# Avon RIB Repair



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have two problems with my ten-foot Avon RIB. First, the rubber rubrail is falling off and I need to know what to use to attach it well and ''hopefully'' permanent. Next, I have a leak and have tried twice to attach a patch from a patch kit, but it starts leaking again after a week or so. The Avon cement is identified as PVC in the parts list. Is this the same kind of cement used on PVC plumbing fixtures? Can I just get a can of purple PVC primer and some PVC cement at Home Depot and do as well as this top-price stuff they sell at West Marine?


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## dman (Dec 25, 2004)

I believe that it is Hypalon-based and they are entirely glued unlike Zodiac that are welded.If any silicone based cleaners were used forget it,it will never stick to anything.You really have to get a good bite in the material by grinding with a stone at slow speed.Clean it up with acetone.PVC glue will not work and there is a Hypalon glue.It has been a long time since I messed with this stuff so do not take my words as gospel(or can I say that without Stede coming aboard)


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## jack_patricia (May 20, 2001)

Eddie, you don''t tell us how new (old) your Avon RIB is. Avon was purchased by Zodiac a few years ago (a hypalon mfgr. being bought by a PVC mfgr; the world shudders...) but your boat is probably still all-Hypalon (unlike Avons with inflatable floors). The way a repair lasts with Hypalon, aside from thorough, proper preparation, is by using the recommended two-part glue. This also needs to be fresh (there may be a date stamp on the can). If you bought it at WM (they do carry it...) and it comes from the warehouse, I''m not sure what to think about the age of the glue. If you visit your local inflatable dealer and/or life raft servicing agent, they go thru the stuff regularly...so that might be the better option.

Lots of careful mechanical prep, good cleaning with the recommended solvent, and a mechanical ''press'' (usually done with thin scraps of wood and small clamps) on the patch after it''s applied are all important. The rub rail should be easy (sez he, who sits at a computer...).

Jack


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The Rib is a 2000, making it about 4 to 5 years old now. Thanks for the tips. I''ll see if I can find a local place to get the glue. I have two of the Avon patch kits that go with the RIB and the glue was cured in the unopened tubes. It was like silly putty with no stickiness at all. Anyway, I have enough patches to experiment trying sticking them together. This repeated failure at the injury on the RIB might make the situation worse. Luckily, I lifted the old patch off today to leave a perfectly clean and undamaged round spot with the leak right in the middle.

Thanks again for the help. I need to get this thing fixed so I can start moving around Florida and up the east coast.


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## maxim_rfeld (Jul 4, 2001)

Whoosh,

Why are you saying "but your boat is probably still all-Hypalon (unlike Avons with inflatable floors)"? What is different for inflatable floors? I have Avon (around 10 years old) with inflatable floor and I think it is Hypalon. 

May be it sounds silly but how distinguish between Hypalon and PVC?

Max.


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## jack_patricia (May 20, 2001)

Max, when we were shopping for inflatable-floor dinks in 1999, all the Avon models were built of Hypalon BUT all the floors were PVC. We ended up purchasing an Achilles, which was the only brand with a Hypalon floor we could find at the time. (We were headed for the Caribbean and what on an inflatable takes more U/V than the floor!?)

As it turns out, we had several floor failures because, while PVC seams are welded, Hypalon seams are glued. If you have the chance, watch a repair facility open a seam; they do it with a hot gun, in order to melt the glue...and that''s exactly what was happening to the seam on our floor inflation valve in the hot Caribbean. So we now keep it covered with a towel; end of problem.

Jack


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## maxim_rfeld (Jul 4, 2001)

Thanks for info, Jack.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

The cleaning is so important sanding and acetone to get all the oil off. Also make sure the kit you bought is not an old one they had on the shelf. The patch kits have a shelf life and after a couple of years they loose the abuility to hold a repair.


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## hamiam (Dec 15, 2000)

Hope this is not taken the wrong way but do yourself a huge favor and simply take the boat to an inflatable boat dealer and let him repair it. I''ve had several leaks over the years and, for whatever reason, my fixes lasted for between 2 mins and several weeks but they all started to leak again.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Okay guys, thanks for all the help. I have been checking the internet and have decided to give this one leak one more try, using Toluene (recommended for Hypalon) and a brand new batch of Hypalon 2-part glue. If it works, then I have climbed the learning curve and had some luck. If not, I will take it to a pro and accept my limitations in RIB repair.

Thanks again, hope to see you out there, Falcon Eddie

PS: here is a website I found outlining the repair process http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOHYPNEO.html


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## GordMay (Dec 19, 2002)

FalconEddie says Toluene is recommended for Hypalon cleaning.
I’ve always used MEK (methylethylketone).
Any further advice?


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

After re-reading the instructions at that website, they say the factory uses toluene, but they themselves highly recommend MEK instead, as less toxic, but maybe also as more ''user friendly''


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Okay, I got the two-part adhesive from West Marine ( about $45 including tax - pricy, but apparently worth it ) and since I had some toluene, I used it. I followed both the instructions from the web site and those on the adhesive container TO THE LETTER. So far, it has worked perfectly.

I only hope the adhesive stores well. You only use a tiny bit of it for a single patch. It''s obviously nice to have the materials to effect a repair when needed, but if I don''t have a lot of leaks, which, let''s face it, who wants a leak, then I think the stuff might go to poop by the time I need it again. I hope by sealing it up and then keeping it sealed in ziplock bags and under a berth, it will last.


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