Introducing The Smaller Nashers 380 Aerotec

[Nasher]

Myself and the Smaller Nashers took a trip over to the Island today to pick up the Bombard 380 Aerotec we’ve found to replace their 2.8M Zodiac.

Thanks again to 118118 for the heads up about this boat.

The seller had said on the phone it was a bit dirty but in good condition underneath the grime, which was partly true, but we didn’t pay much for it in the end.

Firstly I’m assuming it’s PVC, can anyone confirm this?

We’ve only given it a quick scrub over with Traffic film Remover so far, the tubes and underneath have come up OK but the deck has some real ground in grime that will need a better scrub out of the boat.

It was previously used as a rescue boat for a sailing club, and has a couple of badly applied patches which I’ll take off and redo, but there are other leaks that will need sorting.

The tops of the tubes where you sit to drive have some small pin pricks in them, which is strange as there are no marks from harnesses etc, it really looks like somebody has pushed a pin through the tubes in half a dozen places.
These will be easy to sort as I’ll put a large wear patch down either side which will cover them all up and provide a less slippery place to sit as well.

Anyone have two pieces of Black PVC wear patch @30” x 8”?

The boat was full of sand, including all three valves, which needed a good clean out and a spray of silicone before they would shut tight.

The harder part to sort is going to be the deck.
The Port side has a couple of very small splits right on the join between the side and top surface right down in joint along the keel area. One up in the bow that’s been very badly patched and leaks very slightly, and another back by the transom that hasn’t been touched and also leaks very slightly. It did stay up for over an hour before going soft enough to have to pump it back up, so it’s not that bad.

So, I’ll also be needing some Grey PVC to make some patches for the deck.

Both sides of the deck did initially go down very quickly, but I discovered both ‘O’ rings on the valves were shot, and once I’d replaced them with some I found in my garage they were fine.

One question I've just thought of.
As I’ll be looking out for a 10 – 15HP two stroke for it, what shaft length should I go for?
Obviously the ‘V’ shaped transom makes it a little different to other SIBs we’ve had.

Thanks

Nasher.

[Nasher]

Sorry, one more question for existing owners.

The seat is missing, does this add any rigidity or can we use it without one with no worries?

Thanks

Nasher.

[John Kennett]

Looks like a good project!

It takes a short shaft motor and you may find that you need to jack it up by a couple of inches too if you get a lot of spray. I wouldn't get anything less than 15hp; it will work with a 10 but you're going to be running it flat out all the time.

You're OK without the seat, but it should be an easy job to make another one. Let me know if you want a template.

[C-NUMB]

Nice catch!

Yes, its PVC. Its Bombard/Zodiac "strongan" fabric for the tubes. The deck is hard to clean due to the none slip surface, i used plenty of warm water and soap in the shower space in the bathroom

Have not patched mine but did do some glue work and would not recommend work with the Polymarine 2k glue on this fabric. Maybe it was me(lack of skills) or then this specific PVC just not work well with it. Would try zodiac glue( re branded Bostic?).

I did use mine sometimes without the seat, did not notice much difference.

You will need to have high pressure in the deck so those should be patched carefully. Good luck!

[ribraff]

Hi Nasher

This is a PVC tube, excellent boat, I had a 15 S/S Yammie on the back of mine and like John said jack it up on the transom, I had a block of wood under mine which was about 1.5" and it was still pretty good on the turns.

[Nasher]

Thanks guys, the boys and myself are really looking forward to getting started on it properly, hopefully I can teach them a thing or two.

I'll start looking for a 15HP SS motor.
It needs to be as light as possible because the whole point of this boat like their current one is to be able to roll it up in the RIB and pump it up when we get to the beach.
At the moment I can very easily sit on the RIB tubes and put their 4HP merc over the side onto the SIB, but it's not going to be that easy with anything bigger.

Good tip about jacking the engine up, thanks.

So it's defo PVC then, or 'strongan', thanks.

Patching the deck is going to be hard because of the areas involved, but I'm sure with patience we can do it, and just to be sure I'll go down the Bostic route rather than Polymarine. I've always 'tacked' the surface of PVC with Acetone before gluing and not had a patch come off.

Might take you up on the template for a seat John, but it will be a low priority at the moment.

Nasher.

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by Nasher

I'll start looking for a 15HP SS motor.
It needs to be as light as possible because the whole point of this boat like their current one is to be able to roll it up in the RIB and pump it up when we get to the beach.
At the moment I can very easily sit on the RIB tubes and put their 4HP merc over the side onto the SIB, but it's not going to be that easy with anything bigger.

In that case it might be worth taking the performance hit if you can find a Tohatsu 9.8!

[willk]

Originally Posted by John Kennett

In that case it might be worth taking the performance hit if you can find a Tohatsu 9.8!

There are quite a few popping up on Fleabay at the mo. Here's one
It is 2005 or older. 2005 are making £900ish, IIRC.

[C-NUMB]

I would try this one out, price is not bad, its glue specific for bombard/ zodiac fabric.

http://www.ronhalemarine.co.uk/super..._Part_Adhesive

I have about 1 m2 red "strongan", seams like heavy duty material to me, but sure You will find this stuff for patching closer also.

[Nasher]

Originally Posted by C-NUMB

I would try this one out, price is not bad, its glue specific for bombard/ zodiac fabric.

http://www.ronhalemarine.co.uk/super..._Part_Adhesive

I have about 1 m2 red "strongan", seams like heavy duty material to me, but sure You will find this stuff for patching closer also.

Thanks C-NUMB
Ron Hale are my local Bombard/Zodiac dealer so I was thinking of dropping in to see them on Friday afternoon. Unfortunately work will keep me away from the boat until then.

