fine. Big grins all round.

Adrian
__________________
ahebron is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off




All times are GMT. The time now is 23:26.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.