Sealing an old Mirror

[stevebrassett]

I have an old, somewhat rotten old Mirror dinghy that I use as a tender. I have reinforced the deck and floor with ply so I don't put my foot through them, but I keep geting small cracks in the old dodgy floor that let in water. I am in no danger of sinking, but I get wet feet. I would like to make the dinghy last another season before replacing it, so I intend to do something to the bottom to make it more water resistant. But what? Paint? Epoxy coating? Polyester resin? With or without glassfibre sheeting? Because the dinghy is so old, I don't want to spend more than 20-30 quid, or I may as well buy another cheap tender. The dinghy is launched single-handedly from a pontoon, so the bottom needs a certain amount of scrape resistance but not a great deal of strength. Any ideas, oh great ones?

 

[Lakesailor]

Not epoxy. Buy another tender, it'll be cheaper. Apart from that epoxy needs to go onto dry wood and it would take a few weeks to dry your tender out.
There is an amazing waterproofing paint for caravan roofs which would do the trick. It sets like a resin and has (I think) glass fibres in it. We used it on next doors classic caravan/potting shed.
Trouble is I can't remember what it's called.

 

[stevebrassett]

Right - a visit to a caravanning shop is in order. Thanks very much. And, yes, it would take quite a while to dry the tender out, as it lives at the boatyard.

 

[Lakesailor]

Ah. Found what I think it is. Flexacryl
You can get it from Screwfix or builders merchants or probably static caravan wholesalers.

 

[stevebrassett]

Even better - we have more builder's merchants than caravan shops nearby. Thanks.

 

[stevebrassett]

Ordered from Screwfix.

 

[stevebrassett]

Slight problem - the Flexacryl doesn't set, but remains soft. This means that it sticks to the trolley, which has now broken. And the b*st*rd still leaks. Next solution is a sledgehammer.