New To Me 2000 Avon 3.1

[Bill3558]

Greetings all,

I am new to the forum and new to having a RIB. Bought a used Avon Rover 3.1 with a Yamaha 15hp 2 stroke. The boat looks new even though its 14 years old. I have never owned an inflatable before. Got this boat to serve as a tender. I have some basic newbee questions that I hope you can help with.

Boat is made of Hypelon. Does that mean I can leave it in the sun?

Do they have over inflation protection or do I just need to be careful about the pressure? What is the right pressure and how can you tell? Firmness of tubes seem to be very sensitive to temperature.

Are there canvas covers available for the tubes that you can leave on all the time? I have seen them but dont know what you call them.

I have only had it out once. Its pretty zippy!

Thanks for any info you can give me.

[DJL]

Welcome to RIBnet!

I wouldn't leave it out in the sun if you can help it. Hypalon is supposedly UV resistant but it definitely lasts longer and looks better if kept out the sun. Keep it in a garage or throw a cover over it when not in use.

Most over pressure valves are separate to the inflation valves and look something like this: http://www.ribstore.co.uk/shop/image.php?type=P&id=115 . Normal tube pressure is around 3 psi - you can buy pressure gauges. I usually check pressure by feel - they should be pretty hard, but not rock solid. I've seen more damage from under inflation than over.

They are quite sensitive to temp so you'll find you need to manage the pressure. Keep it low during storage and just keep an eye on the tubes during the day and let air out as needed.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Bill3558

Greetings all,

I am new to the forum and new to having a RIB. Bought a used Avon Rover 3.1 with a Yamaha 15hp 2 stroke. The boat looks new even though its 14 years old. I have never owned an inflatable before. Got this boat to serve as a tender. I have some basic newbee questions that I hope you can help with.

Boat is made of Hypelon. Does that mean I can leave it in the sun?

Welcome to Ribnet

Hypalon is far more rugged than PVC , but it'll still go powdery after a while. Some form of protector (303 Aerospace or the like) is a good idea to keep it looking nice.

Originally Posted by Bill3558

Do they have over inflation protection

No

Originally Posted by Bill3558

or do I just need to be careful about the pressure? What is the right pressure and how can you tell? Firmness of tubes seem to be very sensitive to temperature.

Don't leave it in direct sunlight out of the water fully inflated-it's asking for trouble , though they can be tougher than we give them credit for. I used a West Marine Hypalon 3.4m rib in Florida a couple of years ago that had spent most of it's life uncovered on top of a liveaboard.That was 12 years old. It was powdery on the tubes, but they cleaned ok and held air.

Correct pressure is about 2.5psi.

Originally Posted by Bill3558

Are there canvas covers available for the tubes that you can leave on all the time? I have seen them but dont know what you call them.

What do they look like?