Need to re-glue my West Marine dingy floor. The floor has separated from the inflatable portion in places. What type glue should I use for "hypolon"......I think is what the rubber is called. I'm sure they make a special adhesive for this, but I'm wondering if something like the new "gorilla glue" that I've been hearing so much about would work? Any help appreciated......Gary
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probably not
I have had the identical problem as many, many inflatable owners have had lately. I too though that my dingy was hypalon but the store where I bought my adhesive/glue for the repair assured me that there are very few recreational dingys made of hypalon. Most if not all are made by Zodiac and labled with the store brand. Also nearly all are made of a type of high grad durable PVC. I was amazed to find that PVC was the material since I associate this stuff with water toys and other such flimsy products. He assured me that this type of PVC is very durable and will provide as good a service under medium duty conditons as Hypalon. He said that a comparable Hypalon dingy of the size of mine (9 ft) would be thousands more than I paid for the PVC dingy. Finally; go to a marine supply store and get the two part adhesive. It runs about $30 a kit and works great. It is not an epoxy. The second part is an additive which makes the adhesive resist petrolium, farm chemicals and other aggressive chemicals found in water today. You need not mix the entire batch, unless the separation is so large you need it all, simply eye-ball the mix and save the rest for later. When doing the fix fully deflate the dingy, clean the area to be repaired with MEK, apply the glue, set some sort of very heavy object on the area and let it sit a full 24 hours. I had about an 8 inch section to re-glue last spring and it doesn't leak any more. I fully expect, however, for it to separate somewhere else one day. There have been articles written in the boating mags concerning this problem. I wonder if Boat US is planning to get on the manufacturers about this issue. Good luck, Mike
I have had the identical problem as many, many inflatable owners have had lately. I too though that my dingy was hypalon but the store where I bought my adhesive/glue for the repair assured me that there are very few recreational dingys made of hypalon. Most if not all are made by Zodiac and labled with the store brand. Also nearly all are made of a type of high grad durable PVC. I was amazed to find that PVC was the material since I associate this stuff with water toys and other such flimsy products. He assured me that this type of PVC is very durable and will provide as good a service under medium duty conditons as Hypalon. He said that a comparable Hypalon dingy of the size of mine (9 ft) would be thousands more than I paid for the PVC dingy. Finally; go to a marine supply store and get the two part adhesive. It runs about $30 a kit and works great. It is not an epoxy. The second part is an additive which makes the adhesive resist petrolium, farm chemicals and other aggressive chemicals found in water today. You need not mix the entire batch, unless the separation is so large you need it all, simply eye-ball the mix and save the rest for later. When doing the fix fully deflate the dingy, clean the area to be repaired with MEK, apply the glue, set some sort of very heavy object on the area and let it sit a full 24 hours. I had about an 8 inch section to re-glue last spring and it doesn't leak any more. I fully expect, however, for it to separate somewhere else one day. There have been articles written in the boating mags concerning this problem. I wonder if Boat US is planning to get on the manufacturers about this issue. Good luck, Mike
Thanks Mike.....
Wow. Got all the info I need in one post. The area to be glued needs cleaning bad. Hopefully, MEK will do the job. I had two areas about 8 inches long that had come apart, so I went ahead and pulled the rest apart except for the front and back, which was stuck real good. I'll check on the 2 part epoxy this week. Is this epoxy specifically for PVC inflatable repair? Thanks very much.
Wow. Got all the info I need in one post. The area to be glued needs cleaning bad. Hopefully, MEK will do the job. I had two areas about 8 inches long that had come apart, so I went ahead and pulled the rest apart except for the front and back, which was stuck real good. I'll check on the 2 part epoxy this week. Is this epoxy specifically for PVC inflatable repair? Thanks very much.
Gorilla Glue is for Wood
Gorilla Glue is for wood. But I would contact West Marine about the type to use. Avon now has their name on some WM dinghies.
Gorilla Glue is for wood. But I would contact West Marine about the type to use. Avon now has their name on some WM dinghies.
2-part adhesive
Here is a link that may help... I have done the same repair twice on a used dinghy that I bought. The first repair was on the entire starboard side, the second on the port front quarter. The first time I did it in a controlled environment with adhesive remover, MEK, and all of that jazz. The second time I just did it in my back yard and hand sanded off the old glue and did the MEK/glue step and I think the backyard repair looks to hold better. Easier than you think... BTW, I got a quote to have it professionally done - $650 to take the floor off and reglue!!! I can do it 20 times for that. Good luck.
Here is a link that may help... I have done the same repair twice on a used dinghy that I bought. The first repair was on the entire starboard side, the second on the port front quarter. The first time I did it in a controlled environment with adhesive remover, MEK, and all of that jazz. The second time I just did it in my back yard and hand sanded off the old glue and did the MEK/glue step and I think the backyard repair looks to hold better. Easier than you think... BTW, I got a quote to have it professionally done - $650 to take the floor off and reglue!!! I can do it 20 times for that. Good luck.
I agree
with Jared. For the price of professional repair you can do it many times over, and their work is no different than the work you can do on your garage floor. Yes you do need the PVC product. It is available at most marine supply stores and, to repeat, it is not an epoxy. The second ingrediant is not needed to set up a chemical reaction for the stuff to cure. It's there to make the glue more chemically resistant to stuff in the water. Whatever product you end up with follow the label directions and you'll end up OK. It's not a high tech job or even difficult to do. You're simply gluing two surfaces, so don't stress out. Good luck, Mike
with Jared. For the price of professional repair you can do it many times over, and their work is no different than the work you can do on your garage floor. Yes you do need the PVC product. It is available at most marine supply stores and, to repeat, it is not an epoxy. The second ingrediant is not needed to set up a chemical reaction for the stuff to cure. It's there to make the glue more chemically resistant to stuff in the water. Whatever product you end up with follow the label directions and you'll end up OK. It's not a high tech job or even difficult to do. You're simply gluing two surfaces, so don't stress out. Good luck, Mike
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