Inflatable dinghy help

[patricbose]

Hi.
I am new here and new to boating. I have just bought an ems inflatable dinghy 2.6m with complete wooden floor and wooden transform and inflatable keel.
But i dont have any other info about the boat. There in no plate on transform. I cant even find anything when i googled. Has anyone heard about these inlatables? Or the company?
How do i find out what is the max outboards i can use with it.
How do i know if it is hyperlon or pvs or a mix.
How do i find out what size inflate & deflate valves the boat has.
I also need to source a replacement oar lock for it as one is broken. It is the turning type.
Also need to buy the right size inflation pump.
What can i use to clean the dinghy without having to buy specialised products.
There are 2 bungs in the back (bottom of transform) what are they for? Should they be left open or closed?
What does the inflatable keel do?
Many thanks in advance.

 

[Humblebee]

Welcome to the forum. Lot of questions there but I'll try to answer a few.
Never heard of the make but I suspect a lot of dinghies come from the same factory so will have parts in common.
Telling Hypalon from PVC is easy to do but hard to describe. Find an Avon dinghy(Hypalon), feel the material, then do the same with something cheap like a Wetline or Waveline. You'll soon get an idea.
As for parts, there are some good sites which stock a lot of spares. Take careful measurements of what you want then order on line. It probably won't matter if your rowlocks don't match, as long as they can accommodate a matched pait of oars.
I wouldn't gofor too big an outboard as I suspect you are fairly new to this game. Under 4hp should do, even one of the baby 2.5hp jobs will push you along nicely.
The bungs at the stern sound like drains. Leave 'em in when using the boat!
I'll look at your post again and see what else I can add.

 

[Humblebee]

Airdeckkeeps the floor rigid and the whole boat in shape.
Most inflating valves are a standard size so try to borrow a pump first and make sure it fits - it probably will.
Household cleaners like Cif will do fine for cleaning.
Don't get too hung up on the details. Get down to amarina or boat club and I am sure you will find plenty helpful advice. We all started somewhere!

 

[JKay]

http://kaiyan.en.made-in-china.com/product/LqXxmWuMvJVp/China-Inflatable-Boat-ME-002-.html

closest I can get any info on,Kaiyan seems to be the agents so a 5 hp would seem to be the max
EMS are a chinese maker of PVC inflatables

 

[patricbose]

thanks for the replies.
Lots of info there.
Tried to inflate it today but cant figure out how the valves work. All i could work out was that when the valve is pushed down it deflates couldnt work out how to inflate.
Dont think they are boston valves (they dont push in and turn)
so any ideas? Valve caps say kpa 18
The bungs on tranform are just holes i cant close them.
Aslo it didnt come with a wooden seat or fittings.
Can a seat be fitted by me? But cant think how cant really put screws in tube.
Sorry for all these questions.

 

[jpay]

Hi,
The holes would probably have had a bung inside it which would of screwed in... if the holes do not have any plastic with a thread then they will easily be repaced by measuring the diameter and buying 2 new bungs. I will look on the internet afterwards and post a link. Any chandlers would know what you need when you started describing it tho.
It is important that these stay in when the boat is in water as when your weight is added to the boat they may go below the waterline therefore you'll be sinking fast.
They are generally used to drain the boat of any water when out of the water on davits or by standing the boat on its end and opening these holes. If you was happy to turn the boat over or bail by bucket and sponge it would be feasable to fill these holes permanently.

Some inflatables have an inflatable seat which sits in the middle or they have a flap of material on the inside of the tube which a stainless or plastic plate can slide through and then bent so that a wooden seat fits on top of this. They can be made by yourself... most seats will be removable tho because when you want to deflate the boat for transport it needs to be removed.

Some valves need to be pushed inwards first the same as a inflatable beach toy or they need squeezing to open the valve.
hope this helps

 

[ianat182]

Regarding the inflation it sounds as though your valves are meant to stay closed and the pressure of the air pumped in opens the valve but prevents air coming out by closing itself.
To deflate you press in the valve or push the flap gently with a pencil.

The inflatable keel is there to give some shape to the hull and encourage it to lift onto the plane(with a 4HP motor and two persons) or a 2.5HP and one person aboard.
Do avoid laying the dinghy down on gritty surfaces, whether loaded or unloaded. When you get a pump, any kind,it will probably have several adaptors that will suit ,if too small ,use a bit of tape to enlarge the diameter of the adaptor.
As mentioned above there may be a piece of webbing each side of the dinghy,these are the supports for the fibreglass seat,but a 10" diameter pvc fender, inflated ,will do the job tied in to these supports.

Make sure you have a pack of the right glue and patches for any leaks that occur,and a bailer(milk bottle with the bottom cut off!)


ianat182

 

[basba]

I've changed my mind

I've passed the last summers trying to keep my inflatable boat with air inside, I've tried nearly everything, but it will never bother me again...
Finally decided to buy a walker bay dinghy, I'm sure I won't have to fight with him too

buon vento
basak

 

[Humblebee]

Where did you buy it?

From the number of questions you have, I think a chat with the vendor might be helpful. Was it new or secondhand? Either way it should have all the bits you need including a seat.
Can you contact or visit the vendor? Or trace an identical model through the internet perhaps and speak to another owner?

 

[patricbose]

Thanks for your help guys.

I am going to do this inflatable up and sell it on. As i was speaking to a friend yesterday and he said he will sell me his old 3.2m zodiac and a 15hp outboard all for 300quid
absolute bargain me thinks!

 

[Crosscw]

any luck

Hi Practibose,
I am also missinga EMS Oar lock - did you ever have any luck finding a a replacement? If you did, please let me know where.
many thanks,
Crosscw