repair seaping bombard aerotec floor

Dino89 · 08 July 2011, 14:21

any advice on wether this can be repaired sucessfully, and how to secure a permanent air tight repair which looks good if possible
any help appreciated as i have never had to repair before thanks
2 photos( hopefully attached) its a bombard aerotec floor
alothough the photo shows a split/crack it only has pin holes that are seaping it hasnt completley gone all the way through as you can see from the bubbles in the other picture this is at the full 11psi
i purchased the boat like this i was somewhat misled to say the least!!!

willk · 08 July 2011, 14:35

You should read this thread in full. Nasher made a cracking job of his.

Dino89 · 08 July 2011, 14:50

thanks will have a read

Dino89 · 08 July 2011, 15:13

that is an excellent result, and makes very interesting reading ,would like to see a video of how he actually carried out the repair over compound curve must be really fiddly but its exactly the repair i require .the result is excellent i would be over the moon with that
if you use the two part glue and dont acheive airtight seal can it be removed for a second try? or r u boll-xed
,i see humidity and temp play a big part i have an outdoor building which is ideal for this repair which has a weather station in which displays temp humidity etc
any advice on the actuall technipue of getting nashers result would be appreciated

Nasher · 08 July 2011, 18:07

Dino

I'll PM you a number and you can call me if you want to run through it in more detail.

I'm Tiling/putting in new bathroom suite all weekend so it will be a welcome distraction

Nasher.

Dino89 · 08 July 2011, 19:19

thanks nasher, i just finished building an ensuite shower bath etc in a loft off our bedroom so now its time for some fun with my boats!

willk · 08 July 2011, 21:11

My work here is done

Dino89 · 09 July 2011, 16:11

thanks willk had a good chat with nasher, very helpful and gave me some great tips reagrding this repair , now eager to get underway

Dino89 · 19 July 2011, 16:23

finally got round to it ,just finished the repair to the floor, used the mek and two part pvc adhesive and Nashers instructions
just got to wait 48 hours now to see if it has done the job! fingers and legs crossed, will post a couple of picys later

Dino89 · 21 July 2011, 12:48

the repair has now sat for 48hours in temp and humidity controlled room ,
read conflicting informationon curing time, some saying its ready to pressure test after 48hrs others saying it takes a full 7 days for the bond to reach full strength, is this right?
is it worth waiting 7 days? are there advanteges or not? thanks.

patience has never been my strong point LOL

Scarlet-Jester · 21 July 2011, 15:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dino89

the repair has now sat for 48hours in temp and humidity controlled room ,
read conflicting informationon curing time, some saying its ready to pressure test after 48hrs others saying it takes a full 7 days for the bond to reach full strength, is this right?
is it worth waiting 7 days? are there advanteges or not? thanks.

patience has never been my strong point LOL

These guys say they give their repaired boats back to customers after 48 hours. Information From ShipStore.com | Zodiac Inflatable Boat Fabric Glue and Repair Instructions | GLUE from the ShipStore.com ™ on-line catalog.. Presumably to is OK to inflate if they are giving them back!!

Dino89 · 21 July 2011, 16:09

thanks scarlet jester yes 48hrs and continues to strengthen over next 7 days may give it a go tomorrow
how is yours going with the sureseal?

11. Wait at least 48 hours before use or removal from the climate controlled space.

The chemical bond will continue to strengthen over next 7 days. Don't be tempted to shorten the process. We don't release repaired boats to customers for 48 hours to be sure. Don't cut this short: your patch could peel off like a Post-It® note!

Scarlet-Jester · 21 July 2011, 16:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dino89

thanks scarlet jester yes 48hrs and continues to strengthen over next 7 days may give it a go tomorrow
how is yours going with the sureseal?

11. Wait at least 48 hours before use or removal from the climate controlled space.

The chemical bond will continue to strengthen over next 7 days. Don't be tempted to shorten the process. We don't release repaired boats to customers for 48 hours to be sure. Don't cut this short: your patch could peel off like a Post-It® note!

