How to glue a PVC boat: instructions
A pleasant Sunday walk on the river or fishing can suddenly end if a hole is found in the vessel. In order not to immediately throw away the boat, you need to know how to properly seal the PVC boat. Even with a patch, it will last more than one season.
Boat preparation
Before repair, you need to find a hole, it is worth remembering that there may be several damages. Punctures are not always visible. Therefore, an inflated boat must be inspected in the water. When holes are found, you need to circle them with a marker or something else so as not to repeat the search procedure.
Then the boat goes down. No glue will hold the patch when air whistles out from under it. Under the damaged area, you need to put an even object: a board, a container, a stone, etc., which will be at hand. The base should not sag when pressed.
Before sticking a PVC boat, you need to clean it of dirt and degrease it. To do this, you can use gasoline, toluene, thinner, alcohol or vodka. Acetone can damage PVC, so its use is undesirable. It is impossible to use emery and so on, because. it is easy to damage the boat and make the holes bigger. The degreasing agent must completely evaporate from the surface. Only in this case, you can start gluing.
Patch
When the boat is ready, you need to prepare a patch. It is cut from similar material. It is best if you have a repair kit with you. In it, as a rule, the same fabric as on the boat.
The size and shape of the patch is determined by the size of the hole. The glued piece of fabric should extend 3-5 cm beyond the edges of the hole. Most often, round, oval, rectangular and square patches are used. It is worth remembering that the corners tend to cling and peel off.
The patch must be prepared in the same way as the boat: degrease and dry.
The last step is fitting. The patch is applied to the puncture and circled along the contour, as it will lie.
What kind of glue to glue a PVC boat: the choice of means
The most important thing is what will connect the boat and the patch. It is the quality of the adhesive that determines the reliability of the repair. Of course, if there is a repair kit, then there will be no particular difficulties. However, it is not always available. What you need to remember to choose the right tool?
- Instant glue (such as "Second" and others) is not able to provide high-quality repair of PVC products. The patch will fall off as quickly as it sticks. In addition, cyanoacrylate compounds can “burn through” the material.
- To repair the boat, it is better to use polyurethane glue. This is exactly what is in the repair kits.
- Good glue, drying, will not stick to your hands.
- It is better to stop the choice on a special tool.
- After drying, good glue, even its excess can no longer be removed from the surface.
- Heat resistance is not the last factor to pay attention to when choosing an adhesive. The higher this indicator, the better, because. in the sun, the boat can get quite warm.
Instructions: how to seal a PVC boat
So, the boat and the patch are ready, degreased, dried. Glue selected. You can put everything together.
In the event of a serious puncture
Sometimes quite serious holes appear in the side or at the bottom. Difficulties will not cause cuts or holes about 5 cm in size. But if the snag tore out a significant piece of fabric, then it is better to contact a specialist. Therefore, it is advisable to know where to seal the PVC boat in case of serious damage. Perhaps there are special workshops in the city. By the way, some tire fitting shops also provide boat repair services.
Unfortunately, in some particularly difficult cases, the boat may not be repairable. Then you have to buy a new one.
That's all for how to seal a PVC boat. With a quality repair, it will last for a long time.
