Inflatable Pontoon Boat Repairs

Help Ensure a Long Life for Your Pontoon Boat

There are numerous products available to repair your inflatable pontoon boat. These include patch kits, seam-repair kits, PVC repair kits, and even special repairing paint.

The patch kits are the simplest of these methods to use. This kit includes a tough bonding formula, a cleaning solvent, and a small piece of reinforcing fabric. This product can be used if there is a small hole in the fabric of your inflatable pontoon boat. You can just clean the area around the hole with the cleaning solvent. Cut the cloth to whatever size that you need. Then you can just attach the cut piece of cloth over the hole with the bonding formula. 

Seam-repair kits include a sealant that makes repairs in difficult areas such as seams and around valves easy.  You just spread the sealant over these areas. As it dries, it bonds the surrounding material together and creates a new seam. There are also sealants that you put inside your inflatable boat that seals it on the interior side of the seam. Liquid rubber can also be used on leaky seams by forming a rubber seal in place of the original one.

The PVC repair kit requires a little more work than the previous products. This requires the use of a special kind of bonding glue and an accelerator. This glue compound is a good product to use out in the field because you can make a quick repair and then you can heat activate the glue later on to make more effective repairs. There are several steps that you must take when using this repair kit.

To begin, you need to thoroughly clean and buff the area that is going to be repaired. The use of MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) and a Scotch Brite abrasive pad is usually effective. You can just use a few drops of the MEK and use the pad to buff out any rough spots on the surface. Then you should leave your boat sit in order for all the water vapor that has accumulated on the surface to dry.

Now you are ready to mix the glue and accelerator at proportions of 98% glue and 2% accelerator. This mixture is good for approximately eight hours. The best results occur when the patch is applied between the first and second hours after the mixture is made. