Awful tube leak

[Bigtalljv]

Well I found a leak in a horrible location. It's at the seam on the bottom of the bow section right at the point of the bow. Its right where the shadow meets the mounting strip you can see the bubbles if you zoom in. Of the options below what do you all think is the best one.

1) start peeling and rebuild that area properly.
2) slap a patch as best I can over the leak and all existing layers of fabric
3) it's a really small leak just add air every time I use it.

I'm getting good at peeling things apart. I have had to remove four strips of rub streaking on the now to properly repair the 11 punctures I discovered up there. The navy had slapped a 12x12 patch over the rub rails and all the holes but it wasn't holding anymore.

New used tubes are not an option. I know there is a gentleman just south of me that has several sets for sale and if I didn't need to buy EVERYTHING else for the boat I would go that route. I need a patch to hopefully last for a few years. I have a yard of fabric on the way and a big can of glue. If I can make these old things work for a couple years I'd be very happy. My time is free.

Thanks
Jason.

[9D280]

Thoughts:

1) That's the proper way to do it.

2) I've tried that a few times in a rush - the air will eventually find a way out.

3) Due to "2" on my front toob I've been pumping merrily (4-5 hrs between pumps) for about a year now.... "1" will be performed over the winter! This will work, but will get annoying after a while!

[Bigtalljv]

As I told my wife, it's either a $150 fix or a $3000 mistake. (I can get a very nice set of refurb tubes for $3K but i need everything for the boat so looking to not do that yet.)

I'm not quite sure what my next step is. I had though about rebuilding the whole front mounting strip but that seems much more difficult once you remove something completely. Since I am able to get a good size patch on the hole I was thinking about patching it and then cutting off the fingers and wrapping new ones over the existing mounting strip. It's bolt on and not slide in tube set so I don't have clearance issue to worry about. Also two of the four fingers on the back side you can't see have already torn off.

Jason

[Bigtalljv]

Hi,

I finally was able to patch all the holes and inflate with air last night and I was dismayed to see a leak in my new patch!! Actually there were two. Both were pretty small but I immediately tore into the big patch and peeled back about 3" (of a 12x14 patch) to where the leak was originating. In the time that I did this the other leak healed, it stopped bubbling?? Now it's possible that the pressure dropped to the point were it couldn't get out any more but I was curious is there is any final settling of a patch after it cures for 24 hours? Did I jump the gun tearing into the first? Should I have waited or did I justifiably remove a faulty repair attempt?

I'll find out this weekend if the second leak is back when i have time to work on it again.

Thanks,
Jason

[jyasaki]

Most glues say that the cure time is measured closer a week than days or hours. That said, if it was leaking off the bat, well...

Luck;

jky

[Bigtalljv]

Well I have been successful I. Getting this tube to hold air. 3sq ft of material I've recovered the whole thing. There were 11 punctures that I counted.

So on to the last piece. It's the reinforcing strip that covers the section that was cut I to little if gets around the sharp bow cure. I ended up with A HUGE WRINKLE, Arghhhhh!!!!

The perfectionist in me is all shook up. The realist wonders if it matters? I'm also out if glue and fabric so it's a while new order to try again.

Here is how it looks and what it is covering. This is the bottom if the tube. What do you think?

Jason

[jyasaki]

Looks like that wrinkle is structural, but not pneumatically sealed, right?

Who cares?

A little heat and a lot of burnishing might soften things up enough to smooth it out (at least somewhat), but personally, I wouldn't worry about it.

What's the deal with the bolt rope covering at the front there?

jky

[Bigtalljv]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

What's the deal with the bolt rope covering at the front there?
jky

Not sure what you mean? Over on the left where I pulled up a strip when I thought I'd rebuild the whole thing but changed my mind to try the easier route I took.

Jason

[jyasaki]

Never mind. Looked again. Talking about the right picture; looks like you have yet to glue the whole piece down. Which explains why it's loose over the rope.


jky

[sunrider]

I wouldn't remove the whole thing to start over because you've done such a good job so far. However, I would have some concern about uneven wear if the wrinkle will be riding against the hull and also the potential for water getting into the wrinkle and eventually lifting the material. One way to deal with it would be to cut off the wrinkle leaving enough so the edges will meet when flat, then lift the edges to re-glue that small section. If desired for cosmetic or other reasons you could lay a small strip of fabric over that repaired area in a shape that looks good and presents a soft edge to the water. If you need a small amount of fabric let me know and I'll send a piece (no charge), and they have those very small cans of glue at west marine or online.
bryan

[Bigtalljv]

No, i not doing it any differently now. I had started over there and then decided that approach was nuts. What you see now is the final repair. I just have to glue back down the seam back there.

I thought about cutting it too so perhaps I will give that some more thought. I have enough fabric to do that, I just don't have a piece big enough to rebuild the whole curved piece again. It's on the outside bottom of the bow. It's not a wear area but it's possible water might get in there.

Jason

[jyasaki]

Personally, I'd just caulk the edge. Prevents any lifting (at least til the caulk fails.)

jky