Aerotec patching/glue advice.

[Max...]

Weather is as good as it could be in the UK for sure!

Reasonable guide here but lots of others linked in previous repair topics.

http://www.shipstore.com/SS/HTML/INFO/INFOGLUE.html

http://www.polymarine.com/advice/pvc...om-pvc-fabric/

http://www.ribstore.co.uk/cms-assets...-boat-dinghy-a

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMDcRxyxmAw

A couple of tips:

Surround repair area to about 5mm or so with masking tape to protect from excess glue clean up.

No need to sand PVC, just scrub with Scotchbrite and Acetone.

Make sure glue has gone off OK, *maybe* slightly longer than the knuckle test in this video, a heat gun will help reactivate the glue if you leave it a bit too long.

Use a heavy spoon or similar to press from the centre outwards.

Clean up immediately with a lightly damped acetone rag, 'away' from the patch edge.

[Fenlander]

Many thanks.

I see some guides say not to do in full sun. Ideally I would leave the boat where it is in the back garden to glue but the sun is out 50% of the time now. Shade could be organised but more faff. Wonder how important that aspect is?

Secondly and this is a serious query... for a small leak/patch on a tube I wonder if you leave enough pressure to keep it to shape or glue totally deflated?

[Max...]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Secondly and this is a serious query... for a small leak/patch on a tube I wonder if you leave enough pressure to keep it to shape or glue totally deflated?

You cannot glue over a hole if air is coming out of the hole...

I did mine deflated and with something behind (ie wooden board) to press against.

[Fenlander]

>>>You cannot glue over a hole if air is coming out of the hole...

I know what you mean but back in my club cycling days the old timers would repair their punctures with inner tubes pumped up enough to form their shape. The contact adhesive always immediately overcame minimal pressure.

But I will let the Aerotec down!

[Fenlander]

Well I'm dealing with a manageable section at a time so today it was "the underneath".

If you are of nervous disposition don't look at the images further!

Post-it notes on all the areas I'll be putting a patch in one image!

Another image shows the typical floor defect I'm patching... not much bigger dia than the thickness of a broad marker pen. Of the tube places I've marked only one is the small leak. The others are small rock nicks in the outer layer of the PVC where the fabric is exposed... areas no bigger than the end of a little finger.

Third image is the floor patches cut and edges masked. Gluing tomorrow when the heat comes up at lunchtime.

[Max...]

As that is just the floor fabric and not a pressure bearing chamber it might be worth just using a dab of Stormseal or Sikaflex on the minor holes/abrasions?

[Fenlander]

That's a fair point Max but I wanted every repair however small I did on this Aerotec to be as close to by the book as possible... so that if it ever needed a complete transom or floor edge re-glue in the future it was worth doing as the rest was up to scratch.

I must admit the bits I've done so far are confidence inspiring with regards to buying a boat that needs repair or may need repair in the future. In the past I'd been very wary of anything that needed or threatened to need repairs

I've also found out it's loads harder to clean up and re-do a poorly made repair than be the one doing it properly first time. Cleaning up gungy glue that extends well beyond old patch edges is a pain.

It would be interesting to know... following on from what office888 said in the other thread about Zodiac's increasing use of PVC welding over the years... if the Aerotecs used more welding in their construction as they got newer.

As far as I can see on this 1998 one the only thing welded is the tubes but apart from that everything including transom, floor and even the HP air floor panel seams are glued.

Is yours around a 2006? Do you reckon any seams are welded on that which are glued on mine?

[Max...]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

...but I wanted every repair however small I did on this Aerotec to be as close to by the book as possible... so that if it ever needed a complete transom or floor edge re-glue in the future it was worth doing as the rest was up to scratch.

Only concern was it might have a bit of a patchwork quilt look! Black Sikaflex will be virtually invisible and easy to smooth over very minor abrasions with it. Stormseal is clear and works well for tiny nicks.

I'll check my 2006 but yes I think only the tubes are welded, I think the inner floor middle panel is welded but the outer floor to tubes join is glued.

[Fenlander]

>>>Only concern was it might have a bit of a patchwork quilt look!

Yes to a degree but this Aerotec will never have a high value and when (if) I sell it on it will be as a well used workmanlike example that will give someone else the chance to experience one well under the usual prices.

[Fenlander]

Well all the floor and tube underside patches are done. It was easier to leave it inflated to do the floor fabric patches plus the underside tube scuffs that weren't actually leaking.

For the small weep on one tube (the only pressure leak the boat had) I did let the tube down and as Max said put a flat block of wood under the tube so I could press the patch down and weight it overnight.

I wanted to be absolutely precise with the glue-hardener mix so cadged some medicine dose pots from the village chemist which were graduated in ml and drew the hardener into a small syringe which was also marked in ml.

I was surprised just how far a 50ml mix of glue went.

I bought a dozen cheap brushes on Ebay for about £3 for gluing so they could just be used once and chucked.

The underside may be peppered with small patches now but at least that part of the job will never need doing again. Actually the guy who sold it to me made a fair point... he said he didn't really mind patches below the rubbing strake but tried to avoid unsightly ones topsides.

[Fenlander]

And tomorrow's job is... this does look a bit scary...

With the boat upside down I probed every inch of the seams with a blunt scraper. It's weird how the glue is 90% OK but odd bits have let go for some reason. I've decided to re-do this 12" long repair up to the point where the original floor-tube bond is still perfect.... I'm sure it was watertight because the boat didn't leak rainwater but it didn't look as good as I wanted so near to the transom.

The image is just after I'd pulled it apart with the aid of a hot air gun.

I think it might actually be easier to do than the multitude of small patches where it was hard with so many different areas on the go at the same time to coordinate the three coats of glue in the active life of a mixed pot with these high temperatures.

[Fenlander]

Little bit too much bravado last night with the corner I'd opened up near the transom to re-glue.

It took about 2hrs to clean off all the old glue with the care that avoided going through the top surface of the adj existing fabric.

Then I struggled to find a way to pull it together that kept the seam anything like straight.

Eventually found that floor out, tubes inflated and roped in tight near the transom gave something to work to.

Left some of the scabby old glue on to glue the floor as it had been done before and to slightly the wrong line so the old glue acted as a guide that I had to come slightly inside. Where the surfaces were to be joined though every spot of old glue was removed.

Bought a new wallpaper roller with a slightly rubbery surface and this was just perfect for rolling the seam down.

Finally glued on the cleaned up existing reinforcing patch.

[Fenlander]

Final job is a real contrast to last night. Just a small wrinkle that probably wasn't there when new but nothing that will matter once the HP floor tightens it all up. Quite pleased to get this done as earlier today I did have a "what have I done moment" for pulling it apart.

[Fenlander]

And today's jobs are...

Now everything underneath is completed and the one actual leak on the tube sorted time to look inside.

There are 3 patches similar to the blue one on the inside of the floor... 2 well glued and just the corner lifting on the pictured one. I've cheated and used a bit of one part from a standard Chinese repair kit on this as it is not pressure related and I've already properly patched the damage on the outside.

The lower transom corner to floor area is the inside of the outside repair I made yesterday. Going to be much easier as the outer repair has pulled the floor into the right place already. Don't know if the image shows clearly but there is some strange black glue in this area from the previous repair.

One of the eight floor securing buckles is almost adrift and another a bit iffy so I'll do those. I think these are just to keep the floor in line when packed and during inflation as when hard it seems to tightly wedge under the tubes so perhaps not a crucial item... better done though.

And that's getting close to the end. Just the air floor to check now it's out as a last item.

[Fenlander]

One dilemma I'd appreciate comments on.

I mentioned in post 14 there were davit ring patches on the cone outsides but they were white hypalon fixed with scruffy glue. I uploaded an image of the one I'd removed and the original fabric behind had cleaned up perfectly.

The other one wasn't so straightforward... under the patch was a small square repair patch in white PVC. Totally sound but removing the glue residue from the davit patch has left discolouration and some places where my cleaning has taken the colour from the fabric.

For now as shown I've painted the white patch with some grey PVC flexy paint which looks a bit better from a few yards.

I've considered putting on a new large patch cut to fit to the rear of the rubbing strake, cut to the line of the welded seam under and cut along the top to curve down to almost the end of the cone. I have the fabric and glue so zero cost.

The ultimate solution is to buy a pair of black PVC 150mm round davit ring patches to cover this mess and have a matching one on the other side. Would look nice but about £50 for the ring patches.

Bit undecided.

[Fenlander]

All the buckles are now re-glued... as is that manky corner near the transom... looks so much better. This corner repair was the only place I've put any extra fabric so far. The buckle "backplate" was a bit torn so after gluing the existing bits back I cut a patch to go over it all and reinforce the buckle strap.

Very little work left now.

[Fenlander]

I remember reading ages ago about seats wearing the tubes of Aerotecs and mine shows signs of this as the two images show. I think it is the knurled nuts that do it.

No leaks but thought it wise to apply reinforcing patches.

[Fenlander]

That just left the air floor to wash and check over.

I'd not realised the floor panels themselves plus straps & tank attachment loops are all welded. The only glued seams are the "hinge" where the floor sections meet and the bridging piece.

Thankfully the floor passed a week long pressure test plus soap test. There were no seam issues... just the edge of the central seam towards the bow needed a few mm gluing together as per images.

I also checked for scuffing/wear at the corners/edges but there wasn't any.

[Fenlander]

So it's finished at last. I've cleaned it again today with some sib cleaner I'd had about for ages, touched up a few marks on the transom and seat with brush on satin black... and put it outside for all glued repairs to fully cure which I read takes about 7 days.

Then it's off to the Sound of Jura area (thereabouts) for a couple of weeks when the repairs will be well tested.

[Max...]

Nice job. Reminded again today in (slightly scary) gusty conditions off the Sussex coast just how capable the old Aerotec is. Make sure to try it in some lumpy water.