That is totally up to you. If you take good care of your boat, it may last 5-10 years. If you do not take proper care of the boat, it will only last up to its warranty period. However, abused and mishandled boats are not covered by the warranty.
To extend the lifetime of your boat by taking proper care of it, we are recommending following book: “INFLATABLE BOATS – Selection, Care, Repair, and Seamanship” by Jim Trefethen. ISBN number 0-07-065252-X. Available at www.amazon.com, or you may order it from the publisher: The McGraw-Hill Companies, 1-800-262-4729.
It is well known that the most common reason for premature boat aging is exposure to the sun and its damaging UV rays. Fabric discoloration, fading, breakdowns and damages to varnished plywood can be all attributed to direct sun exposure.
The solution is simple – when the boat is not in use, cover it orFolding Inflatable Boats
Your boat has several separate air chambers and valves. First of all open all of valves by depressing them and turning a quarter turn.
Use a vacuum cleaner or a 12-volt electric pump to deflate the inflatable keel. Close the valve and install the valve protector cap.
If your boat is equipped with an Plywood or Aluminum Floor, it is now time to remove it. Remove the “stringers” from either edge first. Now, lift the floor about 10 inches at the rear most seam (between the last and second last floor pieces). Carefully lift the pieces out and place them in their carrying case.
If your boat is equipped with a High Pressure Air deck Floor, remove the air from it and install the valve protector cap. It is not necessary to remove the floor from the boat unless you wish to clean the boat at this time.
http://kaygeeinflatableboats.com/index.php/frequently-ask-questions
The valves should be in their “open” position for disassembly. They are open when they are in the “down” position. They can be alternately placed in their up (closed) and down (open) positions by pushing them down and turning one quarter turn.
Make sure that each chamber in your boat has a very small amount of air in it to prevent severe “scrunching” of the fabric so that damage doesn’t occur while your boat is being stored.
Next, deflate the front section of the boat. As it is deflating pull up on the bow ropes. This will make it easier to fold later. Close the valve.
Deflate the main pontoons. As they are deflating pull up on the side ropes so that the boat will fold in properly. You want the pontoons to fold in so the entire package is not wider than the transom. If the pontoons are not folding in properly then put a bit of air back into them and repeat the deflation procedure until you achieve the desired result.
Fold the pontoons in so that they are laying flat and are no wider that the transom.
Fold the cones in.
Begin rolling up the boat from the transom.
Fold the nose of the boat in.
Finish rolling up the boat.
Place folded boat and accessories over carry bag.
Fold and faster narrow flaps of the carry bag.
Fold and fasten wide flaps of the carry bag.
Now boat compactly folded into carry bag and ready to be stowed away.
deflate it. There are plenty of Inflatables rotting under the damaging sun in any local marine or harbor. If possible, deflate the boat, clean it and store it in its carry bag.
If the boat is constantly dragged behind your sailboat, left year round on a dock, or left dirty and directly under harmful UV-rays, you can’t expect it to last forever. If you use a boat cover, or at least cover boat with a piece of tarp, your boat will last much longer.
Try to keep the boat clean and free of chemical detergents and sun screen lotions that may discolor the fabric. We highly recommend boat cleaners available at the Inland Marine USA web site.
Please use ONLY cleaning solutions that are approved for PVC fabrics. For example Inflatable Boat Cleaner from NauticalEase or Cape Ann Inflatable Boat Protector from Inland Marine. Do not use CLOROX, Windex or any other household cleaners. These chemicals will make the fabric sticky over time. Sun screen lotions may contain silicon that will also make PVC fabric sticky. Clean the boat tubes of any sun screen lotion marks to extend the boat fabric life cycle. WE RECOMMEND 303 AEROSPACE PROTECTANT
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