Rib seam leak fix (welded?)

[lucasbb]

Hi, I recently bought a Bombard db550 rib from around 2001. I found out that one of the tubes had a seam leak causing the boat to deflate relatively quickly. I was wondering what the best approach for this leak is, given that the boat seams are welded (I assume). With a glued tube you can just use MEK to open up the seam but how about welded seams?

Any advice or tips on how to fix this are much appreciated.

Happy boating!

https://ibb.co/PjK8FLX

[GAVMAC321]

I've patched over a welded seam on my valiant. Has held fine for 2 years so far.

[beamishken]

Originally Posted by lucasbb

Hi, I recently bought a Bombard db550 rib from around 2001. I found out that one of the tubes had a seam leak causing the boat to deflate relatively quickly. I was wondering what the best approach for this leak is, given that the boat seams are welded (I assume). With a glued tube you can just use MEK to open up the seam but how about welded seams?

Any advice or tips on how to fix this are much appreciated.

Happy boating!

https://ibb.co/PjK8FLX

That doesnt look like a welded seam, you can probably just open that up slightly & re glue it. Just beware pvc boats are prone to the old glue giving way if its been exposed to a lot of uv over the years & you might end up with a bigger job than you bargained for once you start

[lucasbb]

Thanks for the reply’s y’all. Any tips on how to do the fixing? Like should I keep the boat inflated or deflate it? And how do you keep pressure on the seam?

[User name]

Originally Posted by lucasbb

Thanks for the reply’s y’all. Any tips on how to do the fixing? Like should I keep the boat inflated or deflate it? And how do you keep pressure on the seam?

I'm no expert, but your seams look glued, rather than welded.

You want to open up the seam a little, clean up old glue with MEK/Acetone and apply the new glue. Exact gluing steps will depend on the type of glue you go with, but it's normally a case of priming the surfaces with a thin layer, allow to dry in and apply a second layer after a specific amount of time.

Allow the second layer to flash off and become tacky, then join the surfaces together and apply as much pressure as you can. Also it should be deflated the entire time. You can then apply an outside patch over the site to reinforce it and prevent future leaks there. The glue instructions will tell you how long to wait before inflating it. You don't need to keep pressure on the join while it cures, just apply enough pressure initially to join the glued surfaces and extract any air bubbles.


There's also a liquid sealer you can try and see if that helps before taking on the bigger job.