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Old 05 August 2013, 16:16   #1
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Country: USA
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Make: Avon FRB380
Length: 3m +
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Achilles SD-140 questions

Looking at an older Achilles for possible purchase.

Does anyone know what the tube diameter is for an Achilles SD-140?

This boat was made in 85. How well do Achilles stand the test of time? The fabric looks good, but I'm wondering about the adhesives.

Thanks
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Old 05 August 2013, 20:07   #2
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Country: UK - England
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Achilles

I had one up until recently. It was older than yours and the glue was fine.
The problem I had was with porosity of the tubes. I ended up using a latex from Ribstore- very good advice from them too-, to seal it from the inside. It worked well and meant another few years service.
I thought about using theatrical latex too. Its alot cheaper, but not sure that it has the same properties.

Scarva Liquid Latex Emulsion | Scarva.com
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Old 05 August 2013, 23:59   #3
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Achilles boats generally last longer than many other Hypalon craft. Here in Australia though 30 years is pretty much the limit due to high UV and most end up in the bin at 30+ years. It all relates to how the previous owners looked after the boat, whether it was kept outside or stored out of the sun during non use.

But if the boat looks in good shape with minimal repairs it could be a good cheap buy.

With the boat at full pressure, I'd spray the entire craft with a hand pump pressure sprayer filled with a little dishwashing liquid and water. If lots of micro bubbles appear all over the craft after 3-5 minutes, then the tubes are becoming porous [and you can obviously push the price down :-) ], as Brady mentioned above, this is overcome by pouring in liquid latex to all the tubes and spinning the craft. You should get another 5 years out of the tubes.
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