Inflatable Boat Basic Repair Information and Procedures
Small
repairs and the addition of small accessories may be attempted by the
owner if factory gluing instructions are followed closely.
Rips or
holes larger than one inch in the air chambers or within two inches of a
seam should be repaired with internal and external patches by a
professional repair technician at a certified repair facility. A quick
patch repair may solve your problem for a short period of time, but we
recommend you have it redone by a professional.
We
recommend that major repairs and the addition of large accessories such
as oar locks, seating or towing rings be done by a professional repair
technician at a certified repair facility.
If your boat
is still under warranty and you are experiencing a seam
failure; the
wooden transom separating from the molded transom flanges or tubeset; or the fabric is turning
yellow and sticky, call your dealer immediately. Defective seams or
sticky fabric may result in complete warranty coverage and you may
receive a new boat for free or at a small prorated fee.
If you
plan to attempt a small repair, please follow these instructions
closely:
ESSENTIAL
INFORMATION FOR USING ALL GLUES AND ALL FABRICS
LOW
HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL
Relative humidity must be less than 70%,
preferably as low as 40%.
Temperature 64° to 77°F.
Never fiddle
around with these. Bond strength drops very rapidly with heat or
high humidity. Take your boat indoors. Don't even think about
trying to glue on the dock or near the water or in direct
sunlight. Professionals use a specially built, climate controlled room, and
still don't attempt to work on a rainy day.
Note: You
are using a two-part contact cement. The solvents in the glue must
evaporate before assembly. When ready to assemble parts, the glue
must not be tacky at all to the finger. It must not have spots of
whitish glaze. If so, you may have spread the glue too thick, not
waited long enough between coats, or a sudden drop in temperature
or gust of humid air may have occurred. Someone may have opened
the door, or you may have leaned too close and breathed on it.
Plan to stay in the room until finished.
GENERAL
TIPS
Mark out
your patch or accessory perimeter where it will be glued on. Then use
masking tape to tape off the area to ovoid getting MEK or glue on
other parts of your boat during the repair process. This takes a
little time but is well worth it in the end as the glue is hard to get
off the boat after it dries and looks very messy when it dries and
goes brown from the sun.
If using
small cans ( 1/4 L) mix the entire can with the dose of accelerator.
Inaccurate measurement will weaken the glue. Once opened the
accelerator cannot be kept. Do not try to save it. The quality of your
final bond depends on it.
Apply glue
with a paint or glue brush with the bristles cut short (1/2 to 3/4")
so they are stiff. It must be natural hair (i.e. OK for lacquer);
bound in metal not plastic; preferably with wooden or metal handle.
Careful not to get glue on areas of your boat besides the repair area.
Old glue must be completely removed -- solvent, sandpaper,
scraping, grinding with a Dremel tool. Glue will not stick to old
glue. Clean it off thoroughly. Be careful not to burn or melt the
fabric if using a Dremel tool. Constant motion with the tool will
prevent this problem.
If your
boat has ever been protected with ArmorAllŪ or another silicone or
petroleum based product, you may have great difficulty getting a bond.
Wipe the repair area well with MEK, follow the gluing instructions closely and hope
for the best.
Pinhole
size leaks in most Hypalonfabric or PVC boats sometimes may be
repaired simply by use of either Seam Sealor Air
Seal liquids. You might be able to avoid a patch on the boat.
To find
tiny leaks, take floor boards out, inflate boat hard. Put some liquid
detergent in a bucket of water and with rag or big wash brush, scrub
it all over boat. Keep watch for elusive, tiny bubbles. When you find
the first leak, keep looking. You might as well fix them all at the
same time! Remember, the number one cause of slow leaks is a poorly
seated valve. Unscrew, clean. Make sure little rubber O-rings are
good. They are the cheapest repair possible.
If
patching, cut patches 1 to 2 " larger than tear in each direction and
round the corners (a quarter makes a good template for the edges).
Little one inch circles pasted over a pin hole won't last. Try to get
the same fabric used by the manufacturer for your boat. The inside and
outside surface may be different. If you can't match color, sometimes
a cleverly shaped patch in contrasting color can be made to look like
decoration instead of a Band-Aid. e.g. arrow, lightning bolt, even a
new D ring if in right spot. Professionals often put one on each side to look
like they came with the boat.
Inflate
boat to apply accessories. Deflate to patch air leaks, even if very
small. Air pressure will bubble the patch before glue sets.
Do
Not Smoke! Glues and solvents are flammable. No open flames
(e.g. furnace or pilot light when working in a cellar.)
Use in a well ventilated area. Fumes can be overwhelming. A
carbon filter respirator is recommended. MEK solvent smells, but is
relatively safe. It is recommended that you not use Toluene - the
factories do but it is quite dangerous.
Accelerator (small bottle) is toxic. If spilled on on your
skin WASH IMMEDIATELY with soap and water. If in your eyes,
IMMEDIATELY FLUSH WITH WATER for at least 2 minutes and consult a
physician. (Accelerator is an isocyanate based product.)
Always
wear safety gear as recommended by the manufacturer of glue,
solvent, accelerator, etc.
NOTE: These instructions are offered to assist you in home use of
glues. Because of the wide variety of conditions and critical
procedures, we. assume no responsibility for failure of glued bonds or
any consequence thereof. We always recommend repairs be done by
trained professionals. If you mess it up, it's costly time to clean
the fabric and rectify the problem and it can greatly exceed the cost
of the original repair.
