Very Bad damage from trailer tyre! Help!

simsy · 01 August 2011, 07:31

Hi, my boat moved over onto my trailer wheel. ( I lost a mud guard the day before , and was coming home last night)... yam360 (zodiac)

The very end of the left sponsen was in contact with the trailer wheel until I saw the smoke. It has destroyed the end of the tube completely.

I need to repair this.

So i will need a large amount of PVC cloth, and a new end cone.... seam tape, glue..

and maybe a skilled repair shop!

Any help on a person to do the repair for me, or any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Gutted , after a good weekend at sea, saying how perfect the boat was...

simsy...

spartacus · 01 August 2011, 07:36

Most repairs (large and small) can be done, given repair conditions, right preparation, etc. Your Zodiac will be PVC, so you're looking at a 2-part PVC glue from Polymarine, and a length of PVC fabric. Post a picture so we can see what we're dealing with.

Poly · 01 August 2011, 07:46

If it is a major repair you might want to speak to Eurocraft or SIT (both Preston-ish), or I presume the Yam/Zodiac dealer network have an infrastructure for repairs. If it is as bad as it sounds then a good repair is going to be 100's of pounds and a call to your insurer might be in order.

simsy · 02 August 2011, 00:24

I intend to use what is left of the sponson cone to repair the damage in front of the cone. Then replace the entire cone with a new one. I just need to find a 1000 x 500mm piece of white PVC coated fabric of the correct grade...

Anyone got an old cone 450 diameter, or some material?

It will mend..... I am determined...

rik_elliott · 02 August 2011, 15:21

Argh shame. I know your pain, my trailer ate my rib recently and biffer currently has it to perform some magic on the hull. Most things can be mended. Maybe see if anyone has a boat like yours with lots of patches etc etc that you can harvest the cone and some material off of?
Best of luck fixing it - I felt sick when I saw the hole in my boat so I can only imagine how you felt seeing yours smoking!

simsy · 06 August 2011, 23:29

I have fitted a large patch to the main tube, and fitted a new cone...

very tricky, and it has to be very accurate on diameter... it holds air with no leaks... New end cap is in post....

Just deciding if I should use the seam tape on all the joints or just the main tube repair etc...

A lot of work, and not that smooth a finish, but I think it will be strong.....

Should I pump it up very hard as a test when its finished... if so, what psi?

Glad to see the old snapper in one piece and blown up...... be it very soft for now until 2 pack glue has more time to harden... It will look better when its harder, but it will never be the same... I could not justify the 500 pound bill for a repair on 700 pound boat..... so it had to be diy..

Black plastic end cap (cone) has not arrived yet, so just a piece of wood in the end to test for leaks...

Smithyyy · 07 August 2011, 07:22

This made me think! I'll confess - I'd only noticed recently that the tubes rest on the mudguard if they unusually soft (I eased them down while not using the boat in hot weather, then it went cooler so they went pretty floppy). Then I thought back - I also lost a mudguard about three months back and drove home about 200 miles without thinking about it. I can only assume that the tubes must have been inflated enough to stay clear of the wheel. Pure luck though, I never thought about the wheel wearing through the tube! So I'm sorry to hear about your damage, but a very useful educational post - message being "if you lose a mudguard, make very sure the boat isn't going to hit the wheel"! Maybe others think this is obvious, I'll admit I for one hadn't spotted it....

simsy · 15 August 2011, 09:36

It is all mended, and I am very preased with the results..

I held the boat at full pressures for a few days, then fitted all external tapes to the joins.. So I know the tapes add a lot of strengh, that the boat does not need on top of the 50mm over laps....

I will never look the same as before, but I am sure it is servicable and safe...

The external tapes make it look much better also... they have made the fabric lie a lot flatter as well. Whole boat needs a good clean now...

SPR · 15 August 2011, 10:10

on my first rib (a back breaking slamming maxxon) , i had back cone failure due to a neighbour leaving his our board down and scoring my back seem...

Any ways - i had it repaired by SEADOG now cosalt, and the problem was the leading edge kept coming away from the patch after 6 months.

I boat new boat later, in hindsight should claimed insurance...I am no tube expert but i might be putting a another patch over the main patch to protect the leading edge / so that goes not the main patch....

regards

Scott

simsy · 15 August 2011, 12:10

the repair on the main tube has an internal leading edge,,, the seam tape then is on the out side to add strength. But the material is expensive and I draw the line at one main layer...

I note the failure after 6 months - I hope my repair lasts a few years...

Do you mean a seam over the cone material and the main tube join? I could add that easy... I do have a 40 - 50mm over lap on the cone material inside

SPR · 15 August 2011, 12:52

no problem, it was the front edge, since is where the force if the water is greatest if you have internal leading edge then fine, mine had and internal patch as well as a external patch and was done by the professionals and still failed, they told me at the time it might fail before they did the job, it was august and I wanted boat in water so I got it fixed...

hopefully your boat will last longer than I got out if mine!

But keep checking that seam.

regards

buzzin hornet · 31 August 2011, 18:46

Plastic mudguards are a complete nightmare. I cracked one recently whils moving the boat on the beach. No damage to the boat thank god. Will be replacing mine over the winter with 2 half tyres of a suitable diameter. They should stand the usual wear and tear.