2 zodiacs 2 questions

brutherb · 15 June 2008, 21:59

I have 2 zodiacs each needs repairing.
first one is a 8 ft pvc and the tube is seperating from the yolk I yried using westmarine glue but it didn't hold. it is the tender for my boat so i would like to repair it

second I have a heavy duty pvc 12 ft inflatable keel with aluminum floor boards the seam on the tubes each side about 1.5 ft from the front has seperated what product can i use to glue the seam so it won't seperate

spartacus · 16 June 2008, 10:39

You need purpose 2-part PVC Glue. In the UK - I've used product from a company called Polymarine. See www.polymarine.com

A good strong repair is all in the preparation. Lightly sand both surfaces to be glued. Then clean area with acetone to degrease it and leave to dry. Mix up PVC adhesive - enough to do the job, and apply curing agent. You will have about 20 minues before it will become too difficult to work with.

Coat both sides of PVC fabric with glue, wait until almost touch dry and apply a second coat. Now force fabric together and hold in position. Either use G-clamps to apply pressure or weight down the glued area. You can use a little chalk if you over-glue an area to stop it sticking. Leave for 24 hours.

Did this on a Zodiac CGT (circa 1980s) which had a leak in the sponson end cone and the seam was pulling apart. Worked a treat, and was as strong as it was orignally.

Locozodiac · 16 June 2008, 14:34

A second alternative : PVC 2 part glue from Tip-Top, a German brand Company, comes in a round 350 ml green can, includes hardening. Superb gluing. Same gluing procedure as Spartacus recommends.

Happy Boating

brutherb · 16 June 2008, 16:57

what grit sand paper should i use

brutherb · 16 June 2008, 17:00

sorry another dumb question is the 2 part stronger than the 1 part glue

Locozodiac · 16 June 2008, 20:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by brutherb

sorry another dumb question is the 2 part stronger than the 1 part glue

Definitely, 1 part for emergency repairs, usually the glue that comes with the boat.

Happy Boating

spartacus · 16 June 2008, 20:49

The 2 part glue is basically an adhesive and curing agent (hence 2-part). It's the same as they use in the factory.

mike-stgt · 16 June 2008, 22:52

Hi there,
the Zodiac is a kind of PVC named Strongan. To glue this, you will only succed with the orginal Zodiac 2 part glue. It is a kind of cold welding . You have to clean the surfaces with MEK cleaner, you can buy it in a shop for sanitary stuff. It is also for the PVC tubes in the houses, to prepare for glueing.
The glue for PVC from Zodiac has to be worked on the surface with a brush 3 times.
First time until dry (45 min ), second time until dry (45 min )and the third time until fingers bond on (10-15min). Then press together. Then wait 2 days for hardening and best 7 days for use in the water. Any other glue will bond but not hold for long time.
And do not sand it, only clean the surfaces with MEK cleaner. Acetone will make the PVC hard .

Good luck, it s not a trick

Mike

mike-stgt · 16 June 2008, 22:55

The Zodiacs are not bonded together in fabric, they are welded at 170 Grad Celcius with a high frequency welding machine where the parts melt together.

Locozodiac · 24 June 2008, 17:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by mike-stgt

The Zodiacs are not bonded together in fabric, they are welded at 170 Grad Celcius with a high frequency welding machine where the parts melt together.

You can use any good quality PVC 2 part mix glue to re glue Zodiac's parts again, being the original factory Zodiac glue quite expensive, we're using a nice, nothing to envy Zodiac alternative, the Tip-Top German brand 2 part mix glue, needs only 2 both sides application prior to joinning together. Dries very fast, excellent gluing.

Happy Boating

Duris · 07 September 2008, 22:08

The glue what I usually use is Bostic 2402 or Bostic 486. for light colour fabric on a first quote i use 2402 and second quote bostic 486. Mix with hardener!! That i think is best glue for hypalon and pvc fabric. U can use another one is Adamprene glue (from Italy) and U don't need to sand a fabric. but it's expensive staff. Good luck with choice!!

jyasaki · 08 September 2008, 16:39

I'd suggest this stuff:
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.a...01&deptid=1032

or this:
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.a...03&deptid=1032

NRS is in Washington State, I believe, and they do ship to Canada (including adhesives.)

You might want to search for a local supplier, though, as hazmat charges apply for shipping flammable stuff (and adhesives are highly flammable), and international shipping may be quite expensive.

Browse around on the NRS website and you'll also find repair procedures.

Luck;

jky

S4Simon · 21 September 2008, 02:12

Just found this forum, and hopefully my knowledge will be helpful to some.

We have been repairing inflatables since the 60's and recommend the following for Zodiac PVC inflatables.

Some of this has been mentioned in previous posts.

Basically:

Clean away any old flakey glue.

Use MEK to soften up the fabric, this also helps in cleaning away any oils, contaminents.

Using a paintbrush, apply a thin coat to both surfaces with Bostik 1669 adhesive. Let dry fully (30 mins). Apply a second coat to both surfaces and again allow to dry fully.

Press both fabrics together and apply gentle heat (glue will activate at around 28 deg C). Once cool repair will be at 80% strength. 100% will take an hour or so.

Note: there is no need to roughen up PVC fabrics. This is only done when repairing Hypalon craft, as hypalon is a rubber based fabric.

I have created an online guide for repairing PVC inflatables. If need be I can put the link in.