Wear Patches for Aerotec 380

Stippolyte · 15 September 2011, 12:48

After some heavy use this year, noticed several marks from footwear / sand / stones etc. Nothing to worry about but after trawling through the posts on wear patches etc decided this would be a good idea. So, there seems to be some debate about 1 vs. 2 part glue & surface prep which has left me split.
1, Anyone in the North West done this who'd be willing to advise or even volunteer etc. in exchange for some beer tokens.
2, Where can i get these textured patches from, i have only seen smooth red or black fabric for sale.
3, is it worth getting genuine Strongan (?) fabric

Thanks

Karl

Dino89 · 16 September 2011, 10:13

i would use 2 part glue and original fabric for color match. bombard fabric can be purchased at ron hale marine .there are plenty of very good intructions on the web for the 2 part glue and patching
one such here inflatable boat repair information and procedures about gluing and fabrics

Alzi · 16 September 2011, 10:50

I second the "2 part Glue is the way to go" , The instructions in the link are good ! , Its not as Daunting as it seems, Just need self confidence !!

Just make sure you wipe any excess off before it dries !!

Sorry I cannot help on the Wear patches, But If you find some can you post a link .

Thanks , Alan.

Nasher · 16 September 2011, 17:29

Two part glue is really expensive, especially for large areas.

The wear patches on my Ocean were put down with cheap Wickes own brand single part contact adhesive. They have been on for several years now and have survived all that has been thrown at them without even the hint of a lifted corner.

I used the same stuff to put the wear patches down on the top of the tubes on the Smaller Nashers Aerotec 380, and they too are staying put despite the boat being let down, rolled up, re-inflated etc, quite a few times now.

On both occasions the surfaces were prepared really well, and the instructions on the tin followed to the letter.

HOWEVER.
I wouldn’t dream of using anything other than two part adhesive for anything structural, or anything that needs to retain air in the tube.

In my opinion, cheap single part glue is OK for wear patches.

Nasher