Faded tubes - options?

[xpertski]

Hi all, know this has been discussed to a degree in different discussions but interested to hear your thoughts on my tubes.

They are faded, now 14 years old, but hold air perfectly and otherwise as robust as the day we bought the RIB.

I have tried products to restore the colour, haven’t made a vast difference. At some point I will probably look to replace them though seems silly to replace just for cosmetic reasons at £5-6k probably.

Once I’ve exhausted all restoration methods what are the other reasonable and sensible options for extending their use. Having them painted? There is much doubt over the merits of painting given it might look ok for a couple of years - but how long does painting last before they look awful? Presumably once they start to deteriorate your committed to topping up the paint or replacing again. I don’t know how old tube paint wears - cracking or peeling?

Or is it an option rather than retube to have the fender strip removed and handles and a layer of new hypalon glued on top before replacing handles etc? Haven’t seen that done before but presumably it’s an option - not sure how price would compare to a full retube.

Is there a market for second hand perfectly functioning tubes? I wonder if I can help offset the cost of new tubes by selling the current ones?

Won’t be able to do it this year anyway as sinking enough funds to get the rest of the boat ship shape but maybe next year. Interested to hear your thoughts...

[Pikey Dave]

Give them a good going over with TFR, not the namby pamby Eco paint friendly stuff, you want the full on caustic truck wash. Rinse well, dry & then 303 protectant.

[Limecc]

PD would SurfexHD be any good? Used 200:1 as a degreaser (TFR is 100:1) it also removes organic material from car soft tops. Could be used neat like you said for the TFR.

Personally the caustic TFR worries me a little, how could it be used on a boat sitting on a galvanized trailer? Suppose could use sparingly and wipe off before washing down..?

Incidentally I think I found a great price on the 303 protectant for the 946ml size (16 fl/ounce) of £25 from http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk

[Pikey Dave]

I pour some TFR into a plastic sink bowl, wash off the boat with the hose pipe & get it wet, clean the tubes with a sponge & neat TFR, rinse with the hose as you go, don’t let it dry on the tubes. If you rinse the trailer as you go, no problem. Let it dry & hit it with the 303.

[beamishken]

Like PD says I'd stick with cleaning and preserving best you can. I'd rather see faded tubes than painted tubes for me painting tubes is a last ditch effort before the stanley knife comes out to replace them.I would value a boat with faded tubes higher than a boat with painted tubes.
I doubt there is much value in them once removed as there is considerable labour involved in fitting to another hull.
If the tubes are good and just faded you may be better off selling complete hull & maybe consider looking at a new stock boat, humber were selling some very cheap boats over this winter

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by beamishken

Like PD says I'd stick with cleaning and preserving best you can. I'd rather see faded tubes than painted tubes for me painting tubes is a last ditch effort before the stanley knife comes out to replace them.I would value a boat with faded tubes higher than a boat with painted tubes.
I doubt there is much value in them once removed as there is considerable labour involved in fitting to another hull.
If the tubes are good and just faded you may be better off selling complete hull & maybe consider looking at a new stock boat, humber were selling some very cheap boats over this winter

^^^^^^^^^
Wot he said [emoji106] I wouldn’t buy a boat with painted tubes. They are usually painted for a reason; knackered.

[xpertski]

Yeah agree, would see painting as a last ditch knowing that once they look bad again it’s goodbye to those tubes, just haven’t seen any photos of painted tubes as they age to know what the wearing is like. Only thing is rest of the boat is perfectly fine so still cheaper to replace tubes When the time comes - i.e no point me selling and buying a newer version of the same boat. Don’t intend selling for quite a while which helps.

If I can afford it in 5-10 years though a nice 8m craft would be nice! 10m even better but then you’re talking much more money.

So I reckon best thing is to try cleaning them still then when needed just buy new tubes ...

From what you can see from the photos the sun damage, is that just contaminants that should clean off or actual bleaching of the pigment? Just wondering if there is hope that the TFR would have a chance of returning a solid consistent colour to the tubes. PD have you used that to good effect before with sun damage?

Thanks for your input on this post guys!

[Jabamusic]

Tfr ?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Jabamusic

Tfr ?

