new to this forum!

[robster]

hi guys! i like water sports/fishing etc. , i was in CA last weekend and a guy was having a garage sale and selling his 11.5 ft inflatable boat (zodiac) with aluminum flooring for $70, it was deflated because it has 2 tiny holes. he said it's an easy fix. so i bought it, he even gave me his free never opened Stabond(adhesive,with hardener(?). i fixed it, and here's how it looks like, do you guys know what model of zodiac this is? and the year?, and is it possible to paint this kinds of boats? what paint can i use? are these boats made of PVC or Hyphalon? thanks to all and i appreciate all your responses.

..and oh, that's my 80 yo dad on the last picture

here's the boat: http://img411.imageshack.us/g/dsc02682a.jpg/

[Maximus]

Looks like a Bargain mate....could be the START of something!OH, And welcome to Ribnet!

[bedajim]

Hi

Before you paint it I'd try some cleaner on the tubes with a stiff brush or pan scourer, similar to TFR
That Moller’s bloke on here swears by it and Wear gloves and glasses

Like the third one listed in the link and water it down as they say
but from somewhere a little more local

http://www.eurochem.co.uk/products.php?categories_id=11

Then you'd need to protect it from UV rays with something like

http://www.shinearama.co.uk/product.php?id=303-30340

You'll be surprised how good it'll look

Jim

[willk]

Originally Posted by bedajim

That Moller’s bloke on here swears by it and Wears gloves and glasses

He does. It works a treat too. TFR = Traffic Film Remover, BTW.

[kelson]

Looking at the pictures it does appear that the tubes look to be in fairly decent shape. Even older faded zodiac tubes can have a lot of life left in them since the tube seams are thermo welded. However, all of the other seams, including floor seams, are glued and the bonds tend to fail with heat, time and sun exposure. It is easy to see that the material holding the rope hand lines is separating from the tube top. This is generally an indication that other glued seams may be ready to fail. The straps that go from the transom around the hull don't exactly make one confident that the transom bonds are good either. The first thing I would do is fill the inflated boat with water and look for leaks where the floor joins to the tubes. I would also look carefully for water seeping out along the transom seams. I did a bunch of repairs to my older zodiac futura and then got to experience taking on water through a leaking transom three miles offshore in a remote location in Mexico. When i got home I went around the vessel methodically pulling apart any glued seam and removing any glued accessory that would separate without damaging the coating on the PVC fabric underneath. A total pain in the ___. But after gluing everything I have a zodiac that doesn't leak, survives four wheel drive trails and surf launching. Even with the floor and transom leaking the boat floated just fine, just be careful and don't assume that everything is well bonded.

Stabond works great, but I hope you are aware of the humidity and temp limitations when working with two part glues. Have you seen the proper instructions for doing this work? Check this site. http://www.allinflatables.com/support/pvc.html A seemingly good bond that has been made in humid conditions will have a greatly reduced strength. The humidity part is very important. Don't go by the newspaper, weather report or how the conditions feel. I bought a cheap hygrometer at Fry's and I was often surprised to find high humidity when it didn't seem like it would be a problem.

You can get top coat paints for the inflatable. They do work fairly well. I have seen inflatables coated with this two layer stuff that held up very well. http://www.allinflatables.com/shopping/paint/index.html If the tubes clean up and the fabric has integrity the top coat is just cosmetic. I would just use 303 Protectant on the cleaned surfaces to help with UV exposure and leave it at that.

Old boats can be more work than they are worth, but if you have the time and the inclination you can bring your PVC zodiac back to life. Most of my flooring has been reglued, I have patches on my tubes and the transom was removed and reglued. Everything has held up for 4 years of major abuse. Good luck and maybe I'll see you and the Bay!

As far as model and year go, that information is stamped into the manufacturers plate on the transom. May be currently illegible. The plastic coating was long gone on mine and I scrubbed it lightly with fine steel wool so I could read the impressed letters and numbers by holding a flashlight at an angle and discerning the shadowed imprint.

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by willk

He does. It works a treat too. TFR = Traffic Film Remover, BTW.

Unfortunately, I don't think you can get TFR in the US. At least, I haven't found it.

To the OP: The boat has a West Marine badge on the side, no? They have pretty good customer service (their prices are ridiculous, but the CS is good), so why not get the serial number and any other identifying info off the transom plate and give them a call? Their CS number is 1-800-BOATING (or for the letter impaired, 1-800-262-8464.)

One other thing about most inflatable boat glues: They typically have a shelf life of about a year (at least the ones I've used do.)

Anyway, congrats on the boat (nice deal), and welcome to the forum.


jky

[willk]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Unfortunately, I don't think you can get TFR in the US. At least, I haven't found it.

Tomayto - Tomaahto

http://www.ankosales.com/Qstore/Qsto...ROD=1012328039

(I think )

[thornbackflound]

Very nice boat there, and you will have half as much cleaning her up as i will have to do, on my next purchase ,lol,,,,,,,,,,,,,,that seat looks good ,any ideas were i can get one in england ?,two would be great ,and without sticking seat patchs down a good thing

[Bigmuz7]

Originally Posted by willk

He does. It works a treat too. TFR = Traffic Film Remover, BTW.

Fek me .. Mollers is uglier than I thought I mean I know he is a transvestite and all that ...

[Bigmuz7]

Welcom robster .. make sure you keep your Dad busy now those old boys need an occupation to keep them on the go

[robster]

thanks for all the comments and tips guys, i'm trying to restore the elasticity of the rubber or (PVC?) the previous owner used it on salt water. but overall the condition is fairly good./ kelson are you from SD?, i actually bought the boat in Point Loma,San diego CA. , i'm from yuma AZ. / stabond is a good product,gives a strong bond, i used hair dryer to minimize humidity, cures completely after 18hrs.,
i'm gonna try it on the lake this saturday and see what happens. i bought a $25 trolling motor in a yard sale,hope it works fine, 40lbs thrust. let's see, i'll post pics.

Bigmuz7, LOL! yeah ,need to make my dad busy,my parents are here for a visit ,theyr'e from NY, they want to experience the AZ heat for a change. thanks!

[kelson]

Hmmm, I'm not too sure about that hair dryer technique. Sta Bond works pretty well in quite a wide range of conditions, but even in Yuma the humidity can get higher than you want. Particularly for critical bonds that need their maximum strength you will want to stay on top of this. I either wait for better conditions or use a dehumidifier in an enclosed space. Sta Bond does not cure in 18 hours. It may have a decent bond in 18 hours, but full cure is 7 days. Most repair shops won't release repaired boats for 48 hours at a minimum. You really should read the instructions at the link provided before doing more than a small patch. You don't want to go to the effort to make a major repair and have it peel. High heat can re activate the glue so you will want to avoid exposing repairs to a lot of heat or direct sunlight until they are cured.

So why is there a strap around the tubes at the transom?

I'm sure you will have a great time with your inflatable and welcome to club. I'll bet it won't be long until you will be looking for the biggest outboard your boat is rated for!

[Mollers]

Hi Robster. Is the water cooler there to be installed in the boat?

[robster]

do you inflate or deflate your inflatable when you will store it for a long period of time? what's your idea?
and on these pics ,i used sander to smoothen sun damaged part of the boat and remove old adhesives,works fine. http://img222.imageshack.us/g/dsc08524r.jpg/