Our trusty two year old inflatable, one of the many cheaper PVC dinghy’s made in China, was showing signs of sun damage.  That terrible sticky surface including the high pressure floor was like walking on masking tape all the time – not to mention the dirt!  In an effort not to spend money Sue undertook the job of making chaps and I put indoor outdoor carpet on the floor for sun protection.  Wow what a difference our dinghy looked like it had a new life in its new suit of clothes, but that was to be short lived!

Refurbished dinghy

Small patch on the dinghy floor

During lunch on a rather hot summer day, I hear a loud POP! What could that be I thought – then went on with lunch.  Later doing a project at the stern of the boat I noticed the dinghy floor had collapsed and  even worse, on a second look, determined it had popped like a balloon.  Still trying to save money I tried to patch the rip   ( a rather large patch ), but alas the floor would not hold its shape.  I suppose its better for this to happen here rather than some far off port where replacement would be difficult… however, this represented another ‘ouch!’ to the budget.   We decided not to buy another soft bottom dinghy and spring for a hypalon to get the extra life in the sun.  Campbell River, Boatland were very accommodating and we now have a 9 foot  AB RIB.  I must say it is a major improvement: aluminum bottom, hypalon construction, and much better performance. We have named her Amico di Adesso – Friend of Adesso and even bought her a set of wheels for those beach landings!

New AB RIB – Amico di Adesso