advice on airdeck repair

[RIN]

Hi all
We have a very, very slow leak in the airdeck on our tender. Unfortunately the leak is through the seam on the side of the airdeck.
I was wondering whether I could patch over the seam or whether I should try to loosen the seam and reglue.
Any suggestions welcome. The leak is coming from the seam just under the red mark, just under where there seems to be a diagonal line.
Regards
Richard

 

[westernman]

I had almost exactly the same kind of leak in mine.

Loosen the seam over a coupe of cm. Clean very thoroughly, then roughen with sand paper. Ensure spotlessly clean and dry (do this on a dry day as well). Apply the glue to both sides and hold apart until tacky. Then press together and clamp firmly and leave for at least 24 hours before touching it. I used the glue which came with the repair kit for the boat.

For me the result was perfect and it has held up since I did that 9 years ago.

 

[Gavin E]

We had a very similar issue on ours. I managed to repair the leak using one of the repair kits you can buy, but only on the second attempt.
The first kit I used just wouldn’t hold at all. The glue didn’t have any stickiness at all, even after a couple of attempts and a good hard stare at the instructions. Tried a different brand from force 4 chandlers (can’t recall the name - came in a white cylindrical tub) and that did the job.

good luck

 

[RIN]

I had almost exactly the same kind of leak in mine.

Loosen the seam over a coupe of cm. Clean very thoroughly, then roughen with sand paper. Ensure spotlessly clean and dry (do this on a dry day as well). Apply the glue to both sides and hold apart until tacky. Then press together and clamp firmly and leave for at least 24 hours before touching it. I used the glue which came with the repair kit for the boat.

For me the result was perfect and it has held up since I did that 9 years ago.

Thanks guys. How did you loosen the seam?

 

[westernman]

Thanks guys. How did you loosen the seam?

Pointy steak knife from the kitchen drawer.

 

[RIN]

Crikey, I thought you were going to recommend an aggressive solvent!

 

[Martin_J]

How about heat from a hair dryer... Then slowly peel away with something that's not so sharp it could cut the fabric.

Not sure about on the high pressure deck seams but a hair dryer works to remove the manufacturer stuck on oar patches if you want to move them a bit in order to fit davit patches in their place.

 

[westernman]

Crikey, I thought you were going to recommend an aggressive solvent!

I think it is really important to thoroughly clean the join before glueing. It should be flat. And then sand it to roughen up the surface and remove the dust you generated.

Since the repair, mine has lasted years. And put up with a lot of abuse and a total lack of any TLC.

 

[QBhoy]

Slightly cowboy of me… but I repaired a similar leak with Ct1 sealant. Still holds years later

 

[RIN]

All sorted now. I went with keyhole surgery with bradawl and acetone rather than Westerman's Friday the 13th approach

Seems OK after 72 hours.

 

[Farmer Piles]

All sorted now. I went with keyhole surgery with bradawl and acetone rather than Westerman's Friday the 13th approach

Seems OK after 72 hours.

Like your picture. Alfred E Newman. I was a huge Mad Magazine fan in my teens.