Integrity of a Patched Dinghy

[Sundial]

We had our buddy boat borrow our dinghy to go retrieve his. In the process he slammed our dinghy into the rocks. He punctured the port side. There are also several gashes that are 8+ inches long but only go through the top layer of the PVC.
He would like to repair our dinghy and we would like him to replace it. It was a year old and had no damage prior to this.
He feels that a profession patch job will make the dinghy last for years. I have not researched the lifespan of a dinghy, but my gut says patching is a stopgap.
Would love to hear your opinions on several points: patch vs replace, the integrity of someone who says they want to patch vs. replace (lol), how much dinghy life have we lost if we agree to this route?
This is pvc, rigid, 310 from WM.

[Reeve21]

Might be ok, might not. But resale will certainly take a hit, who wants to assume that risk?

He should pay you to replace. Maybe not 100 per cent, but close. Give him the bad one to resell if he can to ease the pain a bit.

[Tupaia]

PVC needs to be thermal welded, patches are just that band aids. PVC leaches plasticisers that breaks down the bonds in glue. Two component glue resists this to some extent but has to be done really well on new clean material to be fully effective. Given the amount of damage you described you should insist on a replacement. Give your friend the old one and let him fix it if he wants.

[JPA Cate]

Hi, Sundial,

Basically, one can only count on about 5 yrs. from most pvc dinghies. I'd imagine the WM rib would be medium quality, and the 5 yrs. a reasonable estimate of use life.

I don't know if you are placed somewhere it could be re-tubed. We have a Gemini rib dinghy which has been re-tubed twice.

I think the idea offered above, of your friend pays 80%, you pay20 %, for re-tubing might be acceptable. It will cost both of you less overall. The damage is to the tubes. It can be done quickly (over in a couple of days.) You could go to hypalon, with a 10 yr. guarantee, and pay the difference between it an pvc. The best quality pvc these days seems to come out of Germany.

Or, a complete replacement and he gets the old dinghy to learn about patching pvc on might work.

Be kind to both of you, and act quickly. I think he was so worried about his own dinghy that he sort of forgot to take good care of yours while saving his. But, he's a good guy for at least accepting some responsibility right off the bat. I do see, too, that a partial repair or a 1 yr. repair would not be adequate. So the ultimate decision would have to be based on the skills and equipment of the potential repairer, when your friend used and damaged a pretty new dinghy.

Ann

[BobFord]

I have a 12y.o Hyperlon RIB , kept covered but signs of delamination aro' transom ,much heavy used , d.i.y.patches are only temporary, professional fix seems 100% Considering trading in for a Polycraft Tuffy. Anyone have feed back re the Polycraft ?

[wholybee]

Tough break, and I feel your pain.
If someone backs into your car, they are expected to fix it. The repair is usually detectable, it affects resale value, but you don't get a new car out of the incident. Even if the car is totaled, what you get is the value of the old car, not the that of a new car.

Lots of dinghies have patches. Patches may need some maintenance and need to be reapplied if not done right, but you still have a functional boat with good life left.

If the other boat owner is willing to pay for a professional patch without a fight, I would accept that. A fight over trying to get a whole new dinghy might just result in you getting nothing.

[Jammer]

I am adding this to the list of reasons I like my homemade dinghy, which is composite and does not inflate or deflate. It will last longer than I will. Repairs are easy and permanent.

[BenBowSirocco]

RIB's are such great boats if they have a good outboard on them. But they are terrible for durability.



There are several companies selling "RIB" type boats that are true hard dinghies now though, GoDu and Mantus both make one.



Maybe the play to have your buddy boat credit you the cost of a new equivalent dinghy- dont forget title and tax fees- but upgrade to better one.

[Captn Caveman]

I find it help in situations like this to run some numbers and do a cost-benefit analysis. A brand new west marine pvc 310 runs for $2290 on their website. Assuming it really has a 5 year life per a previous poster, a reasonable depreciation schedule might be 1/3 of its value the first year and then 1/6 each successive year. That means your dingy, pre-accident, was likely worth about $1490 if you were to re-sell it. So one option is to ask you friend for $1490 and give him the dingy to patch up and resell. If you go ahead and patch it up, you would take a hit to the re-sale value compared to the same dingy pre-accident. For argument purposes say its 50%, ie you could only sell it for $745 after repair. How much is a professional repair? It sounds fairly extensive, I would guess several hundred dollars - lets call it $400 that your friend would shell out. The difference in the loss of the resell value ($1490-$745 = $745) is what your friend should compensate you for; so he would be out $400 + $745 = $1145 total vs if he were to just pay you the $1490 your dingy was worth.

So the question is, is your friendship worth the $345 difference to him?

[BenBowSirocco]

Originally Posted by Captn Caveman

I find it help in situations like this to run some numbers and do a cost-benefit analysis. A brand new west marine pvc 310 runs for $2290 on their website. Assuming it really has a 5 year life per a previous poster, a reasonable depreciation schedule might be 1/3 of its value the first year and then 1/6 each successive year. That means your dingy, pre-accident, was likely worth about $1490 if you were to re-sell it. So one option is to ask you friend for $1490 and give him the dingy to patch up and resell. If you go ahead and patch it up, you would take a hit to the re-sale value compared to the same dingy pre-accident. For argument purposes say its 50%, ie you could only sell it for $745 after repair. How much is a professional repair? It sounds fairly extensive, I would guess several hundred dollars - lets call it $400 that your friend would shell out. The difference in the loss of the resell value ($1490-$745 = $745) is what your friend should compensate you for; so he would be out $400 + $745 = $1145 total vs if he were to just pay you the $1490 your dingy was worth.

So the question is, is your friendship worth the $345 difference to him?

Well said.

[nightowle]

I've tried patching in the past, even professionally and it's never worked - short-term, medium-term, or long-term. I'd be pretty pissed if this was a near-new dinghy.