Looks like it has done the trick!

I spent most of the night putting the Bravo pump back together with the test being inflating the floor. I did not have the right attachment on the pump for the floor and the noise it was making out the front of the house at 22:30 I did not get it to the full 11.2 psi! Suffice to say it was pretty rock hard so could not have been far off. The areas I repaired with the Sureseal were solid and not a sign of air coming out – very pleased. I have one more area to do on the stitching between the panels so will be putting it on there tonight. Hard to know how it would preform on bigger holes as the holes I was repairing were numerous but very small. I am stoked as that would have been a b*stard to patch!

Dino89 · 21 July 2011, 16:55

good to hear ,i think it looks like the ideal solution if a patch is going to fail, and from the test pieces i have tried i would be confident small holes would be a permanent repair , even the half inch cut test piece, i havent been able to pull apart by hand tried again today LOl

Scarlet-Jester · 22 July 2011, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dino89

good to hear ,i think it looks like the ideal solution if a patch is going to fail, and from the test pieces i have tried i would be confident small holes would be a permanent repair , even the half inch cut test piece, i havent been able to pull apart by hand tried again today LOl

Indeed. Also useful if the area is hard to get at such as parts of a Bombard floor! I will be taking it to France with me that is for sure! I sealed the stitching seams last night both sides so will be inflating the floor this evening and testing all the areas to see if it is all airtight. I will let you know how it preforms under 11.2psi!

Dino89 · 22 July 2011, 19:35

a few picys of the repair to the floor. blown up today at 10 and still rock hard 19.30 tonight , so pretty pleased with that.
done a similar repair to nashers but as it was only a seap i didnt do the belt and braces approach just wrapped it down the side where it was required in the centre to till it meeets the curve, done the other side even though there were no problems to keep it looking uniform, in one picy there is a wooden former recommended by nasher so i could get the patches down firmly with the seam roller that worked really well
just needs a bit of a clean up now

Patrik · 22 July 2011, 21:36

That looks really good! Did you try to fix it with that other product that was just in a tube? Or did you go straight for the patches?

Is the fixes always done with the floor inflated or should it be empty while gluing?

Patrik · 22 July 2011, 21:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scarlet-Jester

I did not have the right attachment on the pump for the floor and the noise it was making out the front of the house at 22:30 I did not get it to the full 11.2 psi! Suffice to say it was pretty rock hard so could not have been far off. The areas I repaired with the Sureseal were solid and not a sign of air coming out – very pleased.

1. Is the bravo electrical pump that noisy? HOW noisy is it?

2. Is sureseal that magic tube? Does it have a good reputation? Does the seal last over time? How much is it and how the heck do I get it over to Sweden?

Dino89 · 23 July 2011, 00:24

i went straight for patches for the seap because i think i would alwys patch where possible,
but saying that sureseal xxx i beleive would of done the job its basically a liquid patch and it would come into its own on seams or hard to reach places its as flexible as the pvc fabric itself and appears to have good stregth and bonding it cost me around £8 and i think it would do many many repairs ,
i done my repairs with the foor deflated useing the wooden profile i made which has the same profile as the floor,using it underneath the floor so its solid when pressing and flattening out the patch with a roller
the bravo pump sounds like a series of loud farts when its running LOL

Sureseal XXX Flexible Repair Sealant & Adhesive - 75ml Tube - Only £8.40 - Good Boat Chandlers

willk · 23 July 2011, 12:15

I suspect that Sureseal is a urethane adhesive of the type used for wetsuits and such like. It is marketed under many names, McNett Aquaseal being the most common. It used to be sold as AquaSure. I've used it for many things over the years and it's very good at sorting small nicks and seaps on inflatables. Past use would suggest that the adhesive hardens and discolours over a few years. For that reason, I'd patch if possible.