Maintenance
1.
General care
Your inflatable has been especially designed to avoid maintenance problems as far as possible. However,
periodic cleaning will help to keep your boat’s good condition especially before winter storage. Clean your boat
and wash it thoroughly with soapy water. Rinse carefully and check that no dirt or foreign bodies such as shell,
sand or fishing hooks are left inside that might deteriorate the fabric. For tar stains use a gentle, nonabrasive
cleanser such as dishwashing soap, or use a recommended inflatable boat cleaner available from most boat
chandlery outlets.
For upholstery, Highfield is using marine grade fabric to offer best resistance to UV and ageing. Periodic
washing with mild detergent and warm water is the best way to keep your upholstery look good. Special vinyl
cleaner can also be used to remove difficult stains.
No fabric can last forever when constantly exposed to the sun. To make sure your PVC tubes last, a UV
protectant solution must be applied twice a year on the tube fabric. We recommend the use of 303®
Aerospace Protectant™.
Caution
Do not use abrasive or aggressive chemical compounds.
Warm soap water is best in most situations.
Do not use any solvents, petrol, etc. (PVC models).
Use solvents sparingly only on Hypalon models.
Test any cleaner on a piece of patch material if in doubt.
2.
Deflation
To deflate the chamber, first unscrew the valve cap by turning a quarter of a turn counterclockwise. Check
that the plunger in the center of the valve is closed i.e. upper position. If closed i.e. spring compressed, down
position, push the plunger down and rotate to the closed position.
Connect the air pump to the valve, rotate the connector into the valve to lock it and start deflating.
Deflate each chamber in turn, do not deflate a chamber completely then move on to the next one. Start with
the rear chambers. Repeat procedure until all chambers are completely deflated.
Caution
This is not an exhaustive list of recommendations: Your dealer will give you the advice you need and will carry out
the technical maintenance of your boat.
3.
Storage
We recommend you to cover your boat when not in use.
a)
When not in use boat should be removed from water.
b)
Before storage the boat should be cleaned and rinsed with fresh water.
c)
Do not cover boat before it is completely dry or mildew could grow under the cover and damage the tube
material
d)
The covers should be ventilated and the drain plug left out.
e)
Check the expiry dates of the safety equipment.
f)
Have the boat overhauled.
g)
Grease and close all the valves and through-hull fittings.
h)
Grease all mechanical and moving parts (bolts, hinges, locks
…
).
