October 04, 2007

Prepping The Tube For Winter

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 October 4, 2007 09:19 AM