Repairing hole - do I remove tube?

[ZodiacDan]

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a 1999 Zodiac Pro 470. - my first RIB

I have a beginner's question regarding tube repair.

The tube had a slow leak which I have traced to repair patch which was coming off and needs to be redone. I removed the patch and the hole is very small (2mm).
I cleaned the area (old glue) completely with MEK.
I think that I have established that my tubes are PVC because: 1. I noticed that the red colour smudges onto my cleaning rag, and 2. When I look inside the tube, through the valve, it is the same red colour.

I have the special PVC glue, I am waiting for the right humidity, and I know that I am supposed to apply the glue to the tube and patch, wait 3-5min, reapply some more glue etc... but when it comes to actually putting the patch onto the tube, how do I do that? do I deflate the tubes totally when doing the repair? Do I have to remove them?

The boat is on a trailer and has a 50hp outboard on it, so do I deflate the tubes totally and then press the patch against the tube which is in turn pressing against the hull? or do I leave the tube slightly inflated?

I have one of those little screen door spline roller thingies (http://goo.gl/FKES1) to get any air bubbles out, but do I need to then push my hand firmly against the patch for a while (how long)?

Many thanks,
Dan

[jyasaki]

Don't have to remove the tubes.

Make sure your prep work is good. Clean and buff the patch area; helps to outline exactly where the patch will sit so you can line it up afterward (note that the glue will probably bleed any ink you use.)

Deflate enough so the air won't force its way out of the hole. If you can deflate enough to push the outer tube skin against the hull (with the inner part of the tube between, that works well. More pressure is better.) Apply glue to both surfaces per directions.

Position patch carefully before the tube and patch make contact. You get one shot, and can't reposition it once the two meet. Stick the patch on, and burnish it from the center outward (ostensibly to get bubbles to migrate to the edges, but I find that rarely works.) One other site (a rafting place as I recall) suggested taking a sewing needle and puncturing any remaining bubbles and firmly rolling them down. Makes sense to me, as you won't have the migrating bubble breaking the glue bond on its way out.

Inflate tube to near working pressure, and allow the few days for the glue to cure.

For the roller, I use a tire roller/rasp, available at auto stores for like $3 (I usually buy out their display of 3 or 4 at a time, as I tend to lose them for some reason.) Has a sander built on, and the roller gives decent pressure to the repair.

Luck;

jky

[ribraff]

Before you do that have a look at this as an option:

Stormsure Repair Adhesives Online Shop

For the size of the repair you need to do this would be effective.

[ZodiacDan]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Don't have to remove the tubes.
[...snip...]
Luck;
jky

Thank you very much.. that's a relief.

I am patiently waiting for the right humidity.

Here is a picture of the cleaned area (I masked if off with tape to minimize the MEK marking the rest of the tube)