Hypalon dinghy repair

[superboots]

I have a dinghy made from Hypalon - its a Flatacraft force 3 perhaps 30 years old but little used. I have take it for service and some leaks have been fixed. But there are still leaks at the conical end of the tubes. What would be the best way to fix this? Is there a mastic or paste which could be applied to the seams? Adice from ay one with experience of this problem much appreciated

 

[pcranness]

Try something like this
ToobBond
Might need Hypalon Solvent Cleaner like this to clean the tubes first. I used some nail varnish remover and elbow grease before using the solvent cleaner

 

[earlybird]

I once painted an elderly, slightly leaky Avon with hypalon paint from Polymarine. This was to improve it cosmetically but I was surprised and pleased by how much it also improved pressure retention. The downside is that it now seems ~£60 per tin.

 

[Poignard]

I tried to repair my very old Achilles Hypalon dinghy myself using a repair kit I bought. My repairs weren't very successful and I wasted a lot of time on it.

In the end I got fed up and took it to a man trading as www.pkpaddlesport in Surrey. He fixed several leaks and re-glued the end cones. All for £80.

I tested it again a few weeks ago and it held pressure for a week.

Sometimes it's better to pay an expert than to waste time and money trying to become one.

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

What you need is Polymarine Seakflex
Hypalon dinghy repair

 

[superboots]

I did take it to a professional dinghy repair company. after agreeing to repair the leaks he's making excuses about the tube ends

 

[superboots]

Looks like the seal flex is worth a try

 

[Poignard]

I did try some stuff tthat is supposed to cure leaks. You pour into the tubes and slosh it around, then drain it out.

It did not actually stop any leaks but did show where some of them were as it oozed out!

Now it has dried and flaked off so the tubes have thousands of bits of this dried sealer in them.

 

[BobnLesley]

If the leaks are minor, then Poignard's suggestion of sealing from the inside is probably the way to go. I had great success using a mixture of PVA wood glue and water; the only proviso I would add is that our dink was rarely deflated and rolled, so it may well crack/flake if you need to do so regularly