Nobby tube question

[Liquidity]

Hey guys,

First time poster! So be nice!!

I'm part of a dive club that owns two 4.7m Humber Ribs. As I understand it, these will be Hypalon tubes as this is what Humber uses.

We've spent last year fixing engines and getting them sorted so this year we're doing the little bits like replacing broken life line patches and replacing broken cleats.

We've a couple of questions. The old cleats where the handle has snapped. Can we use a heat gun to get these off the tubes? If not heat, is there another way or is it just a case of cutting the busted handles off and attaching new cleats elsewhere on the tubes?

We've also noticed that in sections, the tubes appear to have started parting ways with the hull. We've ordered seem Hypalon 2 part adhesive, assuming we can use this to stick things back together again?

Any help or advice appreciated.

Thanks [emoji106]

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[jelwood]

Heat gun to remove is easiest way, just go careful not to hold it on any fabric too long or it will blister, sometimes easier to use a heat gun to heat a metal scraper and use that to take em off

[matt h]

Ha ha love the title and welcome !!

[Northern Tim]

Hi Liquidity, Welcome!

I had a similar issue with my last rib. The tubes needed some reglueing in the odd place. I had limited success with 2-part adhesive. The key is in prep, making sure that both surfaces are free of old glue, clean and lightly sanded.

Being somewhat kack-handed when it comes to diy, I eventually took it to a pro. I hope you have better luck!

[Tim M]

As Tim says, prep is everything! There's a really good repair guide on this page: Ribstore Information advice for RIB inflatable boat repair

[idsebby]

Get a small dremel like tool so you can sand away all the glue. But don't sand down to the fabric just untill the glue is gone and you have a Matte grippy surface. Just follow the glueing instructions. Make sure however when you clean it that you keep the Acetone or MEC away from the glue inside the joint I hear they can dissolve the glue and damage the seams. I have used a pair of vice grips to hold back the peeling Seam while the glue dries. Good luck and welcome