Bulge on tube

[Johnparker09]

Hi there, I've recently brought a zodiac s134 it's all new to me but I've inflated it and noticed there's a bulge in the material towards the front of the boat. It's quite big measuring about 400mm by 400mm. Does anyone have any ideas how to fix this? Would be a great help thank

[ribraff]

Is it a bulge between the chambers? The Zodiac bulkhead which seperates the chambers can form a bulge if the chambers are not inflated evenly.
Try deflating both of the chambers and re-inflating them evenly.

[dave3235]

Originally Posted by Johnparker09

Hi there, I've recently brought a zodiac s134 it's all new to me but I've inflated it and noticed there's a bulge in the material towards the front of the boat. It's quite big measuring about 400mm by 400mm. Does anyone have any ideas how to fix this? Would be a great help thank

Hi

I'm no expert but firstly is it on a seem, secondly if this is not I would have thought exstream heat has made the bulge.May be you could put a patch over it, im sure more advice will be along shortly.Also is it hypolon or pvc.

[Johnparker09]

It's at the end of the tube on the right hand side as it goes in towards the front of the boat. Il try re inflating tomorrow see if that helps thanks. The boat is also made of hypalon and it butts up next to a seem and then goes under the rubber strip which runs half way down the tube nearly underneath the boat

[m chappelow]

Try inflating it again starting with the bow valve then work back to the stern or transom ,
could be an internal baffle thats pushing it out of shape a bit if its near a seam , did you inflate it with the stern tubes first on some inflatables this will push the internal baffle out the wrong way that can cause distortion .

[Johnparker09]

Il try that later thanks. Inflated the tubes first and then the bow. Il post some photos later to give a better idea of what's happened. To me it feels like the rubber top coat has parted it's self from the fabric material on the inside of the tube

[Johnparker09]

[Johnparker09]

[Johnparker09]

[Johnparker09]

[Johnparker09]

[Landlockedpirate]

It looks like one that was on ebay a few months ago, very strange problem.

Just to confirm your boat is PVC, not hypalon.

I would put a large oversize patch on the damaged area, it might not hide the problem completely, but it will be safe to use.

[Johnparker09]

Oh right I see I've been researching on the internet and I thought it was hypalon? Would I need to cut the rubber what is bulging away to mke it flat?

[spartacus]

PVC delamination. That's only likely to get worse. Needs to be patched on the inside. Patch on the outside won't solve the underlying problem. Sorry.

[Boatnomad]

Agree,not looking too good,lot of work.

[Johnparker09]

Oh right I see it's not sounding good then. So the boats PVC then. Does anyone know what it's caused from? Also is this a job that can be done with someone with little knowledge?

[Bigmuz7]

It looks like hypalon to me due to the visible weave under the skin but it is delamination, for some reason, quite unusual IMHO .. other tube guys will be better qualified to comment than me

[Landlockedpirate]

Its PVC, Zodiac have only ever made PVC boats in the ZED then Series range.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by Johnparker09

Oh right I see it's not sounding good then. So the boats PVC then. Does anyone know what it's caused from? Also is this a job that can be done with someone with little knowledge?

Anything is possible. Right glue, right temperatures, right preparation. Cutting out the effected area is a job and a half. Ideally you want to open an existing seam to gain entry. Even with the tube open it may not be instantly obvious as what to patch. The delaminated PVC can't be repaired, but you could patch the outside to effectively hide the section, only if you patch the inside too. Might look a bit industrial, but tread-grip wear patches could work on the outside. You'll need to mask external tube work to keep gluing neat and tidy.

The Zodiac is built using thermo bonding. The only glued sections are the transom, some overlapping tube sections and the attaching of the rubbing strake.

Get a quote for the work to be professionally done. That'll give you a ballpark figure so you can decide how to proceed.

[Johnparker09]

Ok that's great thanks does anyone know who to approach for a job like this? I live in the midlands leamington spa