Caribe RIB Tender - repair or dispose?

[AndyJ76]

I've got a Caribe tender that came with the boat. It has always been a bit tatty, but recently the starboard tube deflates in a matter of hours. It's got a fairly considerable fibreglass hull.

Any ideas what a tube repair might cost me and where I could get it done in Brighton? Any suggestions for how to brighten up the (very) faded tubes?
If that's likely to be too costly, how might I dispose of it? It's too big and heavy for me to get out of the water, so I'd probably have to take it somewhere on the boat. Is there a marine equivalent of a scrapyard?

 

[TQA]

How big is it? 8 to 12 ft. AB and Caribe [same] ribs are the standard tender in the Carib If you were to advertise it on the local cruisers net in Grenada as a freebie or a low price a queue would form in seconds.

Only one leak is an easy fix. 3 M 5200 sticks better than the shop hypalon glue.

Paint it and it looks even tattier. Tube covers AKA chaps are better.

 

[Stemar]

Straightforward repairs aren't hard to do yourself.

Dilute a bit of washing up liquid 50-50 with water and brush it over the inflated boat (including the valves) Where bubbles form, you've got a leak. Leaks in an open area of the tube can be patched very simply, you'll find kits for hypalon & PVC on line, and if you don't know which your boat is, a call to the kit supplier will probably give the answer. Leaks from seams and general porosity can be improved, if not stopped with a sealing fluid. I was able resurrect an old Zodiac inflatable with some. It isn't perfect, but it's now usable, which it wasn't really before

As for a professional repair, I just had some work done on my inflatable. Parts weren't dear, but work can be time-consuming and labour was £40 an hour + vat. The only place I know is on a street in Southsea, so getting it there by boat could be a problem.

If it comes to disposal, I'd cut the tubes off and use a small angle grinder to cut it into manageable lumps then take it to the local dump.

 

[savageseadog]

I'll "dispose" of it

 

[AndyJ76]

If it comes to disposal, I'd cut the tubes off and use a small angle grinder to cut it into manageable lumps then take it to the local dump.

D'oh. I help people look beyond the obvious as a dayjob and I hadn't considered disposing of it as anything other than a big lump.

I will try fixing it up first though.

How big is it? 8 to 12 ft. AB and Caribe [same] ribs are the standard tender in the Carib If you were to advertise it on the local cruisers net in Grenada as a freebie or a low price a queue would form in seconds.

Only one leak is an easy fix. 3 M 5200 sticks better than the shop hypalon glue.

Paint it and it looks even tattier. Tube covers AKA chaps are better.

Great advice. I do like the idea of chaps (they've been on my list for a while). I could build some lifting handles to replace the broken ones on the dinghy.

I'll "dispose" of it

Thanks for the offer, I'll bear it in mind

 

[Pete7]

You need this website:

http://www.polymarine.com/

Once fixed, give it a coat of flexible paint to tart it up a bit.

Pete

 

[AndyJ76]

You need this website:

http://www.polymarine.com/

Once fixed, give it a caot of flexible paint to tart it up a bit.

Pete

Nice. Their restoration project was a pretty amazing transformation: http://www.polymarine.com/advice/restoration-beaufort-dinghy/

 

[ean_p]

If you do give it the elbow can I have the oars please as they have a fairly unique fitting and I had mine stolen and have been unable to replace them so far!

 

[ben001]

this might help if your lazy

If your lazy these boys pick your dinghy up then return it to you, they did a lovely job of mine www.ribright.co.uk