Looking for repair advice ?
The simple fact it there are some basics in all boat related repairs but beyond those basics every repair we do is different and we learn something every time to make it more efficient and to get better results.
Rule 1. Slow down and take your time both when prepping a repair as well as when doing the actual repair work
Rule 2. Its all about the prep work and the cleaning. Most repairs on inflatables and composites are actually fairly straight forward, the biggest mistake we see in doing a home or field repair is poor prep or at least rushed prep. Take the time to unload the boat if you are on the water, set up a tarp over the repair area to shield the repair from the weather as much as possible. and get the area to be repaired laid out as smoothly as possible often over a cooler or dry box to give you a good surface to work against.
Rule 3. Clean, Clean Clean again and just for good measure clean one more time. both with just dry rags or T-shirts and then the appropriate solvent, Toluene for hypalon and Pennel fabric boats, MEK for all plastic based boats, PVC and Urethane.
Rule 4. Prep the repair area with a light sanding sand the patch and the boat, use a template like a can or something you can trace the area to be fixed as well as the patch material so you only prep the area to be patched. We like to make marks on the boat and the patch as guides so when the patch is getting laid you have some indicator marks to go by.
Rule 5. Less is More. 2 or 3 thin coats of glue on both the patch and the boat will work 100% better than one thicker coat.
Rule 6. Let the first coat totally dry, and keep in mind a cold rainy day will take far longer for the glue to dry than a hot dry day in august. After the first coat is totally dry, apply a second coat and let it almost totally dry. We use the knuckle test to see if it looks dry but sticks to a bent knuckle on your index finger like knocking on a door.
Rule 7. When you place the patch take your time, you only have one real shot or you will need to start over again after you remove the mess you made. use the indicator marks and lay the patch carefully getting extra hands to keep things flat and smooth.
Rule 8. If you have time a big pot of warm (not boiling) water on top of the patch after it has been rolled down carefully really helps the glue to set and makes a nice clean patch.
Lastly it is way easier to clean off excess glue right after you patch it than a year later. It makes a patch look professional if there is not a bunch of extra glue around it.
take your time and clean clean clean, you will end up with a great patch.