Traffic Film Remover, the chemical used in pressure washers.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by xpertski

Yeah agree, would see painting as a last ditch knowing that once they look bad again it’s goodbye to those tubes, just haven’t seen any photos of painted tubes as they age to know what the wearing is like. Only thing is rest of the boat is perfectly fine so still cheaper to replace tubes When the time comes - i.e no point me selling and buying a newer version of the same boat. Don’t intend selling for quite a while which helps.

If I can afford it in 5-10 years though a nice 8m craft would be nice! 10m even better but then you’re talking much more money.

So I reckon best thing is to try cleaning them still then when needed just buy new tubes ...

From what you can see from the photos the sun damage, is that just contaminants that should clean off or actual bleaching of the pigment? Just wondering if there is hope that the TFR would have a chance of returning a solid consistent colour to the tubes. PD have you used that to good effect before with sun damage?

Thanks for your input on this post guys!

The TFR will remove the embedded grime, the 303 brings up the colour.

[beamishken]

As a last ditch effort you can rub over with a thinners soaked rag to bring back some of the colour.
Can't be done often as it actually removes some of the top surface but can brighten tired tubes as a one off.
You need to be sure all the dirt is off first or you melt the dirt into the surface and be carefull on the seams as it softens the glue too

[Tim M]

I'm pretty sure a really good scrub with TFR would do the job (buy it on ebay). My method is to wet the tube, and then spray it on using a spray bottle. Work in small sections at a time. Scrub with a soft green scouring pad (wear gloves!) and then give a really good rinse. You'll immediately see all the old oxidised colouring come off revealing a lovely deep blue underneath. As stated above, don't let it dry until you've rinsed all the product off the tubes; its a good idea to follow up with some boatsoap in a bucket of water applied with a soft sponge to get the last bit of residue off. Finish up with a tube protector like 303, August Race or RIBshop's own brand once the tube has totally dried.



Your other method of covering the tubes does also work but unlikely to be needed for the above boat. Here are a few of a Redbay I did a few years ago. Tubes were 1998 and were very badly worn on the tops from lines/anchor chain etc. Likewise the orange wear patches had lost most of their original colour. I removed everything (patches, handles etc) from the tubes from the rubbing strake up and applied new wear patches with hypalon patches in-between, along with additional rubbing strake on the bow to cover where there had been a variety of nasty patches covering some areas of high wear from the anchor chain. End result was very good but a lot of work compared to a good scrub.

Ps. Don’t paint them whatever you do. It will look awful very quickly - yes the paint does crack and peel and look nasty very quickly. I personally wouldn’t buy a boat with painted tubes.

[gareth9702]

I don't agree with all the negative comments on painting tubes. I used tube paint five years ago on tubes that were seriously worn (underlying fabric showing through in places). The paint has not cracked or peeled despite the rib experiencing some extreme temperatures (almost 47c this summer). The appearance was not perfect at first, but over time this has improved. I thoroughly recommend painting if the only alternative is replacement.

[xpertski]

Originally Posted by Tim M

I'm pretty sure a really good scrub with TFR would do the job (buy it on ebay). My method is to wet the tube, and then spray it on using a spray bottle. Work in small sections at a time. Scrub with a soft green scouring pad (wear gloves!) and then give a really good rinse. You'll immediately see all the old oxidised colouring come off revealing a lovely deep blue underneath. As stated above, don't let it dry until you've rinsed all the product off the tubes; its a good idea to follow up with some boatsoap in a bucket of water applied with a soft sponge to get the last bit of residue off. Finish up with a tube protector like 303, August Race or RIBshop's own brand once the tube has totally dried.



Your other method of covering the tubes does also work but unlikely to be needed for the above boat. Here are a few of a Redbay I did a few years ago. Tubes were 1998 and were very badly worn on the tops from lines/anchor chain etc. Likewise the orange wear patches had lost most of their original colour. I removed everything (patches, handles etc) from the tubes from the rubbing strake up and applied new wear patches with hypalon patches in-between, along with additional rubbing strake on the bow to cover where there had been a variety of nasty patches covering some areas of high wear from the anchor chain. End result was very good but a lot of work compared to a good scrub.

Ps. Don’t paint them whatever you do. It will look awful very quickly - yes the paint does crack and peel and look nasty very quickly. I personally wouldn’t buy a boat with painted tubes.

