Inflatable Patching

I recently picked up a sea eagle 14SR, which needs some serious TLC. It has a tear about 6 1/2 inches long from a trailer tire rubbing on it, which wouldn't be so bad, except it's right in the middle of the rubrail. So, I need to get enough of the rubrail off to allow for a patch, but I wasn't sure the best way to do it. Would MEK do the trick, or there is something else better I should try?

Re: Inflatable Patching

you got three choices. 1. junk the boat its an inlatable that patch will give you problems for the rest of that boats life. it will worry you every time something touches it or you go out on the boat. 2. fix it yourself try your best see if it holds and good luck. 3. bring it to a professinol. they will do the best there and you wont have to worry.

Re: Inflatable Patching

Welcome to iboats.

We have a dedicated section for inflatables and you might be able to get better repair advice there so I will move this.

And...... take a look at this page which has been recommended before http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOGLUE.html

Re: Inflatable Patching

Has the internal tube next to rubrail been compromised or just the rubrail ? Place some pics for better tech evaluation and advise.

Happy Boating

Re: Inflatable Patching

MEK, heat (be careful) and pulling should free up the rub strake. A long rip like that will require an internal patch for proper strength and longevity. The internal patch needs to be well bonded, but does not have to produce a 100% seal. The one nice thing about a big rip is that it should be fairly easy to clean and bond the internal patch without resorting to tricks to insert the patch or position it. It may be hard to glue the internal patch in one shot. You might consider doing it in two stages. The top patch does need to overlap onto the tube with a decent border. Dont go too small. That bond has to be 100%. Be sure to follow the environmental limits described on the glue instruction page. A properly prepared and bonded patch is not a scary thing. My old boat has patches, a reglued floor seam, reglued leading edges on my speed tubes and a reglued transom. More than 5 years on the transom repair and still well bonded.

Re: Inflatable Patching

Thanks for the advice, I managed to get it off with some careful prying and a liberal application of MEK.

I attached some pics because I'd like some advice about how best to deal with the patching. The major tear is about 1.5" away from the handle. Is that enough of a border for a hole of this size? Should I think about pulling off the handle?

Also, the floor is starting to come apart from the transom (wood) a wee bit. What's the best adhesive to use here? I was thinking 5200 just because I use it on everything, but I was wondering if there was something especially made for PVC that might be more appropriate.

Re: Inflatable Patching

While 5200 will stick to the PVC it does not provide structural strength. It is also very difficult to remove, which makes any subsequent repairs problematic. Use the two part PVC glue.

A wee bit of separation is usually a sign that the bonds are deteriorating. When I repaired my floor seams and transom seams I pulled apart any seam that would come apart without damaging the pvc surface layer of the tube material. It was very disheartening to extend the separated seams and un wrap my transom, but it is what needed to be done to have a boat with integrity. My floor seam did not come apart all the way around and one of my tube to transom joints was solid. My point here is that if you are going to go at it with glue make sure you aren't just doing a superficial job. Many will say that once a boat starts losing seam integrity it isn't worth fixing. Depends on your time and desire.

1.5 " is a little tight but probably would be fine. I have a patch that is smaller than I usually go and it has held up just fine.

Sounds like your boat really is starting to de bond. Only you can say if it is worthwhile to repair. After you get done sealing the obvious and have some floor integrity be sure to fillt he boat with a few inches of water and check for leaks. I found a couple of seaping small leaks where the floor seam goes over tube seams. Opened up those spots a little and glued them too.

If you are methodical, do the proper prep, mix your two part glue accurately, stay within the environmental limits for humidity and work in stages (don't overlap an uncured repair) you can get strong bonds and a reliable boat. If you search back through my old posts there are some good descriptions and photos of transom repair.