{"id":37609,"date":"2025-10-15T12:45:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/?p=37609"},"modified":"2025-10-22T12:50:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T10:50:39","slug":"replacing-rib-sheaths-for-foam-filled-tubes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/replacing-rib-sheaths-for-foam-filled-tubes\/","title":{"rendered":"Replacing RIB Sheaths for Foam-filled Tubes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<iframe width=\"853\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kUvNCiDSUUc?si=PQuZn3aGUK6b3cHl\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s Inside Foam-filled Tubes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you wonder what these &#8216;tubes&#8217; look at the inside, this video explains it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It demonstrates how to remove the sheaths from the tubes. The video included a quick before-and-after view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tube&#8217;s internal structure, is detailed explaining that the inner bladder pushes the hard foam outward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the boat impacts something, the inner bladder absorbs most of the shock as the foam pushes inward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After pulling out the inner bladder, all the remaining components (foam) were removed by running a line at some point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This line would allow them to pull the inner tube back through once the chassis was on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are Possible Issues With Foam-filled Tubes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some issues are logical like water penetration. It is the most important one. But there&#8217;s more to compare. The table below gives you a comprehensive overview. I included a video of the effect that air-filled tubes have on impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><tbody><tr><td>Feature<\/td><td>Foam-filled tubes (professional closed-cell)<\/td><td>Inflatable tubes (air-filled)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Puncture Resistance<\/td><td>Excellent. A puncture does not compromise buoyancy.<\/td><td>Good. Punctures are possible, but chambers provide redundancy.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Total Buoyancy Loss<\/td><td>Extremely low risk. Buoyancy is maintained even with major damage.<\/td><td>Low risk. Multiple air chambers prevent complete deflation from a single leak.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Weight<\/td><td>Heavier. Foam adds weight compared to air.<\/td><td>Lighter. Minimal weight from air.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Performance\/Fuel<\/td><td>Heavier weight can slightly reduce top speed and increase fuel consumption.<\/td><td>Lighter weight typically allows for better speed and fuel economy.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Shock Absorption\/Ride Comfort<\/td><td>Reduced. The tubes are rigid, offering less wave-dampening than air.<\/td><td><a href=\"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/we-told-you-rafnar-ribs-never-slam\/\">Excellent<\/a>. Air acts as a natural shock absorber for a smoother ride.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Repair &amp; Maintenance<\/td><td>Complex\/Difficult. Hard to access interior; risk of water absorption in foam.<\/td><td>&#8216;Easier&#8217;. Leaks are found by pressure testing, and simple patches are usually effective.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Durability against Abrasion<\/td><td>Excellent. The solid nature provides a very robust fender.<\/td><td>Good. Highly durable fabrics (Hypalon\/PVC\/TPU) resist abrasion.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Primary Use<\/td><td>Military, commercial, search and rescue, patrol, all where extreme redundancy is critical.<\/td><td>Recreational, charter, sailing tenders, general use.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Among the options, Google Gemini delivered the most detailed response on foam-filled tubes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Proud to share that <a href=\"https:\/\/en.orcaretail.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ORCA Retail<\/a> is a Friend of RIBs ONLY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What&#8217;s Inside Foam-filled Tubes If you wonder what these &#8216;tubes&#8217; look at the inside, this video explains it all. It demonstrates how to remove the sheaths from the tubes. The video included a quick before-and-after view. The tube&#8217;s internal structure, is detailed explaining that the inner bladder pushes the hard foam outward. When the boat impacts something, the inner bladder&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[478,386,58,66,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-37609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-orca-retail","category-cabin","category-honda","category-how-to","category-video"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ribsonly.com\/2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}