Adhesive for Making Boat Repairs

[Cotemar]

Adhesive for Making Boat Repairs

If you sail long enough you will know that life aboard boats turns you into a quasi-mechanic handyman who has to be an electrician, plumber, sail maker and diesel mechanic all wrapped into one. Parts wear out and have to be replaced. Gear breaks. Equipment fails. Often the repairs we make involve adhesives. Here are a few that have worked for us.

1) LifeSeal made by Boatlife : Use for re-bedding your stanchions and cleats. It provides a durable permanent watertight seal. May be used above and below the waterline.

2) Marine-Tex Epoxy Putty: It is easy to mix, dries quickly and is incredibly strong. Comes in white and grey. You can form the goop into useful shapes and can drill it and cut it with wood tools. We once rebuilt a broken head with Marine-tex.

3) West Epoxy and fillers: West sells kits of resin and catalyst that you can mix in a plastic cup and apply with a small brush or a flat piece of wood like a tongue depressor.
As plain epoxy, you can use this resin to mend just about anything with a clean dry surface.
650-K G/flex Epoxy Repair Kit.
655-K G/flex Thickened Epoxy Adhesive Repair Kit.
If you have a larger project you can use the West 105 Resin/205 Hardener and add a spoonful of West Micro Balloon filler and you have a paste that will fill cracks and gouges and will also be an excellent adhesive.

4) Two part Underwater Epoxy: There are several brands but they all come in two part-packs. The epoxy and catalyst are mixed by hand (with surgical gloves if possible) and then can be pressed into cracks, gouges and dings below the water. When you need to repair the hull right now and there is nowhere to haul out, underwater epoxy is the right stuff for the job.

5) SuperGlue: For those really small gluing jobs, SuperGlue is the easiest and quickest way to re-join pieces, fix plastic parts, attach small labels, repair your glasses and much more. I wouldn't sail far without it.

6) Contact Cement: Its water proof and dries quickly. There are many uses for contact cement aboard a boat. You can use it to repair a torn sail with a quick but secure patch. You can use it to apply chafing patches on engine hoses and other plumbing where the tubes run against and through bulkheads. You can use it to repair veneers on furniture, and much more.

7) Elmer's White Glue: For gluing wood pieces together, there is nothing like plain old Elmer's. It is easy to work with, works well on grainy surfaces, dries relatively quickly and is easy on sharp tools when finishing the woodworking job.

[Allan S]

I like posts like this.

[captain58sailin]

3M also makes good adhesives, such as 5200, etc..., I prefer System 3 epoxy over West system and Splash Zone 2 part repair putty for underwater, JB weld for above water line, and Gorilla glue for wood, also Weldwood makes a very good water based glue.

[muskoka]

A glue gun.

Not just for gluing, but also using a couple of dabs to "clamp" pieces in place which are using slower setting glues like epoxy, etc. The glue gun will set in a couple of minutes whilst you hand position the piece and then hold it perfectly in place while the slower setting epoxy sets.

[atoll]

5200 or sika flex 11-fc,great for repairing hypalon dinghys etc

[roverhi]

Any tricks to using 5200 on Hypalon. Have got a couple of pinhole leaks on my Avon but gag at the cost of the two part glue.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by atoll

5200 or sika flex 11-fc,great for repairing hypalon dinghys etc

Must be so. But hopeless on PVC yoyos.

b.

[barnakiel]

3M 5200 (preferably FC) excellent for Dacron sail repair.

b.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Any tricks to using 5200 on Hypalon. Have got a couple of pinhole leaks on my Avon but gag at the cost of the two part glue.

treat as you would normally,ie sand and clean with acetone.

also whilst inflated use soapy water and sponge to find the leaks and draw a circle round the pin hole about 2cm dia with a biro

apply sika flex to dinghy side place patch over hole, use handle end of a screw driver to get rid of air pockets under patch.

if possible clamp the repair between 2 boards ,clean up with plenty of acetone,best to have plenty of rags handy.

leave for at least 24 hours,36 is better if a big hole before inflating

for pin holes have found it isnt nessacary for a patch,just smooth over a blob of sika on the affected area,with a wet finger tip.

dont need to say you need to deflate dinghy !!!!

as david says this only works on hypalon,not on pvc

[David M]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Adhesive for Making Boat Repairs

If you sail long enough you will know that life aboard boats turns you into a quasi-mechanic handyman who has to be an electrician, plumber, sail maker and diesel mechanic all wrapped into one. Parts wear out and have to be replaced. Gear breaks. Equipment fails. Often the repairs we make involve adhesives. Here are a few that have worked for us.

1) LifeSeal made by Boatlife : Use for re-bedding your stanchions and cleats. It provides a durable permanent watertight seal. May be used above and below the waterline.

2) Marine-Tex Epoxy Putty: It is easy to mix, dries quickly and is incredibly strong. Comes in white and grey. You can form the goop into useful shapes and can drill it and cut it with wood tools. We once rebuilt a broken head with Marine-tex.

3) West Epoxy and fillers: West sells kits of resin and catalyst that you can mix in a plastic cup and apply with a small brush or a flat piece of wood like a tongue depressor.
As plain epoxy, you can use this resin to mend just about anything with a clean dry surface.
650-K G/flex Epoxy Repair Kit.
655-K G/flex Thickened Epoxy Adhesive Repair Kit.
If you have a larger project you can use the West 105 Resin/205 Hardener and add a spoonful of West Micro Balloon filler and you have a paste that will fill cracks and gouges and will also be an excellent adhesive.

4) Two part Underwater Epoxy: There are several brands but they all come in two part-packs. The epoxy and catalyst are mixed by hand (with surgical gloves if possible) and then can be pressed into cracks, gouges and dings below the water. When you need to repair the hull right now and there is nowhere to haul out, underwater epoxy is the right stuff for the job.

5) SuperGlue: For those really small gluing jobs, SuperGlue is the easiest and quickest way to re-join pieces, fix plastic parts, attach small labels, repair your glasses and much more. I wouldn't sail far without it.

6) Contact Cement: Its water proof and dries quickly. There are many uses for contact cement aboard a boat. You can use it to repair a torn sail with a quick but secure patch. You can use it to apply chafing patches on engine hoses and other plumbing where the tubes run against and through bulkheads. You can use it to repair veneers on furniture, and much more.

7) Elmer's White Glue: For gluing wood pieces together, there is nothing like plain old Elmer's. It is easy to work with, works well on grainy surfaces, dries relatively quickly and is easy on sharp tools when finishing the woodworking job.

Nice synopsis. I agree with adding 5200 as an adhesive/sealant.

[EddieS]

I second the hot glue gun. Fantastic! There are a varity of tough glues for them too.
Thanks
Ed