RIB Salvage Project, glue for PVC inflatable.

[LarryDW]

G-flex, or an equivalent product from Jamestown Distributor’s (can’t recall what it’s called)

[Franziska]

So, resurrected from a pile of trash.

See photos further above in the thread.

Still needs a little detail work, but reasonably happy with the result [emoji4]

[wingssail]

I've used G-flex thickened with fillers. It even held bow-eye patch for several years now. But being in very primitive 3rd world your choices are EXTREMELY limited. No name brand stuff can be found or obtained, yet repairs must be made. But super glue is available everywhere. So we've used super glue. Very effective for small patches and can work even in big repairs. Good prep and clamping helps. Avoid the volatile solvents on PVC.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by wingssail

I've used G-flex thickened with fillers. It even held bow-eye patch for several years now. But being in very primitive 3rd world your choices are EXTREMELY limited. No name brand stuff can be found or obtained, yet repairs must be made. But super glue is available everywhere. So we've used super glue. Very effective for small patches and can work even in big repairs. Good prep and clamping helps. Avoid the volatile solvents on PVC.

Yes the superglue works great too. It also helps with minute pinholes!

[JPA Cate]

Nice pics! the dinghy looks tight as a tick! Good on ya!

Ann

PS. Thinking about this dinghy, I think it will stay good longer if you cover the PVC with a darkish color acrylic canvas set of chaps. Although sewing is easier with a walking foot sewing machine, in fact it could be done with a Pfaff 130, for instance, a home machine that was able to work with #18 needles. Chaps last longer if sewn with ptfe thread. There is a Sewing Group under the Community button that has discussions of making chaps, but I certainly would have been better off to view the SailRite video before I made the first set for our dinghy.

Ann

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Nice pics! the dinghy looks tight as a tick! Good on ya!

Ann

PS. Thinking about this dinghy, I think it will stay good longer if you cover the PVC with a darkish color acrylic canvas set of chaps. Although sewing is easier with a walking foot sewing machine, in fact it could be done with a Pfaff 130, for instance, a home machine that was able to work with #18 needles. Chaps last longer if sewn with ptfe thread. There is a Sewing Group under the Community button that has discussions of making chaps, but I certainly would have been better off to view the SailRite video before I made the first set for our dinghy.

Ann

Thanks Ann. Reasonably pleased with the result [emoji846]
One thing I would perhaps be doing differently next time, is to use white or light grey paint instead of red.
I love the red result, but white might get less hot in summer which could be good regarding the PVC glue joints.
Secondly, if the paint wears thin one day it might be less of an issue if the base is the same.

Time will tell.

Still, both could be be less important when making chaps as you suggest. Good thought!

[mikk60]

I may be missing something here. Contact cements are a mechanical bond for non vinyl surfaces. PVC cement is a chemical bond which actually welds the two surfaces together. The are definitely not interchangeable processes.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by mikk60

I may be missing something here. Contact cements are a mechanical bond for non vinyl surfaces. PVC cement is a chemical bond which actually welds the two surfaces together. The are definitely not interchangeable processes.

I tried the PVC glue, the contact cement, the epoxy and the superglue as well as Sikaflex.
As you can see in the images further up, I did glue a lot of things.
Long-term status still pending, but here is what I found so far.

Problem with the special PVC glue is that it is very sensitive to humidity and has hardly any gap filling characteristics. Works great in a controlled shop environment when used by a pro.
Less so outside on a beach.
Problem number two, one does not always know what handles or other fittings are made of, especially when salvaging them from another dead inflatable.

The G-flex epoxy (or similar from other brands) which is specifically formulated to stay flexible, sticks incredibly well to PVC or Hypalon and other materials, provided the surface is cleaned well and good abraded.
That's not a big surprise, I have used epoxy in a lot of other applications and it never failed me.
Epoxy bonds are almost always a secondary bond (=relying on keyed up surfaces) and not chemically reacting with the substrates to be bonded.
It has some gap filling characteristics, which helps when glueing over a seam or patch.
It needs some time to be really fully cured. Ideally for few days.

Superglue works great for pinholes, especially if you do not want to put a patch over it.

Sikaflex worked as a short term solution only.

Normal contact cement does not work, I could not get the hard PVC cement for pipes to work either.

Regarding the special paint (I used Veneziani Rubberpaint), make sure all surfaces are well abraded.

[Tupaia]

Looks like the G-Flex was the most successful. Did you use 650 or 655?

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Tupaia

Looks like the G-Flex was the most successful. Did you use 650 or 655?

I'll check once back onboard. I think it was 650.
Agree that G-flex seems best if working outside a controlled environment.
Overall it's cheaper than the two part PVC glue too, because you need less of it.
Use a brush with bristles cut short to apply it.

[Jim Cate]

Franziska, just how did you use the superglue on pinholes? Just a drop on the site, or did you use some sort of small patch over the hole?

I understood that superglues were activated by exclusion of Oxygen, so wondered how it worked in this usage.

Jim

[Chotu]

Wow!!!! Nice job! Looks great. A really fun thread to read.

I like the small floral design too.

Can you register this resurrection?

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Franziska, just how did you use the superglue on pinholes? Just a drop on the site, or did you use some sort of small patch over the hole?

I understood that superglues were activated by exclusion of Oxygen, so wondered how it worked in this usage.

Jim

I had a small pinhole left at the edge of a patch.
Deflated the tube partially, put in the tiny nozzle of the superglue tube and applied a little. First drop sealed it. Put 2 more drops thereafter to fill and all was good.

Had another place were there was a tiny cut on the outer layer of the PVC fabric. Put some superglue on it. Sealed.
Once all was done painted everything with the Rubberpaint.

There is also another trick. Put a dab superglue on a toothpick. Put it in the pinhole and sand it flat once cured. Than add a dab of paint or glue to protect the repair.

On one about dollar sized spot the upper PVC layer of the fabric was gone..Put a dab of G-Flex on it and it was later covered by the Rubberpaint too.

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Wow!!!! Nice job! Looks great. A really fun thread to read.

I like the small floral design too.

Can you register this resurrection?

The idea behind the floral patch was that on one side there were some old bad patches stacked on top of each other.
I removed all of them, but needed to repatch the place. So I cut a larger patch than before and wanted to stop it looking like a patch. So I painted a logo on it and made it look like it belonged there by making a similar patch on the other side too.
The flower is our boat logo. Used Rubber paint for it too.

Btw. the fittings and PVC patches came from another dead dinghy too.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Franziska

The idea behind the floral patch was that on one side there were some old bad patches stacked on top of each other.
I removed all of them, but needed to repatch the place. So I cut a larger patch than before and wanted to stop it looking like a patch. So I painted a logo on it and made it look like it belonged there by making a similar patch on the other side too.
The flower is our boat logo. Used Rubber paint for it too.

Btw. the fittings and PVC patches came from another dead dinghy too.

I love it! Looks better than a newly purchased dinghy from the showroom.

Excellent for the environment and the wallet too.