John/Willk
The 9.8 Tohatsu is one of the engines on my list, but what sort of performance could I expect with one?

Nasher.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Nasher

John/Willk
The 9.8 Tohatsu is one of the engines on my list, but what sort of performance could I expect with one?

Originally Posted by John Kennett

that Tohatsu is a corker. Mine will just about get my 340 Aerotec on the plane with 2 adults and 2 kids

Has he upgraded the boat since he posted that dimension I wonder?

[John Kennett]

No, that was a typo. It's a 380

[Nick Hearne]

Nasher I have the 380 with a 15hp 2ST Yamie & it is great fun with your lad in it on his own it will fly, I can get on the plain with family of 5 & picnic with a bit of jigging around with weight!
I have also packed this up on to my old boat (6.4m) at anchor & would not want to do this with anything bigger! the boat & engine are about 76kg 36kg the engine which I can handle by my self.
I would stick with nothing less than a 15hp 2st as if you do not I think you will be hankering for more power!
Have fun

[Nick Hearne]

And anther point I have been using mine to tow 3 kids on a very large biscuit as using the old boat was costing a arm & leg! It managed very well to the task with just a 15hp on it!

[squiddy]

Hurray - another aerotec 380 - surely they must, now, be the most owned SIB on sibnet????

What do fellow aerotec users reckon to the "bung strings" - the thinest bits of elasticated string I have ever seen that attach bungs to transom - do these just snap off straight away? They do not inspire much confidence, think the bungs would be safer in my pocket when not in use. Am i missing something?

[Nick Hearne]

Originally Posted by squiddy

Hurray - another aerotec 380 - surely they must, now, be the most owned SIB on sibnet????

What do fellow aerotec users reckon to the "bung strings" - the thinest bits of elasticated string I have ever seen that attach bungs to transom - do these just snap off straight away? They do not inspire much confidence, think the bungs would be safer in my pocket when not in use. Am i missing something?

No problem with mine, but they are not elasticated!

[squiddy]

Originally Posted by Nick Hearne

No problem with mine, but they are not elasticated!

Hmmmm, maybe I just dreamed that they are elasticated!

Still very thin and snappable though, I reckon!

[kelson]

I have found getting a good bond to be a little more demanding with PVC than hypalon. I've used Poly Marine with good success, Zodiac two part was fine, but I prefer Sta Bond. I don't know if that is available in the UK. A fresh, dated and properly stored can of glue is always better than any particular brand that may be old (recommended shelf life of one year with proper environmental conditions). Here is a link to the proper instructions for two part PVC glues. The relative humidity plays a big role in long term and overall bond strength. Acetone works okay, but you can feel the difference on the PVC surface when you use MEK to pre treat. Acetone flashes off too fast IMO.

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOGLUE.html

[Nasher]

Couldn’t resist spending just 1/2hr playing with the boat this evening.

I conveniently didn’t manage to source any tiles for the bathroom I’m re-fitting in the house at the moment, which meant I had a little time. Mrs Nasher has pointed out that most of the reason I didn’t get the tiles was because the boys and myself spent all day Sunday picking the boat up and cleaning it down, but she’s being very good about it so far.

First the really good news.
Despite the temperature plummeting in my unheated garage this evening and the pin-pricks mentioned initially, all three chambers of the boat don’t feel as if they’ve lost any air at all since we first pumped it up yesterday afternoon.
Cleaning the valves out obviously worked, and the pin pricks must have closed up when the pressure in the tubes dropped slightly, but I really can’t feel the difference.
Adding the wear patches I mentioned over the top of them will certainly stop them leaking at all.

Next the good news.
I tried a very quick wipe over the deck with Acetone before washing it off again, and the result can be seen in the first image below. With a bit of work it will clean up really well. Or am I tempting danger using Acetone?

Now the bad news.
The badly applied patch to the deck near the bow in the second image is leaking where the top layer goes over the edge of the bottom layer.
The bottom layer has been applied up to the edge of the seam, then another layer has been added overlapping it. I assume it was still leaking.
I’ll peel them both off, clean the area up and apply a patch around the corner, hopefully if done properly this will sort it.

And the rest of the bad news.
In the third image I have marked with a Blue Chinagraph pencil an area along the seam where the material has cracked open. It’s almost directly opposite a patch on the other part of the deck, and I’m wondering if the sailing club used to jam something down in the gap, a temporary flag pole or something, which caused some damage.
Anyway, they’ve left me with a difficult repair along the seam just like the one near the bow that I’ve mentioned above.
This part of the deck goes down quite quickly, and the difference was apparent within 10mins this evening.

Despite having done quite a few repairs to both Hypalon and PVC over the years, some of which were quite involved, I’d appreciate any tips from the professionals on how to tackle these areas.

So the shopping list so far.

15HP 2-stroke.
New drum of Acetone or other solvent to clean the deck.
2 pieces of Black non-slip wear patch material @8” x 36”
About a foot square of light grey PVC or genuine Bombard material to cut patches for the deck.
Good quality 2-part PVC Glue.

Nasher.

[Nasher]

I'm going to leave patching the deck and putting the wear patches on for a short while, mainly until the outside temp warms up a little and I can be confident the glue will react properly whilst working in my unheated garage.

The deck really does need a clean though, and the only thing I can find that cuts through whatever is on there is Acetone. This obviously leaves the surface sticky, and I'm assuming MEK will do the same. Great for gluing preperation but not for the long term.

My bottle of Ribshine won't touch it, and neither will TFR or Cillet Bang.

So, for the PVC deck what's the best bet? Acetone or MEK? and can I get rid of the stickyness afterwards? Or will it go after a short while?

Thanks

Nasher.