PVC (Zodiac) Dinghy Repair

[amytom]

I have an older 10' Zodiac RIB that I picked up cheap. It has one small whole near the back of one of the tubes. I have the patch kit but I need a little advice. The whole is about 1/2" away from a reinforcement patch around the transom. If I put the 3" patch on there will be an uneven surface due to the other patch. Should I sand the other patch down smooth? just put the patch on over the bump? Or cut the patch to mate up against the other then put another patch over the whole mess?

Or, am I putting too much thought into this?

Tom

[chadlaroche]

IMO ,cut to butt up against then patch over first patch and seam

[barnakiel]

Patch to the edge then with another, bigger patch over the top to bridge the joint.

b.

[atoll]

also use a heat gun after sanding and cleaning ,with acetone, the repair area.
pvc will not bond if there is any humidity at all.
,best trim patch to butt up to raised area,then cover with 2nd patch for larger punctures,though with a good bond 2cm to the edge of the patch for smaller leaks is sufficient.
follow instructions very carefull for the pvc glue you will only have about 2minutes to work with it,so dont mix too much.
would use heat gun again briefly on the glued sides before applying the patch.
apply pressure to repair for 24 hours if possible.
and do not inflate for 24hours.
in florida with high humidity you definitely need to use a heat gun to dry out the water molecules on the surface.

[amytom]

Thanks for all the advice!

I ended up cutting a patch to fit up against the original reinforcements and glued using the sensitive (over 70degrees less than 60% humidity) glue. Let it set for 24 hours then successfully bubble checked. I then cleaned it up again and put another patch over the whole mess to strengthen it. Its still inflated today (finger crossed)

Dinghy won't see immediate use though as I still have to make the chaps to keep it out of the sun before hanging it on the davits.

Tom

[lorenzo b]

Before you waste your time, make sure you have current clear title and registration. " I picked it up real cheap" could prove not to be true if it's in the computer as stolen.

[amytom]

Thanks for the warning. I made sure of the title before I purchased it.

The reason he wasn't using it is because he is towing a 19' mobo as his tender. I guess you can do that when your main boat is a large trawler.

He originally thought it was made of Hypolon and when the manufacturer confirmed it is PVC he was very honest and lowered the price to a give away I couldn't pass up.

Ever notice that cruisers are the best sort of people?