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Old 29-05-2011, 09:42   #1
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Patching a Dinghy

So I have a leak in the dinghy and tried to patch. Allowed the patch to sit for two days with wood on top and under the dinghy clamped in place. Took the pressure off and added air, now the leak is slower, but it is following a rubber seam and escaping under. The original hole was next to the rubber oar mount on the dinghy so I was unable to get a good flat patch on the spot.. Would 5200 under a patch help without the 2 part glue? going to try again but would rather get right this time. Any trick to applying a patch on a surface the is not flat? Thanks
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Old 29-05-2011, 09:53   #2
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Re: patching a dinghy

did you clean the dink patch area with mek?? did you use 2 part glue??/ these will ensure the patch to last 10 yrs, as mine did. goood luck. is this dink hypalon or pvc?? pvc needs bostick glue. hypalon needs 2 part glue and procedure for each is different.
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Old 29-05-2011, 09:58   #3
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Re: patching a dinghy

The dinghy is hypalon. I did scratch the service and clean with soap and water. Did not use mek to clean. Used 2 part adhesive and then placed a block of wood over and under the dinghy and applied pressure with 2 small wood clamps. THe leak is next to a sem that has an edge so a totaly flat surface is not available.
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Old 29-05-2011, 10:19   #4
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Re: patching a dinghy

ok is the problem... didnt use mek to clean the fabric after scratching it ... please do that and see how long your repair will last--- mine lasted a good 10 yrs--- be safe with the mek. is bad stuff. important but nasty.
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Old 29-05-2011, 10:45   #5
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Re: patching a dinghy

It sounds like the seam could be the problem, and if the leaking patch is really well adhered beyond the gap caused by the seam then I'm not sure that extra prep will make any difference. I've not repaired a Hypalon dink but am going to chime in anyway..

If the seam is the problem then you need to fill it or remove it. When I've had seams that were in the way of patches on bicycle tubes I've been able to carefully sand the seam down until it is no longer large enough to cause a leak like this. I'm not sure what type of seam you are dealing with but would block sanding carefully over the seam possibly help? If not you'll need to fill the gap caused by the seam. I'm guessing that folks on this site will have good suggestions for materials that will adhere to hypalon, maintain flexibility and also fill small gaps. I'm not sure if 5200 fits that group but if you have time it may be worth trying, or at least reading up on it.

If there is no suitable adhesive you may be able to do something like cut/find a thin strand of patch material that will fill the gap with the existing adhesive that you have. You could then glue this strip into the seam and after it is adhered sand it some to level it out and avoid hard edged gaps before you add a new patch?

I can think of some uglier/riskier repair techniques but hopefully there is an adhesive out there that will work for you.

Good luck with it,

Jonathan
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Old 29-05-2011, 10:50   #6
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Re: patching a dinghy

under the hypalon should be neoprene liner--is that still connected to the hypalon?? what brand is dink? do ye has pix of this mayhem? if the neoprene liner is not attached to the hypalon anymore, could be a problem causing leakage-- the 2 part glue will help reconnect this., after cleaning with mek.. seam tape is a good thing to use as a replacement for the old seam,if is on a seam -- has a tape of hypalon sealing the seam. if is the oarlock, there should be neoprene under the seam to the oarlock... each layer needs to be repaired.
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Old 29-05-2011, 11:07   #7
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Re: patching a dinghy

The leak before the repair was substantial, needed to pump up the dinghy everyday or could not move. Now it leaks but very slowly. Maybe every 3 days and then just soft. The original leak, cut, was next to the rubber oar lock. So when I put the patch on, it sealed most of the leak, although there is some seepage that follows the edge of the oar lock to the end of the patch. It is this tiny leak that I am now trying to fix. It is an AB dinghy.
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Old 29-05-2011, 11:34   #8
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Re: patching a dinghy

Landon, as far as I know the only way to fix (glue) hypalon is to use the special 2-part hypalon adhesive sold by Bostick and others. The kits are expensive and have a short shelf life, and you have to open up any weak seam where they glue may be failing, to properly abrade, solvent clean, and prep the entire area in question.

IF you have glued seams that are letting go, the problem usually is that the original glue is failing and eventually ALL of the seams will let go, so you may be playing "whack a mole" as you chase down more leaks every time you fix one, the next weakest spot opens up.

But if the problem is just one area? Forget 5200, I don't think 3M will even tell you that's suitable for hypalon since 5200 hardens up and doesn't flex as it ages.

Buy the hypalon adhseive, make sure the kit is fresh, follow the instructions to the letter. It works. Unless you have to play "whack a mole", which is one reason that some life raft makers condemn their glued rafts after ten years.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
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Old 29-05-2011, 11:49   #9
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Re: patching a dinghy

The word seam may not be appropriate. The original leak was next to the rubber oar lock. So when I put the patch on, it sealed most of the leak, although there is some seepage that follows the edge of the oar lock to the end of the patch. It is this tiny leak that I am now trying to fix. Maybe just another patch. But is there a special way to patch when the leak is next to a ridge, say 1/8 inch higher than the dinghy pontoon and you need to place the patch on the pontoon and then up over the 1/8 inch space. that will form a gap and hard to seal and air may leak from this point.

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Old 29-05-2011, 13:53   #10
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Re: patching a dinghy

You need a solid-on-solid contact to glue the two together. If there are layers that are different heights, possibly putting a patch (a layer) on the low one, then another patch over and across the top of both, with edges trimmed flush to meet. But I'm not at all sure I'm "seeing" what your leak is. Otherwise the solution might be to use solvent, open up the seam, clean it out, and reglue the original seam.
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Old 10-06-2011, 05:32   #11
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Re: Patching a Dinghy

We had a slice in our Hypalon dink near the seam, and we put a partial patch on the inside along the seam, and then covered the entire slice on the outside.

2-part glue, etc ...

All good. Sometimes you need to make the hole bigger to get access to the inside ...

/jon
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Old 03-08-2011, 05:53   #12
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Re: Patching a Dinghy

Similar question. I have a hypalon dink and I've patched a leak in the inflatable floor. It still seems to have a slow leak. Has anyone ever used the "slim" type tire sealant to fill a leak from the inside?

Thanks,
Scott
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Old 03-08-2011, 06:12   #13
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Re: Patching a Dinghy

After reading these and other forums on patching a hypalon dinghy, I came to the understanding I could not match the conditions need to have a sucessuful repair. Its summer here and the humidity is high and I have no place beside the boatyard to work I called the local inflatable repair guy who picked up and delivered three patches and pick up was $220 and no leake
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Old 03-08-2011, 06:16   #14
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Re: Patching a Dinghy

We have an old Caribe that has some spots that were abraded and leaking. Tried patch with the special contact glue, no luck. Peeled off the old patch. Finally got out the regular, inexpensive, 2 part epoxy, washed the area down with rubbing alcohol and let it dry. Then slathered the area with a thin coat of epoxy. Let set for a couple hours till cured. It was a big improvement. P. S. Let out most of the air before putting the glue on. Patrick Aguillard "Island Dream" Pearson 422 Hull #3.
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Old 03-08-2011, 06:47   #15
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Re: Patching a Dinghy

The most effective patch I've used (and I tried them all) is Gorilla Super Glue (not regular Gorilla Glue, "Gorilla Super Glue") and a piece of rubber. It works! Just a few bucks at Home Depot.

Good Luck
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