Need help on my first RIB

Navygakman · 16 July 2007, 21:28

Hello -

I just purchased this boat yesterday and I am in need of your advice. This is my first RIB so please excuse me if I sound ignorant or stupid on the questions.

It is a 1994 Novurania with a jet drive, see pictures.

1. I am trying to find out what model name/number this boat is. The PO is not the first owner and he has no information on this. The ownership paperwork says it is a Novurania "RJGPR14". It is about 15' and has a 90HP OMC jet drive on it.

2. Is the material hypalon or PVC? There are a few patches on the tubes and some of the edges are coming off a bit, as well as some seam tapes. I want to glue them back tight, should I just use the glue as recommended in this forum?

3. There are some "stickers/decals" on the boat right now (letterings, name etc.) that I want to take off. Should I use a heat gun? Any danger in "melting" the hypalon/PVC?

4. After the patches and seams are fixed and the stickers removed, I want to refresh the tubes with a fresh coat of paint. Is Tuff Coat the best paint for this?

Any advice or comment will be appreciated. Thank you.

Stewart
Seattle, WA, USA

codprawn · 16 July 2007, 21:42

Nice looking boat you have there. Should have some fun with that!!!

Bit hard to tell from the pics what the tubes are made of though Paul Tilley or Chris from Henshaws prob know. Hypalon is much more flexible than the PVC tubes - PVC/PU feels a bit stiff or crackly.

Do you really want to paint them? Maybe a good clean will do the trick. Try traffic film remover - about 50/50 with water and a scrubbing brush.

Biggles · 16 July 2007, 21:44

Certainly I'd only consider painting them as a last resort.

Nos4r2 · 16 July 2007, 21:54

That does look a lot of fun! Wish we had the gas price in the background over here...

Clothes washing liquid and elbow grease does a surprisingly good job at getting a lot of the muck off tubes btw. The advantage of that is you don't need to worry if it's PVC or Hypalon.

Navygakman · 16 July 2007, 22:01

The tubes has a slight fabric-like texture to them so my guess they are hypalon, i think the PVC tubes (Zodiac) feels smoother. And perhaps Novurania only uses hypalon and that would answer my question.

As to paint or not, it is not that bad right now and I think a good scrubing will make it look 100% nicer. But I am worry about the "ghost" those letterings/decals will make once I remove them.

Thanks for the comments!!

Limey Linda · 16 July 2007, 22:03

I am currently painting part of my tubes with Tuff coat. I agree with Biggles only do this as a last result. soapy water, followed by Toluene will fix them tright up. Unles you have lot's of threadbare areas like I have.
T

Navygakman · 16 July 2007, 22:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Try traffic film remover - about 50/50 with water and a scrubbing brush.

Damn! I googled "traffic film remover" (never heard of it) and it is a UK thing, I guess I will go to West Marine and see if they have something similar. Thanks.

Biggles · 16 July 2007, 23:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Navygakman

Damn! I googled "traffic film remover" (never heard of it) and it is a UK thing, I guess I will go to West Marine and see if they have something similar. Thanks.

Its a lorry thing so I suggest going to a truck firm or whatever. Limey Linda might be able to advise you better than us Brits. And as far as I'm concerned Rogue wave is the king of TFR.

ribfan · 17 July 2007, 01:40

Hi,
Welcome to ribbing!

In answer to your questions,

1) I could not verify the model number, but it sounds about right, they most likely consider the boat 14 ft in length.

2) All Novurania boats use Hypalon for there tubes. Novurania is known for
making a high quality boat. They market them as tenders to the yachting set and as recreation boats.

3 &4) You can try a heat gun, it should work fine. Be sure not to touch the fabric with the tip of the gun. If any residue remains, try MEK (from any hardware or paint store) on a clean white rag. Wet the rag with it then rub the tubes. Turn rag as needed, and stay away from the seams if possible. For cleaning the tubes, I have had good sucess with a product called "Roll off"
which you can get at any good marine store.

I would avoid paint unless the tube are really in rough shape. From ypur pictues, they don't look too bad. After you have cleaned them put a coat of 303 protector on them. You can find that with the roll-off.

Good luck with your rib!

Bill

www.eclecticwonders.com Uncommon Art

Tim M · 17 July 2007, 10:25

I wouldn't use a heat gun. Try peeling them off by hand - if they are vynl they should feel off without too much hassle (probably easier on a warm day). If you are left with a "ghost" then I would suggest simply leaving it; after some time it will reduce as the sun gets to it.

A good product for cleaning which is from america is starbite inflatable boat cleaner. Did wonders for hypalon tubes for me before I discovered tfr.