Patches for inflatable

[bcripps]

Ahh... so you do like arguing with the trolls :-) No, I don't have 5200 aboard. Frankly, I consider it a structural adhesive to be reserved for hull-to-deck seams, mounting insulation pins, the bonding of tempered glass windows into metal frames, or the installation of floating floors– all phases of construction which will never have to be dismantled. Our refit crew used to curse 5200 and many boat owners paid unnecessary expenses to have deck hardware removed where 5200 was used as a caulk. The guys had to pry up fittings with hardwood wedges and cut through the 5200 with piano wire. Then there was the necessary clean-up with grinding and solvents before the vessel could be repainted. Time consuming, expensive, and again, completely unnecessary.
Anyway, I've been out for over ten years and if I did have 5200 aboard, it would be a solid brick by now.
In my search for alternative patch material, I did salvage some naugahyde from a discarded chair. I am planning to use a urethane based contact cement to apply the patches. If that doesn't stick, I'll try an acrylic glue. I don't expect a permanent fix, but hey, you work with what you got...
Bry
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[JPA Cate]

Hey, bcripps,

What kind of glue is it that you have aboard? Enquiring minds, and all that. Hope your patch works for you.

Ann

PS. You wrote that you had tried patching with 5200 in the past, and the patches rolled off in 2-3 days. I'm astonished! We had no problem at all with the hypalon to herculon bond on our dinghy bottom--and it lasted as long as we had the dinghy. Nothing at all like peeling apart. [The new owner was intending to re-floor it. He was a collector of hypalon dinghies.]

Show us pics, please, when you're done.

Ann

[Paradox111]

MAYBE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQOWWIJ...ing=UTF8&psc=1

and MAYBE
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08YDHFT9Q...ing=UTF8&psc=1

And
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079P5T17D...H9HEKC9V?psc=1

[bcripps]

Sorry for the delay. Things a bit unsettled in this country at the moment and wifi along with it.
Thanks Paradox for the links but unfortunately, no Amazon here. No freight services, no courier services, and not even a mail service. It surprises me that I get, from time to time, cell phone coverage :-) Cruising at it's best!
Anyway, Barge urethane based contact cement is what I use for large patches and is what I'm most concerned about at the present time. With contact cement, you have much more time to work with large patches like the ones I am applying: two patches at 8x14 inches each. And contact cement has a long shelve life, an important issue for the true cruising sailor. It may thicken over time, but can be thinned over and over. Use contact cement sparingly, burnish the patch well after applying and, if you have it, a blast from a heat gun makes for a more permanent seal.
The acrylic glue is Loctite AA 330 and has a limited shelf life of about a year. It is great for smaller patches but you only have about three minutes after you apply the glue and spray on the catalyst (two components, but you don't mix them which make things easy), to make the bond. I apply hand pressure for three or four minutes and then, after an hour, the inflatable can be pumped up with enough air to return to the sailboat. Best to keep the air pressure low for twenty-four hours, but at least you are not stranded. And, as always, the results of any patch-job will be vastly improved with clamping. I have 3/8-inch plywood cut to various sizes with 1/2-inch closed cell foam glued to one side for use with hand clamps and C-clamps. Unfortunately the plywood blocks are of limited use on an inflatable. Most problem areas are in places you can't clamp effectively.
I'd love to experiment with some of the other sophisticated glues on the market, particularly the product from Rema but will leave that for you folks who boat in civilized countries.
Hope this helps and again, thank you for your ideas.
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[JPA Cate]

Hi, bcripps:

Actually the Rema Tip Top SC 4000 keeps very well. Years and years, if you keep the catalyst in the fridge, and it's only a very small bottle, roughly the volume of an old fashioned 35 mm film canister. Well worth having, if you travel to somewhere it also is. It is the only glue we ever used with our hypalon dinghies (except for the one that we used 5200 on).

Ann

[bcripps]

Thanks, Ann. But unfortunately... no fridge :-)

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by bcripps

Thanks, Ann. But unfortunately... no fridge :-)

Well, it lasts fairly well at room temperature as well. And for that matter, the glue will set up sans the catalyst being used at all... just slower... but not as slow as 5200!

It's tough duty for a contact cement of any sort, and the conditions under which one needs to make a repair may not be ideal (!). Finding a suitable product in remote areas is gonna be hard, and maintaining an elderly inflatable can be a trying experience... guess how I know!

Jim