Can this be fixed??

[BogMonster]

There don't seem to be any wear patches at all on mine - like the black ones pictured earlier in the thread - I guess it is just crap design/build

I don't have enough at the moment to do a big job but it definitely needs to be on the "to do" list

What are the black bits on other RIBs is that hypalon or something else? mine only has that right next to where it joins to the GRP

When I did the "experiment" I roughed it up with some coarse sandpaper, took the sheen off the surface. Probably just the wrong sort of glue, so I hope one of the folks tomorrow has some Bostik or I am going to be VOR (or should that be BOW?) for a long time waiting for some...

[roycruse]

I reckon a half meter square or 3/4 meter square of hypalon to cut your two triangular wear patches from must cost around £50 (probably cheaper if you can get on the right side of one of the tube manufacturers / rib repairs here on ribnet). 1/2 litre of 2402 must be around £15 - £20 and the 5 day airmail for that is in the region of £30.

So worst case scenario if you cant source the materials locally for less than £100 you can get someone here on ribnet to send it all over and you can be back on the water in less than a week

[Rogue Wave]

would that area be in line with wash from the prop at all?

[jwalker]

It's the bit that takes the hammering. Cos Humbers are low to the water, every wave and every turn impacts that bit. My Destroyer had the patches and I extended them in the way I posted earlier. Twoz the solution. You're correct, inner tube adhesive doesn't work.

There may be a bit of a design flaw in the method used for joining the cones. Previously, Humber used an outside seam tape just as they did for each panel join but this gave a forward facing edge and was prone to lifting. The present system keeps the edges rearward but it leaves a small section of single layer hypalon at the cone join. I suspect that is the slight crease you mentioned earlier. You can sea it also on my picture and it's the reason I suggest the black patch should extend back to protect the cone seam. Having double layers each side of a single layer at the point of most flexure is going to ensure the single layer does pretty much all of the flexing. Dopey design.

The tail end if the tube is also the likely contact place for any debris you may encounter and a bit of extra protection in this area is not a bad thing.

[BogMonster]

JW,

I wondered if that was the case, whether there was a small area where there is a single thickness of hypalon between the seams, it would explain everything and definitely means it needs reinforcing. Definitely a dumb design, for the sake of an extra inch or two of hypalon they could have overlapped the seams and made it several times stronger.

Roy, unfortunately adhesive can't come by air as it is flammable, the airlines won't carry it even if anybody will send it (which Humber won't as I'd already been on to them about ordering repair bits before this happened - they will only post inside UK).

I guess I am finding out why Humbers are cheaper than anything else. You gets what you pays for like with most things...

[Jonny Fuller]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

JW,

I guess I am finding out why Humbers are cheaper than anything else. You gets what you pays for like with most things...

Jeff, you're not gonna let him get away with sayin that are ye?

Fragile these inflatable boats, aren't they!

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

JW,

I wondered if that was the case, whether there was a small area where there is a single thickness of hypalon between the seams, it would explain everything and definitely means it needs reinforcing. Definitely a dumb design, for the sake of an extra inch or two of hypalon they could have overlapped the seams and made it several times stronger.

Roy, unfortunately adhesive can't come by air as it is flammable, the airlines won't carry it even if anybody will send it (which Humber won't as I'd already been on to them about ordering repair bits before this happened - they will only post inside UK).

I guess I am finding out why Humbers are cheaper than anything else. You gets what you pays for like with most things...

Have a go at Humber - explain it is damaging their reputation and that it is a design fault and I am sure they will send you the material free of charge - especially if you make some veiled threats about them having to come over to fix it!!!

Under British law if the fault was there from new then it has to be corrected - even 20 years on!!!

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by Jonny Fuller

Jeff, you're not gonna let him get away with sayin that are ye?

I'm sayin' nuthin'.

Fragile these inflatable boats, aren't they!

Well, one of them is.


Edit: What might be significant is; I inflate my boat tubes until the safety valves blow off. It makes them pretty firm. Now I've said that, I bet they fekkrs are going to explode the next time I'm out.

[BogMonster]

Well I have got some 2 part Hypalon glue, it ain't the Bostik it is this stuff:

polymarine adhesive

it says it is for Hypalon repairs so hopefully will be OK.

Don't know how well it is going to go because it is a pig of a place to work on and due to the shape of the tube and the stiffness of the rubbing strip I can't collapse the tube enough to put pressure on the patch ... but I have sanded the &&&& out of it (nice and orange now) first layer of goo is on both bits, it says leave that for 30 min then do another layer then leave for 5 min and slap the patch on with as much pressure as possible.

Just cut a small section for now, to fit between the two seams and cover the bit that is leaking, it will be easier to work on reinforcing the other weak bits once I can get some air into the thing and have something to press against - at the moment it is like trying to work with a jelly and there is a big wrinkle in the hypalon only a few inches away from the hole which will be impossible to glue anything to at the moment.

Still at least the sun is shining

Fingers crossed.... cure time is 48 hours so I guess I shouldn't put any air into it till Monday.

I am definitely going to whinge at Humber next week.

[Liverbird]

www.allinflatables.com and click repairs & try hypalon.I had never done a repair until last year and i just scoured the internet and got as much info as possible and tried.The repair (whilst a little daunting to begin with) was perfect when finished and was holding air when i traded in last year.

[wavelength]

Under British law if the fault was there from new then it has to be corrected - even 20 years on!!!

oh dear - here we go again with a statement that the law says this and that, it was carrying spare wheels last time.
Unless you can provide statute, statute date, and section I would suggest this one is equally inaccurate or as Garf would say "bollux".
Looks to me like some sort of damage sustained anyway-perhaps the last owner might have just an inkling as to what happened. Far be it from me to suggest that it might have been just a bit of a factor in the decision to sell and a reason to keep pumping it up before the sale.

