Inflatable Dink

rnbenton

rnbenton

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I have a 9'6" Achilles inflatable dink.Is it better to store it deflated in the bag or keep it inflated in the garage?

Bob
 
I see no harm in keeping it deflated, besides, think of the sheer volume of space you will save by storing it deflated.

My Achilles is over 20 years old, is always stored deflated and I have never had an issue. Left it stored for 10+ years once and it has no patches.
 
Bag it. Just make sure it's dry when you put it away. One year I put mine away a tiny bit wet and in the spring found some red moldy crap on it.
 
Bob,
I clean and deflate it every season with out issue. Only problem i Did have was I stored it on the floor in a detached garage and MICE ate tru the dink. Was pretty funny to see me on vacation taking it out of the bag with no indication something was up but as I unrolled it I saw what I would say looked like Grass seed. Well anyway they ate right tru the dink. So i no longer store it on the floor. I also have ENOUGH RAT FOOD to kill a third would country in trays around the garage!!!

Rob
 
Thanks guys. I was just wondering about it getting creased and causing a weak spot.

Had an old friend tell me he always kept his inflated standing against the wall in his garage.

So, I thought I'd ask those who know. :)

Bob
 
if you have the room store it with most of the air in it so you don't crease the seams, as the dink ages not having creases in those will extend the life of it. if you must store it deflated, dust it down with a talc or baby powder before storing it.

as a kid we used to store ours on a sling from the ceiling above the garage door. it was'nt too hard to rig up and sure made it easy to take to the marina as we simply lowered it on to the roof of the station wagon. never had to mess with inflating/deflating to get it back and forth.
 
I bought a dink which had been stored rolled up and in its bag for 15 yrs. That was 8 yrs ago. Never has needed a patch. I store it inflated.
 
Best is stored partially inflated, as posted. It saves the seams from parting.
 
Mice love to get cosy in a stored inflatable. Make sure its bagged well enough and stored up off the floor in the garage to prevent these homies from moving in.
 
A friend of mine is the glue guy at an inflatable dealer. He tells me that mice keep him employed.... and the dealer in business... he told me to store mine inflated, and hanging from the ceiling if I thought mice were around...

Larry
 
What size/type of engines are you guys using, and what sort of performance are you getting?

I started a thread about using electric power as I am about to make my first purchase.

Up till now i have just carried a full inflateable raft w/ oars.
 
Very good information folks. I went with the "hang it from the ceiling" idea. took about $10 worth of hardware and 1/4" rope to rig a double block and tackle rig from the garage ceiling, one for the bow and one for the stern. She now hangs in the garage taking up no floor space at all.

Also, to answer the other question, I use a 4HP Yamaha with internal fuel tank to power it. Not very fast, but fast enough and goes seemingly forever on a tank of gas.

Bob
 
I have a 8 hp 2 stroke. She movess with 2 adults and one child. 2 adults and 2 children she wont plane. Motor weighs 85 lbs !!!!

Rob
 
We have a Mercury airdeck 10'2" hypalon that is about 3 yrs old. We store it rolled up in the bag in the off season. I spend some time making sure it is dry & sand free; particularly under the airdeck. In use, we either tow it or use Weaver snap davits to park it. It is powered by a Honda 4 stroke 5hp that we have yet to use. So far I've been rowing it.
 
I have a 10' AB rib. Stored inflated on trailer. 25 hp Suzuki, close to 40 mph. I have seen a dink that the mice got to. There were at least 20 holes the size of a quarter. The owner threw it in the dumpster.
 
My dink is a 20 year old 9'6" Achilles with the plywood bottom sections. Motor is a 1959 Evinrude 3hp LightTwin. Starts first or second pull, runs like a Swiss watch, weighs 27lbs. I like old stuff...

Larry
 
I had the same thought that if you deflated it and stored it rolled up it would put stress on the creases. So I stored it partially inflated, hanging from the ceiling in the garage. I live in Fl and the garage is not air conditioned, so the dink lived in a lot of heat most of the time. The heat caused the glue to deteriorate and the floor came out after about 5 years. The boat was made of PVC. So now I roll the new one up, put it in the bag, and keep it in the air conditioned house. Hope this helps.
 
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