| Small repairs and the addition of small | | | | final bond depends on it. |
| accessories may be attempted by the owner if | | | | |
| factory gluing instructions are followed | | | | Apply glue with a paint or glue brush with |
| closely. | | | | the bristles cut short (1/2 to 3/4") so they |
| | | | are stiff. It must be natural hair (i.e. OK |
| Rips or holes larger than one inch in the air | | | | for lacquer); bound in metal not plastic; |
| chambers or within two inches of a seam | | | | preferably with wooden or metal handle. |
| should be repaired with internal and external | | | | Careful not to get glue on areas of your boat |
| patches by a professional repair technician | | | | besides the repair area. |
| at a certified repair facility. | | | | |
| | | | Old glue must be completely removed -- |
| A quick patch repair may solve your problem | | | | solvent, sandpaper, scraping, grinding with a |
| for a short period of time, but we recommend | | | | Dremel tool. Glue will not stick to old glue. |
| you have it redone by a professional. | | | | Clean it off thoroughly. Be careful not to |
| | | | burn or melt the fabric if using a Dremel |
| We recommend that major repairs and the | | | | tool. Constant motion with the tool will |
| addition of large accessories such as oar | | | | prevent this problem. |
| locks, seating or towing rings be done by a | | | | |
| professional repair technician at a certified | | | | If your boat has ever been protected with |
| repair facility. | | | | ArmorAllÂÂà |
| | | | ‚® or another silicone or petroleum |
| If your boat is still under warranty and you | | | | based product, you may have great difficulty |
| are experiencing a seam failure; the wooden | | | | getting a bond. Wipe the repair area well |
| transom separating from the molded transom | | | | with MEK, follow the gluing instructions |
| flanges or tubeset; or the fabric is turning | | | | closely and hope for the best. |
| yellow and sticky, call your dealer | | | | |
| immediately. Defective seams or sticky fabric | | | | Pinhole size leaks in most Hypalonfabric or |
| may result in complete warranty coverage and | | | | PVC boats sometimes may be repaired simply by |
| you may receive a new boat for free or at a | | | | use of either Seam Seal or Air Seal liquids. |
| small prorated fee. | | | | You might be able to avoid a patch on the |
| | | | boat. |
| If you plan to attempt a small repair, please | | | | |
| follow these instructions closely: | | | | To find tiny leaks, take floor boards out, |
| | | | inflate boat hard. Put some liquid detergent |
| ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR USING ALL GLUES | | | | in a bucket of water and with rag or big wash |
| | | | brush, scrub it all over boat. Keep watch for |
| AND ALL FABRICS | | | | elusive, tiny bubbles. When you find the |
| | | | first leak, keep looking. You might as well |
| LOW HUMIDITY AND TEMPERATURE CONTROL | | | | fix them all at the same time! Remember, the |
| | | | number one cause of slow leaks is a poorly |
| Relative humidity must be less than 70%, | | | | seated valve. Unscrew, clean. Make sure |
| preferably as low as 40%. | | | | little rubber O-rings are good. They are the |
| | | | cheapest repair possible. |
| Temperature | | | | |
| 64 | | | | If patching, cut patches 1 to 2 " larger than |
| ° to | | | | tear in each direction and round the corners |
| 77 | | | | (a quarter makes a good template for the |
| °F. | | | | edges). Little one inch circles pasted over a |
| | | | pin hole won't last. Try to get the same |
| Never fiddle around with these. Bond strength | | | | fabric used by the manufacturer for your |
| drops very rapidly with heat or high | | | | boat. The inside and outside surface may be |
| humidity. Take your boat indoors. | | | | different. If you can't match color, |
| | | | sometimes a cleverly shaped patch in |
| Don't even think about trying to glue on the | | | | contrasting color can be made to look like |
| dock or near the water or in direct sunlight. | | | | decoration instead of a Band-Aid. e.g. arrow, |
| Professionals use a specially built, climate | | | | lightning bolt, even a new D ring if in right |
| controlled room, and still don't attempt to | | | | spot. |
| work on a rainy day. | | | | |
| | | | Professionals often put one on each side to |
| Note: You are using a two-part contact | | | | look like they came with the boat. |
| cement. The solvents in the glue must | | | | |
| evaporate before assembly. When ready to | | | | Inflate boat to apply accessories. |
| assemble parts, the glue must not be tacky at | | | | |
| all to the finger. It must not have spots of | | | | Deflate to patch air leaks, even if very |
| whitish glaze. If so, you may have spread the | | | | small. Air pressure will bubble the patch |
| glue too thick, not waited long enough | | | | before glue sets. |
| between coats, or a sudden drop in | | | | |
| temperature or gust of humid air may have | | | | Use our inflatable boat restoration paint if |
| occurred. Someone may have opened the door, | | | | your boat is old looking, looks faded, is |
| or you may have leaned too close and breathed | | | | sticky or generally looks old and ugly. |
| on it. Plan to stay in the room until | | | | |
| finished. | | | | Do Not Smoke! Glues and solvents are |
| | | | flammable. No open flames (e.g. furnace or |
| GENERAL TIPS | | | | pilot light when working in a cellar.) Use in |
| | | | a well ventilated area. Fumes can be |
| Mark out your patch or accessory perimeter | | | | overwhelming. A carbon filter respirator is |
| where it will be glued on. Then use masking | | | | recommended. MEK solvent smells, but is |
| tape to tape off the area to ovoid getting | | | | relatively safe. It is recommended that you |
| MEK or glue on other parts of your boat | | | | not use Toluene - the factories do but it is |
| during the repair process. | | | | quite dangerous. |
| | | | |
| This takes a little time but is well worth it | | | | Accelerator (small bottle) is toxic. If |
| in the end as the glue is hard to get off the | | | | spilled on on your skin WASH IMMEDIATELY with |
| boat after it dries and looks very messy when | | | | soap and water. If in your eyes, IMMEDIATELY |
| it dries and goes brown from the sun. | | | | FLUSH WITH WATER for at least 2 minutes and |
| | | | consult a physician. |
| If using small cans ( 1/4 L) mix the entire | | | | |
| can with the dose of accelerator. | | | | (Accelerator is an isocyanate based product.) |
| | | | Always wear safety gear as recommended by the |
| Inaccurate measurement will weaken the glue. | | | | manufacturer of glue, solvent, accelerator, |
| Once opened the accelerator cannot be kept. | | | | etc. |
| Do not try to save it. The quality of your | | | | |