The mission of Newport Vessels is to provide; quality, affordable, and always available inflatable boat products. This mission applies to our over 2,500 customers & our 20+ Newport Vessels dealers across the US. Why is Newport Vessels different? Unlike 95% of inflatable boat brands & sellers, we actually carry over 500 inflatable boat products in inventory (within our Los Angeles warehouse) at all times. Having hundreds of inflatable boats, inflatable boat accessories, as well as inflatable boat parts allows us to rapidly fulfill the needs of our customers as well as our dealers.
FAQ's - Video Library
2. How to Deflate & Store Boat in Travel Tote Bag
3. How to Register My Inflatable Boat
4. What's The Difference Between PVC & Hypalon or CSM Inflatable Boats?
5. How to Affix Registration Numbers To PVC Boat
6. Slow Air Leak in Tubes - Valve Tightening & Cleaning
7. Slow Air Leak in Tubes - Valve Glueing
8. Slow Air Leak in Tubes - Seam Glueing
9. Video of the boat at 25mph!
10. Video - "Roller Launch Wheels"
11. How to Install - "Roller Launch Wheels"
13. I Have a Small Drain Plug Leak
Assembly of your Newport Vessels inflatable boat will take about 15-20 minutes (especially the first time). Please view the above video and the below pictures to aid in the assembly and installation of the aluminum framed wooden floor boards. This part of the process will take about 5 minutes by using the following steps.
STEP A: Properly place Newport Vessels inflatable boat floor boards inside the boat in the correct order and attach the inflatable boat floor boards at the joint locations. Watch video above for proper technique & floor board alignment instructions.
STEP B: Conjoin each individual floor together by inserting each floor boat (in the correct order) into the appropriate bracket. Once again, watch the above video for proper technique & inflatable boat floor board alignment instructions.
STEP C: Now that the inflatable boat floor board panels are properly and even placed within the boat (and the joints are properly connected) grab all the stringers and prepare for the aluminum stringer insertion. the longer side of the stinger is to be placed against the floor of the inflatable boat (leaving the more narrow/thin portion of the stringer facing upward. The motion to set the stingers in place is a rolling motion (not a sliding motion). The stingers are designed to roll into place and to secure snugly and not move. Watch video above for proper Newport Vessels inflatable boat stringer installation.
STEP D: Repeat the above steps for each individual aluminum stringer so that each joint of the wood panel floors are properly secured in place. The aluminum framed wood panel flooring provides an extremely rigid and secure flooring system for your boat. Wood flooring is recommended for multi passenger uses, dogs, standing, fishing, and all versatile inflatable boating applications. Watch the video above for proper technique & floor board alignment instructions.
2. How to Deflate & Store in Bag:
4. Difference Between PVC & Hypalon/CSM Material:
Almost all inflatable boats are constructed with either PVC material or Hyaplon/CSM material. Hypalon was discontinued by it's manufacturer (Dupont) an is now sold under it's slightly different formula and new name "CSM" or ChloroSulfonated Polyethylene Rubber.
PVC Inflatable Boat - Pros
- Much less expensive than Hypalon or CSM.
- More abbrasion resistant. More resistant against scratching, scuffing, & damage caused from running up-on-shore.
PVC Inflatable Boat - Cons
- Will not last as long as Hypalon/CSM when exposed to direct sunlight. The extended expsoure to direct sunlight will cause PVC material to turn dry, brittle, discolor, and lose it's flexible properties. Extended exposure to direct sunlight will negatively affect all boats constructed with PVC. However, this negative property is easily remedied by the simple use of a boat cover.
Hypalon/CSM Inflatable Boat - Pros
- Much greater resistance to extended exposure to direct sunlight. A boat constructed with Hypalon will last much longer than a boat constructed with PVC, if they are both left out in the direct sunlight for an extended period of time. Once again, this is easily remedied by the simple use of a boat cover.
- Greater resistance to chemicals.
Hypalon/CSM Inflatable Boat - Cons
- Almost 3x the cost of PVC. Costs are much greater as well as the supply of this material is much more limited.
In summary, there is one major difference between PVC & Hypalon/CSM inflatable boats. This difference is how they react to extended exposure to direct sunlight. For PVC boats that are poorly cared for and that are left uncovered, this difference will be noticed. However, for properly cared for PVC boats, and for PVC boats that use a cover during periods of non-use, this difference will be virtually unnoticable.
