Repairing an inflatable

snowleopard

snowleopard

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I have a venerable but serviceable PVC dinghy. The tubes are in good shape and the last patch I put on 7 years ago is still holding fine. The trouble is that other glued bits keep falling off, e.g. the lugs used to attach the grab line and sockets for the thwarts.

Attempts to stick them back on are complete failures because the old glue won't come off the fabric or the fittings. I've tried various solvents and abrasives but nothing will shift it. Any ideas?
 
snowleopard said:
I have a venerable but serviceable PVC dinghy. The tubes are in good shape and the last patch I put on 7 years ago is still holding fine. The trouble is that other glued bits keep falling off, e.g. the lugs used to attach the grab line and sockets for the thwarts.

Attempts to stick them back on are complete failures because the old glue won't come off the fabric or the fittings. I've tried various solvents and abrasives but nothing will shift it. Any ideas?
Click to expand...

I had the same problem and after many expensive attempts ended up binning the dinghy and getting another one.These things have a finite(very)life and when they start falling to pieces that's it.IMHO of course.
 
I would have thought sanding and the use of the proper solvent from somewhere like Polymarine would have done the trick.

If not then sorry cant help.
 
Before you give up you could try Sikaflex. Having used it and the tried to remove the item its damn near impossible. I wouldn't use on stressed items but the odd patch I'm sure would be OK. My Narwhal dinghy become unglued after 7 years when the adhesive broke down. I used Sikaflex for that to seal the outer strake and a patch at the transom. It lasted for a while and is now in a friend's garden as a paddling pool.!
 
Mine's about 20 years old now but spent about ten of them in the cellar away from the sun. This year I dusted it off and pumped it up to get off the (***********) masking tape I left after painting on the waterline; Soon as I tried to pull the thing out of the water one of the handles came off. Ho Hum, I pulled on t'other which came off too. Then the rowlocks and finally every bit that was bonded onto the damn thing just peeled off (it was a hot day I have to say). Finally managed to lug the thing out of the water and went to the toyshop to buy some swank special rubber dubber repair stuff.
Same prob as snowleopard, even with the solvent supplied nothing seems to stick for long.

Now I think that probably the seams will go soon, so I'm donating it to the neigbours noisy children in the hope they take it somewhere far, far out to sea.........
 
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