Older rib - should I do it...?

[Herman Melville]

I am thinking of buying a project rib - one that’s laid up for a couple of years not properly covered etc..

I consider myself quite handy, and do all my own boat and boat engine repair work.

The tubes hold air and the hull is good.

I’ve got the space to store it and the time to fix it..,

Am I letting myself in for a nightmare? It’s got PVC tubes which worries me the most I suppose.

Anyone with experience of such would be most welcome to comment.

Cheers

[beamishken]

Pvc tubes are notorious for glue failure due to uv degradation if the tapes attaching the tubes are peeling off then leave well alone, if the tube tops are going brown & sticky leave it alone if its just scruffy & needs a good clean then maybe ok but posting pictures might help with the advice

[Herman Melville]

Yes it is PVC

There is brown discolouration on the tapes on the bow... and some on the tube itself.

I think I have attached a picture.. The large vertical dark bit is a shadow but you can see the bow condition..

Cheers

[GuyC]

My tuppence worth.

If you are after a project I'd either try and buy one that has decent tubes, which is probably not that common or budget for replacing the tubes. I'm not sure how repairable PVC tubes are and as they seem to be prevalent at the more budget end of the market, is it worth spending time and cash to try and make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I think if I was going to do a project I'd pick an Avon Searider or similar.

[spartacus]

Walk away.

It's one thing to buy an old rib that's been well maintained that you can tinker with and revive the tubes with a thorough scrub, but that looks like a pointless project.

As mentioned, PVC is fine if it's been maintained up to a point, but that old Bombard looks in a sorry state. If the tubes are starting to degrade, And glued seams are suspect, then you're looking at minimum of £1k per metre to retube.

You'd be better off with a hypalon tubed RIB, deeper V hull. Worst case scenario, if you've bitten off more than you can chew there's always a ready market looking to buy back.

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Walk away.

It's one thing to buy an old rib that's been well maintained that you can tinker with and revive the tubes with a thorough scrub, but that looks like a pointless project.

As mentioned, PVC is fine if it's been maintained up to a point, but that old Bombard looks in a sorry state. If the tubes are starting to degrade, And glued seams are suspect, then you're looking at minimum of £1k per metre to retube.

You'd be better off with a hypalon tubed RIB, deeper V hull. Worst case scenario, if you've bitten off more than you can chew there's always a ready market looking to buy back.

X2 WALK...if not ...RUN

[Orwell boy]

Just in case you want to do the maths ,theres some ideas of pvc prices here.
https://www.ibsparts.co.uk/product-c...ent-rib-tubes/

[HDAV]

Originally Posted by spartacus

If the tubes are starting to degrade, And glued seams are suspect, then you're looking at minimum of £1k per metre to retube.

Is that per m of boat or tube? 5m boat £5k? Wonder if bombard sell a tube set? After all they sell PVC boats knowing tube life is limited....might be worth asking a dealer if tube sets are available as parts and the cost.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by HDAV

Is that per m of boat or tube? 5m boat £5k? Wonder if bombard sell a tube set? After all they sell PVC boats knowing tube life is limited....might be worth asking a dealer if tube sets are available as parts and the cost.

£1k per metre is a general rule of thumb, on a retube, it could be more, it could be less.

I know the Zodiac pro series have slide on rail system, and you can order full tube sets, so no gluing or conventional gasket tape and you can transform the boat in a matter of hours. That said, Zodiac are notoriously expensive. Bombard which is part of Zodiac may have a tube set for this particular model. It's difficult to tell without knowing more boat details or seeing other pictures.

The OP wants to buy a project rib so if we're discussing a retube at this stage it's moving out of that zone into something a bit more specialised, especially if it's glued hull tube set.