Re: Proper pressure for various sections of Zodiac Futura
I've had several, and never heard of using different pressure figures for the various chambers. In practice, you'll find that the pressure within any 1 tube will be greatly affected by the pressure of any adjacent tube (the hidden "end" of each tube is flexible, of course, and will expand/retract as needed, though you can't see this happening).
Start by filling each tube, in order, one by one, so that the boat holds its shape, but remains soft. Then, in the reverse order, go back and add more air to each tube until they are all fairly firm, but not hard. Finally, top off 2 or 3 of the tubes until you get your intended pressure reading. The boat will feel hard and tight. After awhile, you'll get a "feel" for proper inflation without using a guage. Remember to adjust the pressure for temperature and altitude changes.
Many years ago, I learned the hard way that a black Zodiac can easily pop a seam if left in the sun without adjustments. The temperature range that day was huge, maybe 50 degrees early morning, to 90+ by mid afternoon. The boat sat in the sun baking. A seam failed, of course. My repair bill was over $400. Lesson learned!
Larry
Does anyone have the proper air pressure values for all of the different tubes on a 2010 Zodiac Futura Mk3 HD? The back plate lists ~3.5psi, but is that for all of the parts of the boat? There are 5 or 6 inflation points. Thank you.
