Inflatable boat valve and mounting therefor

In combination a valve for use with an inflatable article having side walls made of flexible impervious fabric, and means for attaching and sealing the valve to the article at an opening through the side wall thereof, said valve comprising a hollow valve body having a fixed seat therein, a valve element within the valve body and selectively movable into and out of sealing engagement with the valve seat therein, and resilient means constantly urging the valve element toward and into sealing engagement with the valve seat, the means for attaching and sealing the valve to the article comprising a nut screwed onto the valve body, the nut having a first, axially outwardly expanding frusto-conical flange on its axially outer end, said first flange underlying the portion of the fabric which surrounds the opening through the side wall of the article, a second frusto-conical flange attached to the valve body, said second flange being coaxial with and substantially parallel to the first flange, said second flange overlying at least a part of the portion of the fabric which surrounds the opening through the side wall of the article and which overlies the first flange, the two flanges forcibly and sealingly engaging opposite sides of the said portion of the fabric, the valve being a deflation valve which selectively also functions as a check valve, and comprising means for selectively holding the movable valve element in its valve-open position removed from the valve seat, said means for selectively holding the valve element in open position comprising at least one axially extending rib on the valve element, said rib, when the valve element is in valve-closed position, extending into an axially extending slot in a part of the valve body.