Zodiac Dinghy Repair

[Nudge]

I have an elderly Zodiac C260 (I think) and one of the pads which hold the transom board on has come adrift from the tube.

Talking to club members this can be quite common and no one seems to have managed to effect a good repair when this has befallen them. I did have a go glueing it back a couple of years ago without success... Any advice from the knowledgeable panel?

It has been a well used dinghy and although has been replaced, it would be good to have it serviceable again

Nudge

 

[claymore]

I replaced the transom on my zodiac.
It sits within a rubber slot which I cleaned out, then cut a new transom out of ply and slotted it in to the deflated dinghy. This was the toughest part of the job, and once done I felt fully capable of going the distance with Billy 2 Rivers and Mick McManus.
I parged a load of sticky into the slot first and topped the whole lot off by drilling through the rubber flanges and bolting it all together.
Its worked a treat for the past 4 years.
I have modest DIY skills and feel that with a bit of effort and patience, if I can do it, most others could!

Any rubber glueing should be done with 2 pack

 

[lw395]

It might be worth taking it to a RIB specialist, they will have the right glue etc.
Failing that, the 2-pack avon contact adhesive is probably what you need.

 

[Nudge]

Zodiac repair

Claymore, Iw395,

Thanks for the response. It is the rubber flange pad that has come adrift from the tube so I think a RIB repair outfit is a pretty good bet

Any recommendations for Central Scotland?

Nudge

 

[PaulJS]

Funnily enough I have just spent most of this morning trying to determine the correct adhesive for repairing Zodiac tubes as our rescue boat has a couple of small leaks and both sponson - transom securing pads have come loose.
If your tubes are Hypalon there looks to be a good UK supplier at "www.henshaw.co.uk", unfortunately no good to me in Saudi.

However during this search I did find an article that said that not all Zodiacs use hypalon, some are a cloth reinforced PVC. Apparently hypalon will normally be grey or black on the inside of the tube and the outside will matt down when abraded with emery cloth, while PVC will be the same colour on both sides of the material and will not appreciably change colour when abraded.

Anyway, this afternoon I'm experimenting with PVC pipe cement... in desperation.

 

[Tranona]

www.polymarine.com are the people for all things inflatable. They have charts to identify materials by make and model and supply cleaners, adhesives and repair parts and materials.

 

[alan]

As already said, you need to identify the type of rubber used for the dinghy. I believe that Zodiac have also used a material that is peculiar to them and is not Hypalon. In any case you will need a two pack type of glue. Follow the instructions on the glue!! Most of them require some heating of the glue prior to joining the two pieces that are to be glued; from my experience I have used a hot air gun (not hair dryer) and the glue needs to be bubbling hot before pressing the pieces together. When I have glued stuff like this, they stick like proverbial s**t to a blanket.
The link below is for instructions contained on Chas Newens web site (Zodiac agents) and they also sell, bits and pieces including glue for Zodiacs. They are also helpful if you need to ask them somehting:
http://www.zodiac-boats.co.uk/acatalog/Zodiac-Tube-Repair-Instructions-Drepair.html

Good luck,
Alan.

 

[Nudge]

Paul, Tranoma,

Thanks for the recommendations and insights. I had always thought that this one was PVC but maybe not?

Will check the site recommended.

Cheers,

Nudge