[BogMonster]

I actually did some research into this for something recently, different subject (vehicles) but the "fit for purpose" bit applies to more or less anything. IIRC I found that the generic European law says any latent defects are the manufacturers responsibility for a minimum of 2 years, but in the UK for some reason it is extended to 6 years. This boat is just inside that (supplied late 2000, not sure when exactly it was built but earlier that year I imagine) but more to the point it has a mere 303 hours operating time on it from new (I checked today on the engine hour meter) and since I expect to be doing 100 odd hours a year, if the worst comes to the worst and I had to re-tube it (which is beyond the capability of me or anybody else round here anyway), I bl&ddy well wouldn't expect to have to do it again in another 3 years because the @&5e fell out of the tubes again.

Can't see me getting too far with waving the law at them anyway, they would probably say "no problem send it back to us and we will have a look" -- freight both ways would end up costing nigh on what the boat did... just as cheap to throw it away but if it comes to that it will be my first and last boat.

Not sure if the previous owner knew about it or not, the thought crossed my mind, but there is no sign of any repair work ever having been done to this area and I suspect the damage was almost invisible until it blew out yesterday.

Having been looking at everything very closely while working on it today, I am now quite sure it is a defect in the design/construction because if you look at the tube on the other side, there is a discolouration and slight swelling/stretching in the hypalon in exactly the same place - the narrow zone where a single layer is between two double layers - and once you can see that marking, you can follow it right the way round the circumference of both tubes. I guess it has failed at the bottom because as others have said that is the bit that takes the battering, but you can see the marking right the way round the tube in good sunlight. Even if I had noticed this before I wouldn't have paid any attention to it, but having seen the failure, and flexed the deflated tube I have been working on, you can see that this narrow zone is what will take ALL the flexing in this area. And you can also see that if they had bothered to overlap the hypalon by an extra inch on each side it would have been a triple layer instead of a single layer and the problem wouldn't have ever happened

Anybody else with a Humber would be well advised to check for this problem. If I can get decent light on it tomorrow I will try and take a very close up photo of the tube on the other side to show what it looks like.

Thanks to everybody that has contributed so far, my experiences are not developing into what I hoped boat ownership was going to be like but it is good to know there is a resource like this forum and the knowledgable and helpful folk that inhabit it, to give advice

[wavelength]

You may find that there were certain amendments to the sale of goods act etc somewhere about 2003 ish from memory, thankfully I no longer need to know-ooooh early retirement is a wonderful thing .
I would think that buying a used item with unrecorded history, from a third party outside both the uk and EU may, shall we say, complicate it just a little. At the end of the day its civil law and to try to enforce ones rights, if there are any (which I think highly unlikely) means a writ and that means money for the lawyers. It would be better spent trying to sort out a practical repair option.

[Swifty]

I had the same problem last year, but my seam failed on the leading edge and filled the tube with sea water. Any remaining air was forced out a small pinhole leak in the top of the tube. First I knew about it was when I stopped to change fuel tanks over. The boat was listing about 30 degrees and that tube was rock hard.

I suspect I hit something in the water, but was not aware of it until too late. I let the water out the inflation valve then lashed the deflated side up and drove it back.

Tim'mers.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

....my experiences are not developing into what I hoped boat ownership was going to be like ..

Don't loose heart. It's really a small problem and once you've got the extra strengthening in place it'll be fine for years. Anyway, when it's done, get all that green algae off, wipe it with thinners and get some sealer onto the whole boat. You'll end up with a smile.

[BogMonster]

Dave, I'll take your word for it! I think the stuff I was looking at was on some UK Govt "consumer rights" websites about six months ago but I don't profess to be an expert. I don't think heading down that road would be worthwhile, might as well draw all the money out of my bank account pile it up in the boat with the spare fuel cans and set fire to the damn thing, as get lawyers involved! The end result would be about the same, no boat and no money.

I have written a long whinge to Humber supported with photos of the failure, need to take some more tomorrow to show the other side that is about to go the same way, then I will wait and see what the response is. It would be sooo nice if the reply said "Dear Sir we are very sorry and in order to uphold the reputation of our fine company please find attached a new boat yours faithfully A. Humber" but I suppose that's probably somewhere out the far side of winning the lottery in this day and age...

The good news is that I had a preliminary "pick" at the edges of one of the repair patches after about six hours curing and it seems to have stuck like the proverbial substance to a blanket will leave it the full 48 hours before I put any air in though, and it says on the tin full curing takes 7 days so I will probably leave it till next weekend before I give it a decent "pressure test". Will wait till Humber have told me to sod off before I embark on the full "Bennytech" repair though....

[CJL]

Originally Posted by BogMonster

Well I have got some 2 part Hypalon glue, it ain't the Bostik

It is, just in a different tin!!!

Chris

[BogMonster]

Originally Posted by CJL

It is, just in a different tin!!!

Chris

Well that's handy to know, I wondered if it might be a rebranded equivalent

Certainly seemed to stick well anyway!

fingers crossed for Monday ... it'll either be or !!!

[gaelforce]

I wish jwalker lived next door to me, and I had caught him doing something he shouldn't, and he had to maintain my boat to buy my silence.

[codprawn]

Originally Posted by wavelength

oh dear - here we go again with a statement that the law says this and that, it was carrying spare wheels last time.
Unless you can provide statute, statute date, and section I would suggest this one is equally inaccurate or as Garf would say "bollux".
Looks to me like some sort of damage sustained anyway-perhaps the last owner might have just an inkling as to what happened. Far be it from me to suggest that it might have been just a bit of a factor in the decision to sell and a reason to keep pumping it up before the sale.

Ok 20yrs was stretching it a bit but 6yrs is still quite a long time!!!