Thanks, very interesting and thanks for the photos! Will try some TFR this weekend, is it available in high street shops anywhere? Keen to try it tomorrow but wouldn’t get an eBay delivery in time.

Photos of using wear patches with hypalon inserts are impressive! Did you do the work yourself? What’s the level of difficulty? Is getting the old handles off etc difficult? Also cost, roughly how much did that cost? Presumably buying sheets of hypalon and cutting to fit?

On the paint, knowing how marmite it is, I would only use when the other options have not worked on the knowledge that if the paint started to go, it would likely be replacement tube time.

Thanks - very interesting and useful post!

[xpertski]

Originally Posted by gareth9702

I don't agree with all the negative comments on painting tubes. I used tube paint five years ago on tubes that were seriously worn (underlying fabric showing through in places). The paint has not cracked or peeled despite the rib experiencing some extreme temperatures (almost 47c this summer). The appearance was not perfect at first, but over time this has improved. I thoroughly recommend painting if the only alternative is replacement.

Hi Gareth, as there don’t seem to be many photos of painted examples do you have any you could share please? Be great if you had before, after and after 5 year photos! I would certainly be interested to see them [emoji106]

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by gareth9702

I don't agree with all the negative comments on painting tubes. I used tube paint five years ago on tubes that were seriously worn (underlying fabric showing through in places). The paint has not cracked or peeled despite the rib experiencing some extreme temperatures (almost 47c this summer). The appearance was not perfect at first, but over time this has improved. I thoroughly recommend painting if the only alternative is replacement.

I think we actually agree on the painted tubes thing. Painting (imo) is a last resort to eke out a few more years from a set of tired tubes. I can’t see any other reason why you’d want to paint them. So yes, paint has a part to play, but it says to me that the underlying tubes are shot. The OPs tubes are still good, but faded. He hasn’t got to the painting stage yet.

[pilotwillie]

Originally Posted by gareth9702

I don't agree with all the negative comments on painting tubes. I used tube paint five years ago on tubes that were seriously worn (underlying fabric showing through in places). The paint has not cracked or peeled despite the rib experiencing some extreme temperatures (almost 47c this summer). The appearance was not perfect at first, but over time this has improved. I thoroughly recommend painting if the only alternative is replacement.

+1
Bought RIB approx 4yrs ago. Tubes painted approx 6yrs ago, not by me, and was told at time of purchase they were sprayed. I’m no paint expert so was happy to accept explanation. Haven’t had any problems of shrinking, cracking, etc. Maybe just got lucky with a quality job. Tubes air tight all year round and also no signs of wear / bare thread etc. so presuming not done due to failing tubes for a quick sale. Still don’t know why they were painted but has made absolutely no difference to me or negatively affected the way the RIB works or looks (imo [emoji6]).
Having said that, probably less prep required for a tube revive compared to a good paint job so might be the easier road to go down just now. Also leaves option to paint available if attempted revive doesn’t work.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

I think we actually agree on the painted tubes thing. Painting (imo) is a last resort to eke out a few more years from a set of tired tubes. I can’t see any other reason why you’d want to paint them. So yes, paint has a part to play, but it says to me that the underlying tubes are shot. The OPs tubes are still good, but faded. He hasn’t got to the painting stage yet.

My thoughts too!

[xpertski]

Originally Posted by pilotwillie

+1
Bought RIB approx 4yrs ago. Tubes painted approx 6yrs ago, not by me, and was told at time of purchase they were sprayed. I’m no paint expert so was happy to accept explanation. Haven’t had any problems of shrinking, cracking, etc. Maybe just got lucky with a quality job. Tubes air tight all year round and also no signs of wear / bare thread etc. so presuming not done due to failing tubes for a quick sale. Still don’t know why they were painted but has made absolutely no difference to me or negatively affected the way the RIB works or looks (imo [emoji6]).
Having said that, probably less prep required for a tube revive compared to a good paint job so might be the easier road to go down just now. Also leaves option to paint available if attempted revive doesn’t work.
Attachment 128802

Looks great! And no signs of wear that makes it clear it’s paint?

For those suggesting I try TFR first, is the below the ticket? One has wax in it, the other doesn’t ...

[xpertski]

Non waxed TFR ordered - if it arrives in time I’ll give it a go tomorrow [emoji106]