ropelene repair

[dennis sullivan]

i am considering a 17' CC. what happens if this ropelene material does crack or break. is it as easy as fiberglass to repair? i hear that screws do not hold well in it and come out easily. with that asked, i must say the 17' has everything i am looking for in this size skiff. i am just a little nervous about this new material. i know it is tough but anything can break. dennis

[cagrove]

The Roplene can be repaired far easier than fiberglass. If you develope a crack, it can be "welded" back together with some very common tools. It is my experience that cracks, although can and do happen, are the exception rather than the rule. The hull is super tough and flexible so that anything you might hit just flexes the hull and it pops right back into shape.

As for screws, just as in fiberglass, you don't want to overtighten. Just snug them down and stop, they hold just fine. If by chance you strip one out, just heat the screw up with a torch or butane lighter, dip it in Roplene powder (available at most dealers) and reinsert it in the hole. Let it cool and presto, you're back in business...try that with fiberglass! Any screw that backs out from the normal flexing of the hull can easily be secured by adding a tiny bit of Rule (Sudbury Elastomeric Marine Sealant) to the screw and re-tightening.

I must admit, I was a skeptic at first about this new technology. Who ever heard of making a boat out of plastic, right? But after my dealer invited me to hit the side of a showroom boat with a baseball bat (I declined but he hit it anyway) I was sold.

Good luck on your purchase, the Roplene will handle anything and more than the Captain can dish out.

[Manomet]

I too was skeptical and worried before I bought my first triumph. I read every post on this site and decided to go for it. I have found all of what you read here to be true. If you read a lot of whats on here, you will know what you are getting into.

I bought a used one, fell in love and just bought a new (bigger) one. I would say that if you want shiny and fragile, buy a fiberglass boat. If you want tough and durable and not so shiny, buy the Triumph.

If you think it fits your needs, buy the boat and put a reminder on your calendar for one year from now to resurrect this post with an update. I'll bet you $20 that you will be posting good stuff.

[fridaysoff]

dennis,
I bought a 2004 170CC and used it 4 years.Then I bought my 195CC and have had it 2 years now.I have never had a screw back out.I put on all of my electronics and a set of trim tabs on my (plastic) boats.They are very easy to work on and with several tubes of Rule Elastomeric sealant you can do anything with these boats that you can with fiberglass.I have not waxed a boat in over six years.Try that with a fiberglass boat and see what it looks like.Mine looks as good as new.
John D.