5. How To Affix Registration Numbers - To My Boat:
The most effective method of affixing registration numbers to a PVC inflatable boat is to put the registration numbers on a 3 inch high board and then hang the board over the side of the boat as near to the bow as possible. The perimeter rope handles that are included on all Newport Vessels inflatable boats, work as a great attachment point. USCG rules say that the vessels registration numbers must be visible at all timek (not permanently attached).
If you're insistent on permanently attaching letters to your boats, we do not receommend using stickers. These almost always crack and fall off within a year. Instead, we recommend using a stencil and then using either a permanent magic marker (which works great) or using Krylon spray paint with very light pre-coat primer. The best spray paint is Krylon Fusion for Plastic (2326).
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6. Slow Air Leak - Valve Tightening:
Note: 95% of inflatable boat slow air leaks can be attributed to loose or improperly fitted air valves. All Newport Vessels products are pressure tested and logged three times during the production process. The third and final air pressure test consists of the entire boat being inflated to capacity and then PSI gauged and logged 4 times during a 24-hour period. This extreme attention to detail & obsession with quality ensures that all defective products are caught before they are shipped to customers. If you’re experiencing a rapid air leak that can be heard or seen, then this means that you are not properly locking the air valve.
If you're experiencing an air leak that is only noticeable over a several day or week period, then this means only 1 of 3 possible events are occurring (Tear in the fabric, leaky seam, or air valve leak). Remember, 95% of all slow air leaks can be attributed to loose or improperly fitted air valves.
Find the problem:
Newport Vessels inflatable boats use interior baffles, so it is possible for a leak in one air chamber to affect or cause a neighboring chamber to become soft as well. So the first thing you need to do is determine which chamber is the problem chamber. To do this, you will need to deflate all air chambers and then fully inflate only 1 air chamber at a time. After fully inflating 1 air chamber, close the valve cap and use a spray bottle of soapy water (the more soap the better) and thoroughly spray the solution all over the air valve. You’re looking to find small bubbles forming around the inside of the cap or the outside perimeter of the valve. If bubbles are found, the problem is found. Remember you’re looking for even extremely tiny bubbles and in cases of slow air leaks it helps to apply pressure by sitting on the tube to help make the leak more noticeable when soapy water has been applied. Also we recommend that you apply the soapy water generously and then sit on the tube for 3-4 minutes and wait to see if even very small bubbles form. If the inflated chamber does not produce any bubbles then repeat the above steps with each of the other chambers & valves in order to pinpoint the leak.
Fix the Problem:
When the soapy mixture was applied, if bubbles were found around the valve perimeter, then this means that the valve needs to be tightened, reoriented (by reinstalling), or your valve is damaged and needs to be replaced. View video “Slow Air Leak in Tubes – How to Find & Fix” for how to remove & reinstall.
It is possible that over time, dirt, debris, salt, or any other build up may accumulate on the inside rubber seal of the valve. This rubber seal creates the air-tight seal that is needed to keep your tubes fully inflated, so many times this accumulation of debris can cause a small gradual air leak that can make the air chambers soft. The best way to remove or clean this debris is to use the foot pump to blow air throughout the valve by placing the air nozzle about 2 inches away from the valve and pumping the pump. However the best way to clean the valves is to fully remove them by using the valve wrench that can be found in your repair kit. If you cannot find this piece you can get them from our website (Valve Repair Kit). Clean the inner rubber seal with a cotton swab and then re-install the valve. Instructions for doing this can be found in the video “Slow Air Leak in Tubes - How to Find & Fix”.
If it’s determined that the leak is coming from around the valve perimeter, you can also apply a thin layer of glue around the valve housing as well as on the hole where the cap string attaches to the valve. Many times this simple solution can solve the problem as well. You can either use glue or any household standard silicone for this quick fix as well.
7. Slow Air Leak - Valve Glueing:
8. Slow Air Leak - Seam Glueing:
Be sure to view the full PDF document that shows all repair instructions. This can be found in the "DOWNLOADS" section of the website. Once on the DOWNLOADS page, click on "Air Leak Find & Fix + Transom Holder Repair". This will download the full instrutions in .PDF format.
9. Video of the boat @ 25mph!:
10. Video Roller Launch Wheels:
11. How to Install Launch Wheels:
