Inflatable Repair

Now that it has reached 27 degrees out, thoughts turn to spring. A problem coming up is one tube on Terra Bite (Terra Nova's dingy) has a slow leak. Several patches have been tried without success. The dingy is a Westmarine SD275.
little research shows there are some internal sealants available. The marine version is called Toobseal ($53.00). Westmarine has a version ($57.00). Several boaters have recommended slime for tire tube sealing ($14.00).

Has anyone out there sealed the tubes on their dinks with any of this stuff?

I tried to resurrect an old Zodiac with one of those internal sealant products. I took it out in the yard and tumbled it every which way for a day, to try to spread the stuff around. Unfortunately, it got into one of the valves and froze it up.

A valve is cheap compared to a new dingy. So, If I do this, have a spare valve on hand. If it seals the valve, it sounds like it would work.

It’s kind of difficult to impossible to remove the inner valve once it is glued up. It might need to be cut out. Anyway, I have a newer boat now and haven’t ever got back to the old dumpster-bait one. Also, in hindsight, I should not have stored old inflatables folded-up over the winter. They start to develop leaks every place there’s a crease. Storing them all inflated suddenly becomes a major unforeseen commitment of storage space.

”Hello, My name is Toddster and I suffer from Polynavicular Morbus. If you see me on Craigslist, please pull the plug.”

Hmm. Ok, plan A + 1/2. Pour goop in tube. Swish all over. Remove valve and clean. Replace and re-inflate next day. Have spare valve just in case.

I have used the pour in sealant with some success on a very old inflatable I used for diving. Multiple pin holes was the issue but it sealed quite well. However only lasted about 2 years and I had to do again. The sealant kind of 'flakes' as it gets old and probably can't bond perfectly on the inside since you can't clean in there. But a cheap way to extend the life for a couple of years.

Kevin Wright
s/v Hydro Therapy

A note on the patches -- they really need to be cut down to size to work properly. Don't know whether you were doing this. For a puncture, the patch should be the diameter of a quarter (as in 25 cents).

Paul
E29 "Bear"

The dink came with the boat when I bought it. The leak is at the seam at the fat end of the cone. The PO had put an approximate 4" diameter patch on it. I figured out where it was leaking and put a patch approximately 3" over that. That slowed the leak a lot but didn't stop it. Another part of the PO's patch must also be leaking. I think I will try the slime product. If it penetrates the seam, it should get a good seal. I will take the valve and clean it before the stuff dries.