Pvc dinghy repair

[stu9000]

Hi

I ripped my inflatable dinghy. L shaped gash about 2 inches square.
It has been patched with pvc pipe cement and was almost perfect.
Almost isn't good enough obviously as a small leak means a flaccid dinghy.
I'm not sure whether to heat gun the patch off and reglue or patch over the patch.
I'm thinking the former.
Do you?

 

[Pete7]

We had another yacht put a 6 inch gash in our dinghy. Small patch applied to make it air tight enough to inflate, then a large A5 sized patch glued on top with sikaflex. Worked and has held air for two years now. Looks dreadful but it won't be our dinghy being nicked.

Pete

 

[VicS]

Hi

I ripped my inflatable dinghy. L shaped gash about 2 inches square.
It has been patched with pvc pipe cement and was almost perfect.
Almost isn't good enough obviously as a small leak means a flaccid dinghy.
I'm not sure whether to heat gun the patch off and reglue or patch over the patch.
I'm thinking the former.
Do you?

You may not be able to heat gun the patch off. It is something that works well with Hypalon , which is fairly heat resistant itself, and the glue used for Hypalon ,which is relatively easily softened with heat.

PVC is not heat so resistant, it is relatively easily softened so would be easily damaged. The solvent in the PVC glue softens the PVC coating of the fabric making a stronger bond than an ordinary glued join.

Try heat very cautiously , but make sure you don't make it hot enough to damage the fabric.. Hopefully he pipe cement will not have made such a good bond as the proper glue.

If you can get the old patch off without damaging the fabric re-patch it using the correct 2 part glue after cleaning and " priming" the surface with the correct solvent, following the instructions on Polymarine's website

If you cannot get the existing patch off without damage you will have to cover over the whole area with a new patch using the 2 part glue after cleaning and priming with the correct solvent

Polymarine Paints, Adhesives, Parts & Accessories | Everything to keep RIB's and Inflatables in good repair & great condition

 

[stu9000]

Thanks guys

 

[stu9000]

Just to finish this one off. Vic was right. It was not possible to warm the patch and remove it. I patched over the patch, covering the seam that was bubbling. The pvc pipe cement worked pretty well. The boat was still fully inflated after two days. Using a heat gun to soften the pvc patch helped it to mould into the seam of the dinghy patch, but you have to be gentle with it. A wallpaper seam roller would have been handy to have.