I purchased a usable but really ugly inflatable dink and I was wondering if anyone has had any luck painting one of these. Was it difficult, expensive ect.......... Obviously the paint is special and where do you get it ? Thanks for the help.
- Status
Is it vinyl or hypalon, because.........
Unless it is coming away from the fabric backing, good quality hypalon can be restored over and over again by cleaning and sealing. Personally I do not like the look of painted inflatables and the solvent can't be good for the fabric. However, if you have a real basket case, perhapsl made of vinyl, thorough cleaning and then a good quality vinyl paint might be OK (have done this a lot with old car upholstery). Might seal pinholes too, although magic glue can alos be used for this. You might go to our Gelcoat and Plastics forum for more info. THanks Jim Willis
Unless it is coming away from the fabric backing, good quality hypalon can be restored over and over again by cleaning and sealing. Personally I do not like the look of painted inflatables and the solvent can't be good for the fabric. However, if you have a real basket case, perhapsl made of vinyl, thorough cleaning and then a good quality vinyl paint might be OK (have done this a lot with old car upholstery). Might seal pinholes too, although magic glue can alos be used for this. You might go to our Gelcoat and Plastics forum for more info. THanks Jim Willis
inflatables can be painted
Two years ago I bought a used 1994 Zodiak 10 ft RIB. It needed a patch to hold air. After that I painted it white with MDR special inflatable paint. The dink still looks great, the paint is a latex base and went on easily. The paint is available from West Marine in Red and Gray. If you want white you can be referred by West Marine customer service to MDR directly. good luck.
Two years ago I bought a used 1994 Zodiak 10 ft RIB. It needed a patch to hold air. After that I painted it white with MDR special inflatable paint. The dink still looks great, the paint is a latex base and went on easily. The paint is available from West Marine in Red and Gray. If you want white you can be referred by West Marine customer service to MDR directly. good luck.
Magic glue ?
Jim,this dink does not hold air well and I can only find one small leak but I know there are more. What is maic glue ?
Jim,this dink does not hold air well and I can only find one small leak but I know there are more. What is maic glue ?
Check out the valves.
Travis: I assume that you have done the good ol' spray bottle with soap to look for leaks? If you cannot find any there are two other potential problems. The first one is the valves. Remove them and clean them. The rubber flaps sometimes get dirt/sand and will cause a problem. When you replace them you can use a little vasoline on the threads which sometimes helps too. If this does not work you may want to replace the valves. The second problem is the fabric itself. Hypalon is porus and that is really what starts to fail if it is not the seams and valves. There is an additive that can be poured into the tubes that will seal the fabric from the inside.
Travis: I assume that you have done the good ol' spray bottle with soap to look for leaks? If you cannot find any there are two other potential problems. The first one is the valves. Remove them and clean them. The rubber flaps sometimes get dirt/sand and will cause a problem. When you replace them you can use a little vasoline on the threads which sometimes helps too. If this does not work you may want to replace the valves. The second problem is the fabric itself. Hypalon is porus and that is really what starts to fail if it is not the seams and valves. There is an additive that can be poured into the tubes that will seal the fabric from the inside.
Gacoflex
What the river rafting companies use is Gacoflex H-22 Hypalon Paint. Silver is best as far as protecting from sun.
What the river rafting companies use is Gacoflex H-22 Hypalon Paint. Silver is best as far as protecting from sun.
Just Add an Airpump or Two or ...
Kinda like adding bilge pumps until the boat no longer sinks. You are familiar with that procedure.
Kinda like adding bilge pumps until the boat no longer sinks. You are familiar with that procedure.
- Status