Inflatable dinghy service life

Hey guys, I have a 2005 inflatable I'd like to get rid of (I've never used in the 3 years I've had my sailboat).

It holds air for months at a time without leaking. I decided to sell it, and was verifying it all seemed to function this weekend and realized the floor leaks a bit. It has a wood floor with an inflatable "keel" to give the cloth hull a V shape.

so there's a number of spots where the vinyl (or whatever it is) is either scratched or worn a bit and cloth weave is showing and leaking a bit (not a lot, but it isn't dry).

Is that kind of thing easy or even worth it to fix? i don't want to sell this to someone if it's really just trash?

I'll take some pics and post if that helps....

thanks for any insight...Dave

 

@dave_and_dd Maybe you could try that "FlexSeal" they show on TV. Do the bottom. They have it in colors. Maybe it would stop any leaks.

 

If the dingy is hypalon, then it may be salvageable. If it is PVC, not so much. Regardless of whether it is PVC or Hypalon, the fabric condition will have a large effect on its value.

 

Take the boat to one of your local inflatable boat repair shops and have them evaluate it for you. There are ways to bring an inflatable boat back to good working condition, inside and out. It will help you set your sale price.

 

Yeah.... then shoot it with a cannon and seal it back up again.

 

Yeah-I just had my 2000 Achilles 8'6" Hypalon inflatable refurbished @ Inflatable Boat Specialists of Ventura last July for repair of annoying slow leaks in the floor and one tube, the installation of new valves, plus an another thing or two; $770. It's good for another 17 years, likely. BUT-it does not sit "inflated" out in the weather for many weeks to months on end when not in use. It gets deflated, rolled up, and stowed when not being used at intervals longer than a month, and even that is usually stretching it. Nevertheless, full dinghy refurbishment at a shop costs too much--$$ labor. Ironically, though, I'll soon be getting a new 9'6" OceanAir inflatable rib w/aluminum hull. I await its arrival from Nanaimo, B.C. as I sit here chatting w/you folks. I'll then be the "proud" owner of three (3) dinghies, the third one being a ("vintage" = old) hard-shell Sea Swan built in Swansea, MA.

 

I think I'd just put it on the market 'as-is' so someone without the funds for a perfect dink can fix it up. Win-win all around.

 

my wm PVC dinghy is now 10yrs old and still in very good condition. At 5th got its transom corner joint re-glued. At 10yr I did the same re-glue myself using HH-66. It's still great. Of course
I use the dinghy couple times a year. Most time its in storage.