PVC Dinghy repair Kilada Greece

[affinite]

My boat is ashore in the Basimakoplous yard in Kilada Greece.
I'm trying to find someone who can repair a leak in a PVC dinghy before I next go there in a couple of weeks.
The yards registered contractor has not replied to my emails.
Has anyone on here any contacts in the area who I could approach for this work ?
BTW - before someone says it, the dinghy is almost new so I think it is worth trying to repair, and no return under warranty isnt an option.
Thanks

 

[greeny]

Can you take the necessary patches (a variety maybe) and glue and repair yourself once you get back? That's what I would do.
Otherwise I'd keep trying to contact the registered contractor. He may be on holiday as its August. Sounds daft but if it's anything like Portugal, many places just stop working for August.

 

[Clancy Moped]

Sort it out on the ground.

 

[affinite]

The leak is on a seam and yes Ive tried patching it myself .....
I need someone with the proper 2 part glue and not the bicyle repair stuff that came with the dinghy.

 

[Mistroma]

The leak is on a seam and yes Ive tried patching it myself .....
I need someone with the proper 2 part glue and not the bicyle repair stuff that came with the dinghy.

I bought some 2-part glue in Greece and it was widely available in the Ionian. I'd imagine it would be available in Kilada or Porto Heli. Search for "Hercules Repair kit for TPU/PVC/EVA fabrics" to get details. You could keep this in mind as plan "B" if no professional repairer available.

Just checked and this is the stuff we used.
https://www.lalizas.com/product/174...6-hercules-repair-kit-for-tpu-pvc-eva-fabrics

Our small 2005 Lodestar blew a seam in 2019 on way back from lunch. It was a 3-4" join near the bows and we were able to keep it inflated for 5 minute return trip by pressing on the seam.

I repaired it with Hercules and it is still fine. I've also used it on some patches with rings and odd loose tape. I had added ring patches initially using 1-part and they pulled off last year. Used remainder of Hercules on them and patched a cut near bottom of transom. I bought a replacement pack last year as it is useful to have.

Only downside is the very long period before putting dinghy back into use. The pack says to wait 96 hours before full inflation and a 4 day wait is a real pain. We lightly inflated after 2 days in case we needed a shore trip and increased pressure a bit on 3rd day for a shopping trip. It was fine and still OK this year.

Seam repair was really easy. I Followed instructions to paint both sides, being careful not to overdo the inside or it would stick to the inner part of the tube. I pressed the seam with a heavy weight for a day and lightly inflated to get shape and ensure it hadn't stuck in wrong places.

 

[affinite]

I bought some 2-part glue in Greece and it was widely available in the Ionian. I'd imagine it would be available in Kilada or Porto Heli. Search for "Hercules Repair kit for TPU/PVC/EVA fabrics" to get details. You could keep this in mind as plan "B" if no professional repairer available.

Just checked and this is the stuff we used.
https://www.lalizas.com/product/174...6-hercules-repair-kit-for-tpu-pvc-eva-fabrics

Our small 2005 Lodestar blew a seam in 2019 on way back from lunch. It was a 3-4" join near the bows and we were able to keep it inflated for 5 minute return trip by pressing on the seam.

I repaired it with Hercules and it is still fine. I've also used it on some patches with rings and odd loose tape. I had added ring patches initially using 1-part and they pulled off last year. Used remainder of Hercules on them and patched a cut near bottom of transom. I bought a replacement pack last year as it is useful to have.

Only downside is the very long period before putting dinghy back into use. The pack says to wait 96 hours before full inflation and a 4 day wait is a real pain. We lightly inflated after 2 days in case we needed a shore trip and increased pressure a bit on 3rd day for a shopping trip. It was fine and still OK this year.

Seam repair was really easy. I Followed instructions to paint both sides, being careful not to overdo the inside or it would stick to the inner part of the tube. I pressed the seam with a heavy weight for a day and lightly inflated to get shape and ensure it hadn't stuck in wrong places.

Thanks for the tip - I've already emailed the yard to see if they have some.

 

[Mistroma]

Might be worth buying some acetone if the yard has any. The yard I use keeps a load of useful stuff, acetone, phosphoric acid, oxalic acid, etc. Perhaps your yard keeps similar stock. I usually keep a litre of acetone as it is useful stuff.

Hercules will probably cost 25-30 euro and comes with a tiny bottle of cleaning fluid. I haven't checked but it's almost certain to be butanone (MEK), closely related to acetone. I peeled back the join till it was definitely a solid bond and used plenty of acetone to clean both sides. A little sanding, and more acetone, followed up by the Hercules cleaner just before the glue.

Acetone will clean it pretty well and is very cheap. The tiny bottle of "special" cleaner will probably be slightly better than acetone but you won't have much to spare. An acetone pre-clean solves that problem. Butanone has a higher boiling point than acetone and doesn't evaporate as quickly, that gives it a better chance to dissolve oils and allow it to be wiped away (assuming that's what's in the "special" Hercules cleaner) .