Hi everybody
I am trying to fix the inflatable for summer.
( No picture yet I will post some tomorrow )
It is an old pvc boat but very tough and heavy (3.3m 72kg)
Last summer it was so hot and the glue on the handles started to melt. Since then I haven't done any work but I have recently started working on the boat.
My goal is: 1. reglue all the accessories on the tube, 2. repaint the boat, 3. get it on the water. Also we are moving away soon so I need to get that sorted asap so I can store the boat until summer.
I did a few mistakes but hopefully someone will have a solution for me !
First mistake:
Last season the tube were peeling off the transom and I ordered hh-66 but it didn't come in time for the trip so I used sikaflex 291 at my cousin's place. It is tough as nail now but looks ugly as sh*t
(hence why I want to paint the boat)
Second mistake:
I used heat to remove the handles and other rubber accessories from the boat but when I tried to scrap the glue off the heat gun was a bit too strong and I removed a bit of the rubber sealing off the pvc, not much but I worry it might weaken the boat.
Third mistake:
It is almost impossible to properly remove the glue so I tried to stick them anyway with the hh-66 and it worked wonder on some spots but on others not too much (the area that didn't work are for the rope holders area as the glue was really hard to get off I tried with MEK and a ragcloth but maybe I should use another coarser fabric? )
Ok so my questions are:
- Is there any way to fix the rubber that have been scrapped off? I saw some product like liquid rubber but a pot is quite expensive in australia and I have a tight budget. I was also thinking of just putting a patch on top of the problem area.
- I know hh-66 have a thinnrt product but it is unavailable in australia. Is there any way to remove it other than heat? Would MEK work ? Alternatively maybe I should just change the location of the rope holders?
- Is it wise to paint the boat? There is no leak but the boat is ugly so I thought a coat of paint wouldn't hurt. I saw this product in Australia:
tautflex (original) Anyone have any experience with this or any suggestion ?
Also If I repaint the boat should I attach the rope holders before doing it?
Or should I got the more expensive route and just liquid rubber the whole boat?
Thank you for your help !
