Avon Supersport S3.45 RIB

[Bob Bradley]

I'm going to look at an older (1989) Avon rib. Apparently it's been in storage for 30 yrs and only has 40 hrs on it. Other than the age and obvious concern about the condition of the tubes, does anyone have any familiarity with these?

 

[firbanks]

I’ve had 2 Avon Supersports of that era. Both were the S4.00 (13’) so just a bit longer than the one you are looking at but weren’t ribs - they had aluminum floorboards and an inflatable tube forming a keel. One was in the 90s with a 2-stroke 15 Yamaha and then very recently 4 of the last 5 years I had one as the tender to my hatt - it had been a similar time capsule with a 25hp Yamaha 2-stroke. Only replaced it this spring with a 13’ whaler because we keep it in the water most of the time and had it on a float that was cumbersome with my docking arrangement. Tubes I believe are hypalon and were durable, valves and seals didn’t leak and were enjoyed a lot with my 4 kids and 4 nieces and nephews year round in Fort Lauderdale. The 25hp could pull two teenagers on wakeboards at the same time. I wouldn’t hesitate to buy another - just make sure the tubes and valves hold air.

 

[bostonhatteras]

The sad aspect of inflatables is that regardless of how well they are cared for or not, regardless of being in sun or not, regardless of any factor of care the glue holding the seams together will begin to give out after 10 years or so for pvc and 15 years for hypalon or csm. kind of a kick in the ass for those that care for their possessions. if you want to chase leaks or do lots of repairs, buy an old inflatable or price in new tubes

 

[Freestyle]

I was surprised when I re-tubed a 12 foot Nouvrania for under $7. Compare that with new prices and retubing old boats with good bones and power could be a profitable business. So you may have found something that will work for a while and is only $7k from perfrect.

Bruce

Freestyle
1986 62 CPMY (54mY with ext)
Tampa