Kathy's question to my October 4th posting was a great one. It brings up a great point – that in theory, a removable tube is a good idea, but in practice doesn't always work. The thought is that if you have a problem with your tube, you can easily remove it, package it up, and send it to the manufacturer to repair and then simply "slide" the tube back on the boat when it's fixed. The reality is, it's just not that simple, as Kathy has learned.

9 times out of 10, customers with removable tubes have to bring the boat to a local service center to have them removed or reattached. In my opinion this defeats to purpose of having them.

It's always intrigued me why our competitors that offer RIBs with removable tubes would tout how easy a tube is to remove for repair. It begs the question why you need it to be easy to remove in the first place. I'd rather have a tube that doesn't need to be repaired often, that is hard to remove (because it's permanently glued to the hull) and won't accidentally detached or leak at the hull bond, than one I can easily remove for repair.

At RIBCRAFT, we focus on building Hypalon tubes that withstand commercial wear and tear so that you hopefully don't have to have them repaired. In the off chance you do, you can bring the boat to a local service center (just like you'd probably have to do with a "removable" tube) or try the repair on your own. With the exception of the RIBCRAFT 7.0, our tubes are glued and permanently attached to the hull. This results in a safe, reliable, and watertight bond.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 06:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's that time of year again in the Northeast when the boat ramps and boat yards are swarming with activity in the race to beat the first snow fall. As owners haul their RIBs we're asked all the time what they should do with their tubes for the winter. Put very simply, do nothing . You actually want to do just what you've done all summer – Keep Them Fully Inflated. The common misconception is that you should deflate the tube for the winter, but that's probably one of the worse things you can do as a deflated tube puts strain on attachment patches and rubstrake which can cause them to peel off over time.

For RIBs that do not have pressure relief valves (all RIBCRAFT RIBs built in the United States come standard with Pressure Relief Valves) we recommend that you leave the tube 80% inflated. This will allow for expansion on warm days in the fall and spring.

Other than "topping" off the tubes with air, all you need to do is simply give the tube a good washing with soap and water. It's also good practice to spray the pressure relief valves with fresh water to remove any salt build up that may have occurred over the summer.

Posted by ribcraftusa at 09:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)