8 year old humber destroyer never been wet yet!

[maltaspearo]

hi guys i have come across a humber destroyer of 5 meters that has been stored in a shop for the past 8 years. the rib was in sunlight for a few hours everyday for the past 8 years. opon examination of this humber the hull and tubes look to be in emaculate condtion no fading or any discoloration at all. the boat still has some of the tape and things that it came with from the factory.i am 100 %sure this humber is never been used. the owner of this rib bought the rib for his son but his son but his son never used the rib for some strange reason.now he wants to get rid of it and is asking for 2 thirds of the retail price. like i said the boat looks like its in emaculte condition. it brand new if you dont take into acound it has been built 8 years ago.
i am seriosly considering buying this humber but i am worryed that the 8 years of sunlight did some damage to the tubes. could 8 years of sunlight have seriously done mager damage to the material. i ahve heard of tubes coming apart at the seems after not beeing used for a very long time. can this 8 years have weekend the glue and the seems. the owner told me that he bumps up the tubes a litlle bit once in a while and claimed that all ribs lose some of their air after a couple of weeks and need to be pumped once in a while. is this rib a lemon or should i consider buying it? if the tubes do lose a bit of air from somewhere is this a big problem or is there a quick fix like spraying somekind of sealant into the tubes . oh also this rib while being stored never was pumped up fully so that there would not be any stress on the seems. some professional advice will be great.

[Rogue Wave]

Deflate the tubes and pump them up again.put some washing up liquid around the valves and see if you have bubbles. If you have work the valves in and out with your finger a few times see if the leak stops. Also bear inn mind that you can twist the valves open for deflation so if the air gusts out the plat around with the valve a bit with your finger. Push the button so to speak

Get a spray applicator old spray polish bottle ogarden sprayer and make up a weak solution of water and washing up liquid and spray all over the tubes looking for bubbles

[maltaspearo]

thanks for your help . and quick responce. do you guys think that 8 years have degregated the seems and material and glue in any way.

[jwalker]

Originally Posted by maltaspearo

do you guys think that 8 years have degregated the seems and material and glue in any way.

If it's been indoors the hypalon will probably be fine but the adhesive does harden with age. Offer half the price and see how you get on.

Eight years ago Humbers were much cheaper than they are now so two thirds of the old price may well be a good deal.

[Polwart]

Originally Posted by maltaspearo

now he wants to get rid of it and is asking for 2 thirds of the retail price. like i said the boat looks like its in emaculte condition. it brand new if you dont take into acound it has been built 8 years ago.

So absolute worst case you would have to put new tubes on it sooner than a new boat (but very unlikely to be straight away). Effectively if you did that today you would get back to a brand new boat again.

1/3 off probably initially sounds attractive - but Humber are currently offering 30% off factory stock - so if you were in England you could snap up a genuinely new one for a third off.

Is there an engine on it? If it is new - it is presumably out of warranty? but won't even have been run in . Engines have moved on a bit in 8 years - and I would think an 8 yr old untouched engine is worth a good bit less that 2/3rds its orginal value - unless there is someone who is desparate for an old technology one.

Eight years ago Humbers were much cheaper than they are now so two thirds of the old price may well be a good deal.

not sure how the USD<=>GBP exchange rate will have affected the price in that period. If the boat price stayed the same then in theory it should be 20% cheaper in USD today than it would have been in 1999.

Finally - I think it is wrong to think of this as a brand new boat. As soon as you use it it will be an 8 year old boat that has been used very little and is in great nick - you will never be able to resell it with the "brand new" claim. In contrast if you bought a brand new humber and sold it after 1 season then it would be worth significantly more than a 9 year old boat with only 1 seasons use...

[dverstege]

I have an old Metzeler about 15-20 years old from what I can figure out.
It was properly stored and maintian during the summer and winter months with a good cleaning and UV preserver and put away 3/4 full of air. I am very happy with the way it's held up last year. First rib I have had and was skeptical at first with the boat. After one hard year of use on these old tubes the manufacture has won my trust in ribs. Bottom line is the rib is as good as the care that was put into it.

[maltaspearo]

no polward the humber does not have an engine on it .i will be putting a new engine on it if i get it. i was wondering how much would new tubes cost for a humber destroyer. its to bad about this humber being stored like that for 8 years . what a waste. i think i will consider going up to hull and checking out some of humbers . stock ribs.

Hey dverstege ! hows it going up in newmarket . i am also a ontario native .i am from toronto but been living in malta europe for the past 21 years. i go to toronto for hollidays when ever i can afford it. i wish i was up there right now fishing with a new rib up in lake kipawa. wow how i miss that place.

[Trolli]

Hi,
1/3 discount is to less. I would buy it at 50% or more. Just think about the discount that u get from HUMBER, no warrenty and maybe u have to change the tubes in the nearest future.

[Cookee]

I think I would check the price against a discounted new one as others have said - the trick that people tend to play is 30% off some inflated price! The boat sounds like it will be ok, certainly the hull will be like it left the factory!

I was in St Pauls Bay for the race in September (I was in the inboard 25) and it was my first time in Malta and loved it - the people there are fantastic!

[Polwart]

Sorry malto - for some reason I thought you were across the pond - so obviously my comments about USD $ are irrelevant!