Well, after reading the post "The truth about Zodiac's PVC Fabric", maybe I ought to just give up... But, I have most all the repair parts, so have little more to lose at this point. I bought Mercury's 2-part PVC glue, and some patches that came with with a one-part glue.
My $200 Quicksilver 2-man used inflatable (yes, I think I got ripped off) proved to have leaks around 2 of the 3 valves, where the rubber Boston valve assembly is glued to the inside of the tube. As expected, attempts to seal the edges failed, so I bought 3 Leafield C7 valves. I cut out the old failed valves (well, one so far to learn); the hole is about 3 inches diam. I have that grey PVC repair fabric from the kit, but need more. I haven't yet found a source for getting just the fabric - and the ones I found are 4" diam or else 4 " wide strips. I need at least 6 inch to be large enough to cover the holes, forming a new layer to clamp the new valves to.
Anyone know of a good source? I have even thought of buying a broken/leaky PVC inflatable of some type, like a towable donut, and cutting out some of its fabric.
I am hoping I can keep the humidity low enough inside, and can lay the round patch cleanly enough on the deflated tube - I don't need oceangoing strength, just enough of a seal to keep it inflated reasonably hard for the 8 or 10 hrs I may have it on my mooring before deflating it. And no outboard stress - just the oars.
Thanks, Peter
My $200 Quicksilver 2-man used inflatable (yes, I think I got ripped off) proved to have leaks around 2 of the 3 valves, where the rubber Boston valve assembly is glued to the inside of the tube. As expected, attempts to seal the edges failed, so I bought 3 Leafield C7 valves. I cut out the old failed valves (well, one so far to learn); the hole is about 3 inches diam. I have that grey PVC repair fabric from the kit, but need more. I haven't yet found a source for getting just the fabric - and the ones I found are 4" diam or else 4 " wide strips. I need at least 6 inch to be large enough to cover the holes, forming a new layer to clamp the new valves to.
Anyone know of a good source? I have even thought of buying a broken/leaky PVC inflatable of some type, like a towable donut, and cutting out some of its fabric.
I am hoping I can keep the humidity low enough inside, and can lay the round patch cleanly enough on the deflated tube - I don't need oceangoing strength, just enough of a seal to keep it inflated reasonably hard for the 8 or 10 hrs I may have it on my mooring before deflating it. And no outboard stress - just the oars.
Thanks, Peter