Poll: Zodiac more than ten years old with original glue

[maccardiolog]

Hello everybody !

In a recent post I said that maybe is not always necessary the total disassembly of the boat after discovering an isolated portion of the detachment. I have not received so far any response to my puzzlement ... That is why I thought to open a poll to confirm if the assertion that after about ten years, a Zodiac's glue breaks out for sure ... It would mean that basically there was no original Zodiac functional more than ten years old without being reglued - partially or totally ! I'm curious if this myth can be knocked down, for the hope of those with little detaching trouble !

Or at least I expect the response of those with partial repairs that have resisted in time , without any additional problems !

[jeffstevens763@g]

PM office888 on here he's a mine of info also bomerman did a refurb on a bombard in October great thread.

[maccardiolog]

I respect the opinions of the skilled members from here and appreciate their help a lot !
. It would be helpful, however, to draw conclusions from a questionnaire with as many participants as possible, so that the statistics have high significance.

[Fenlander]

I have owned a PVC Zodiac at ten years old with original glue.

I have owned an eighteen year old Zodiac Bombard where the glue had failed on about 5% of the length of the glued seams.

[office888]

For Zodiac adhesive bonded PVC (Strongan PVC + Bostik S.A. adhesive...important, both are very high quality / stable) tends to last about 8 to 15 years from date of manufacture, before plasticizing oils, oxidization, and pollutants weaken the adhesive below acceptable levels.

Basically, if you can peel it apart by hand without tearing the coating, it is too weak and should be rebonded. Give it a tug and see what happens. Minimum bonding strength is about 2.5 kg / cm.

With proper storage and cleaning, it can last long. With neglect, shorter.

I like that 8-15 year number though.

[cgoing]

Having worked on inflatables for close to 30 years , Office's estimate of time is spot on. remember though, maintenance plays a huge part in how long these last. We see boats well maintained lasting longer and others that are neglected which have problems in much shorter periods of time.

[bomberman]

When I did mine, the transom definitely needed sorting and the very front portion of the floor. The rest of the floor was very difficult to separate with heat and 2 relatively strong people, therefore I would suggest that this portion of the floor would have been fine. The problem is as others have pointed out, when repairing a section of something the solvents used will affect the integrity of the area next to it. Also make consideration of where the boat will be used....for me i was planning to use on the sea so the risk of failure a greater consideration than using on a small lake or canal therefore decided to do floor and transom. Mine was 2001.

[simonafloat]

My aerotec is now 11 years old and the glue is still good.