Yet Another Question About Inflatables

[OLDSON]

I have access to a dinghy for free. Its a zodiac it has an interior blown seal in one of the pontoons. It inflates but not fully. The piece that separate the sections on the inside are compromised. Any ideas?

[OLDSON]

I was thinking fixit flat but Not seriously.

[OLDSON]

Bump?

[osirissail]

Whether the internal partitions are intact or not really does not make any difference in the inflation of the boat. The purpose of the partitions is only to retain an inflated section in case of loss of air in a different section.
- - There must be a leak allowing air to escape and the tube to deflate. Finding such a leak can be extremely frustrating as there are so many places like seams, tabs, valves, etc.
- - If you inflate the suspect side of the boat to maximum and then lift the boat so that it is vertical - good side up - and bad side underwater you may see a bubble stream. Otherwise, a jar of concentrated water/detergent and a brush and lots of time to look for soap bubbling can help locate the leak.
- - Some of the most frequent parts that leak are the inflation valves. Then seams where the tubes become cones at the rear of the boat and any rubber "cap" over the narrow - rearmost - end of the tubes.