Repairing Your Inflatable Boat

Step 1 – Determine where the leak is by using dish soap and water. Look for the little bubbles which will form around the leak

Step 2 – Mark the inflatable where the patch will line up with surface of the boat.

Step 3 – The inflatable must be wiped down with the proper cleaner prior to gluing on the patch. Match the cleaner to the type of glue you will be using. Incompatible glue and cleaner will cause the patch to loosen.

Step 4 – Inflatable boats made from Hypalon require a good two-part Hypalon glue such as IBC2001 and Toluene as a cleaner. Boats made from a PVC derivative such as the Zodiac will require special urethane glue such as IBC3001 and MEK as a cleaner.
CAUTION: Do not glue the pads on in the sun, by the water, in temperatures lower than 60 degrees or in humidity higher than 70%. Do not sand or grind the surface of a PVC boat.

Step 5 – (ONLY FOR HYPALON BOATS) once you have the proper glue you will need to sand the surface of the inflatable where the patch is to be glued. You can do this by using a sandpaper floppy disc you attach to a drill motor or by hand with 60 grit paper. Be very careful not to damage boat.
The surface of the inflatable should now be cleaned with the proper cleaner to remove any trace of finger oils or dust. Your goal is to clean all finger oils from surface.

Step 6 – The next step is to cut the bristles short on a paint brush and stir the can of glue to get a good mixture. Mix up your glue with proper ratio of glue to catalysis. The small bottle of catalysis is proportioned to mix into the whole can of glue. Smaller amounts can be mixed according to directions.

Step 7 – Paint both the patch and the area of the inflatable where the patch will be installed with a thin coating of glue.

Step 8 – Let the glue set until the surface is no longer tacky to the touch (about 10-15 minutes, keep checking). Next spread a second thin layer of glue on both pieces and let set again until the surface is tacky to the touch.
(FOR PVC BOATS ONLY!) Use a hair dryer to warm the surface of the glue on the patch and dinghy. Once warm (not hot) to touch stick pad to dinghy and follow Step 9.

Step 9 – Attach the pad to the inflatable and rub the air out from under the patch using a hard roller or rounded stick. You may want to deflate the boat to assure a better bond for the patch. It is critical to get all the air out from between the patch and the inflatable and that the patch is sealed around the edges.

Step 10 – Once the air is out from under the pad, let the pad set-up for 48 hours. **DO NOT TOUCH IT!!** The glue will be 100% set in 7 days.

We offer a full service professional repair shop in our store if your repair is too great to do at home. It is recommended that any punctures bigger than a pin prick be professionally repaired to return full function to your inflatable boat. If you have any questions or need a quote on a repair please feel free to give us a call at: 503-235-2628 or come visit us in our store located at 2041 S.E. Powell Blvd. Portland, OR 97202.