AVON searider fiber fab.

[REN_IBOAT]

Hi all.

I have just bought my childhood dream, an old AVON searider. There is a small problem though.. I drove 500miles to see it, and when I got there I found this:

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I still bought the boat though, as the price where quite OK, but how do I fix it. can I peal the tubes away in that region only, and expect a reglue to last after i have fixed the fiber? or is it a tubes away job altogether.

The grey patch seen is actually the only one i found on the entire boat, and the tubes has held air for 14 days now, so I am ecstatic.

Best regards
Rasmus

 

[TOHATSU GURU]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

If you glue it properly and under the right conditions it will be as good as the original. I spent a day at the Avon plant in Wales 13 years ago...It wasn't a state of the art production facility What distingushed Avon at that time was the quality level of the base materials(superior to anyones) and quality control. The assembly process was no different than in a 3rd world country. Hand glued in an open window plant. Tis a shame Zodiac bought them and made them a single Hypalon layer boat.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Tis a shame Zodiac bought them and made them a single Hypalon layer boat.

Amen to that. I talked to AVON about my serial number, and the nice lady told me that "changes as of lately" has misplaced all the old AVON documents so they could not give me any info on my boat.
Apart from that I am amazed that an +25year old ex military boat still has fresh(soft and tight) tubes. I guess ill get some Bostik 2402 and start pealing away then. Thanks

R

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Get the tubes off in that area and have a good look-the Seariders are GRP laid up over marine ply. You DONT want water to get into the core.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Well.. today we began on the Searider "nosejob", and I think there ought to be a medal for people rescuing these old thingies from their sure demise.

I have decided to post pictures of the process as others might find them useful, and my intent is to follow up with progress as i go along.

nose:

R

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

This is going to be a really nice project to watch.

Thanks for posting photos.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Got the area cleaned up a bit, and started to craft a new nose section using the old one as a template.

Apart from the nose, the hull has damage, or areas with "soft" fibre, in several parts of the entire front section.

Now a lot of grinding awaits, and hopefully, if the weather holds out, a fresh layer of orange topcoat.

R

 

[bayman]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Good work and thank you for sharing! I look forward to seeing more.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Short update..

As a sort of Nemesis, the weather didn't corporate to say the least.. We have had one solid month of rain, Damn SUV?s :-(

Well, between showers fist layer of topcoat is on, but I have decided to "prematurely" start gluing the tubes back on while I still can find a warm day of low humidity before the winter, so bear with the look of things.. Finishing/sanding and buffing of second layer of topcoat will have to wait as it is not so sensitive to moisture and can be competed later on.

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Great to see you back at iboats REN_IBOAT! I was afraid we would not get to see the progress in your project.

It is really looking good, and I am glad in spite of the weather you have gotten this far. Can't wait to see it finished and doing it's first wet test.

I hear you with the weather situation!

What it doesn't dump on you it has been dumping on us. What a crappy summer.

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Are you going to clean the topcoat off to glue the tubes back down to?

Looks good for being orange again. What paint did you use?

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Its a Polyester resin with a Colour pigment.
I think it feels "coarse" in texture and I where a bit worried that too much pigment where added, but my brother whom applied the layer, assured me that its Ok. (And he works with the stuff everyday, so he?s probably right)

I am only sanding it of lightly to get a smooth surface for the glue to bond to.
The tubes are originally glued to the gelcoat, so I am not TO worried about "delamination"

R

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Like flowcoat then?

Personally I'd clean it off unless it's adhered to the GRP as well as the gelcoat was.That is the most stressed part of a rib and also the most reported place for tube failure to begin.

Take a look at this if you can view the video:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7588079.stm

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Like flowcoat then?

Personally I'd clean it off unless it's adhered to the GRP as well as the gelcoat was.That is the most stressed part of a rib and also the most reported place for tube failure to begin.

Take a look at this if you can view the video:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7588079.stm

Glad to see it ended the way it did. Seems that the material didn't tear from the hull, but that the meterial itself tore. Scary stuff indeed.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Ouch. Scary.. And that?s the scenario that my mind had vividly envisioned even before atempting this job.. But if I sand it down, all the way to the bare fiber I am slightly worried about water intrusion to the core, and delamination/pest.. A rock and a hard place.

Have you or anyone else tried something similar, and would the advise be to clean it all off?

PS: Judging by the pictures alone, I think that what happende to that Ribcraft where that it landed stern heavy, slammed the front in the next wave and simply sheared the PVC in the front. Then off course the strips couldn?t hold the tubes anymore.. Actually from the look of things, the strips are still attached to the hull.

R

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

There's all sorts of theories as to what happened to that ribcraft but the Bristol Channel is one of the nastiest areas I've ever been out in and any boats used in it take a huge pounding. There can be no wind yet 8' chop.

It's probably worth a trip over to ribnet and asking the question as to how to go about reattaching the tubes.You'll be able to get the opinion of some people who actually build ribs for a living then.

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Gluing finally done.. Pheew, Thank heaven for Indian summer.. Got two days now with 20?C, and nice and dry weather..

Nothing happend here ;-)

As a curiosity I can inform those interested that i used approx 250g Bostik glue for the job.



BR
Rasmus

 

[Nos4r2]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Very neat job!

 

[SnappingTurtle]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

Really neat job. You would never know it has ever had a repair.

No get some "in the water" photos for us before winter hits!

 

[REN_IBOAT]

Re: AVON searider fiber fab.

I?m just finishing up on the rebuild on my 60HP Merc. at the moment.
Had a fried No. 1 Cylinder as they do...

My hope is it wont actually be much IN the water, once it?s in the water..

R