Yeah..I was lucky I had it with me Willk
I was thinking along the same lines that you thought of ..just something to plug the leak.
My hole was about the size of a small pea and the tube collapsed very quickly. (A small section of seam gave way over a spot which had worn almost through while transporting it it the box trailer. It was fine until I got out to sea)
The araldite works by solidifying into a plug in 5 minutes..in much the same manner as your feather would have stopped the flow. I only inflated the tube enough to keep shape and the sea out. This photo shows my flabby repair tube.
In my opinion the people who are in more danger of death are those who think PVC glue will set in freezing cold temperatures and everything is soaking wet. I also suspect hypothermia would have killed me that day if I followed instructions and sat on the reef a mile off shore for 24 hours.
You will know the reef too Willk as its Dubh Sgeir between Fladda and Luing just south of Easdale ..not the best place for a puncture the last week of February ..temperatures were below zero the whole week and swimming was not an option due to the strong tides that flow round that reef.
My stormsure self adhesive patch.. (Duct Tape type stuff) would have been my prefered repair but a beggar cannot be a chooser. I have used araldite before and knew it worked ..which is why I had it ..and I also always carry a wee foot pump
I should perhaps add that I do carry a Barton Clam emergency repair thingie ..but there is no way Im going to make a small hole into a one inch hole so I can insert the clam.
But that just my thoughts based on my real life experiences.. and like the lad who temp repaired his SIB ..we are both still alive to warn other that two part PVC glue is not the answer on a wet freezing day when stuck on a reef.
Red Mist
