A new Project! Old half dead Zodiac SIB.

[Mr-d]

Uh-oh... I thought it looked like PVC... I know it has canvas reinforcing and has the dents patern like PVC has ... i've never really seen Hypalon from closeup, but i thought it was smoother, and had a patern to it similar to small crosses.

Anyway, pic on the transom (which has been removed )

Something about 1969 on it, dont know if its manufacturing date?
65HP max.. on a thing like that... i think that was before the days of the HSE.

[118118]

could be from 1977
----hense 77 at end of serial number?

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by 118118

could be from 1977
----hense 77 at end of serial number?

That's correct. I have a Mark I, also from 1977, which I once thought was a '69 because of the notation at the bottom of the plate. Is the fabric that forms the hood for the bow a single continuous piece or does it unzip in the middle (which I suspect it does)? Do you have the floorboards and aluminum stringer for it? What is the condition of the transom?

If it were me I would simply restore it to it's original setup as a SIB. Around here a hypalon Zodiac Mark III of that age, if in good working condition, would sell for between $3500 -$5000 Can (about $ 1500-2200 GBP), maybe more. Hypalon boats hold value for a long time, whereas PVC boats don't. Zodiac lost a tremendous amount of credibility by going to PVC in their mainline boats.

[prairie tuber]

Oh yeah! one more thing. If you come across any more hypalon Mark IIIs (or IVs) that are free, let me know! I dont' care how many holes it has, I'll pay the shipping to bring it here in a heartbeat!!!

[Mr-d]

The Fabric for the "hood" is one piece, well, WAS one piece.. its kinda *cough* torn now. Floorboards are there, they have angled pieces to "click" together, with aluminium rails to go along the side under the decking to keep the pannels straight. The transom WAS quite nice... but its out now... and it had a leak on the tube exactly where the transom was stuck on. so it had to come out...

So how sure are you that this IS hypalon, and what would happen if i stuck the PVC on?

Oh, the front hood thing was also very thin, and already torn in a few spots, its like the same material that rainclothing is made from. very thin...

Im starting to inquire about fiberglass now, so there is no turning round now

*EDIT* Heheh, will do.. but perhaps (depending on this "project") I might keep them myself

[prairie tuber]

My 'hood' thing zips up, but is also torn, I rarely use it anyway since I need the extra space that the open bow gives (esp. on a Mark I).

I doubt you will get an effective patch by using PVC on hypalon since they require different types of glue. Besides, if you are going to go through the process of a RIB conversion you may as well get the patches & reinforcements right from the outset. Sounds like a very cool project - hopefully you'll keep us updated with progress pictures.

[prairie tuber]

Originally Posted by Mr-d

So how sure are you that this IS hypalon, and what would happen if i stuck the PVC on?

All Zodiac boats prior to 1985 were made of hypalon In 1985, Zodiac went to to PVC in all of their non-military/commercial boats. Here is one link to repairing hypalon leaks;

http://www.rivermarine.com/zodiac/zod13.htm


For minor leak patches a one part hypalon glue is OK. For structural bonds (esp to a fiberglass hull) I'd consult someone like Paul Tilley or Olmec tubing about what is needed.

[boatster]

Originally Posted by Seaharrier

Send me a PM with your e-mail. I made the translation via a very handy web-site. But it's too big (800kb) to upload it on this forum.

Or you can cut and paste the code into Google.com. Go to the Language translator.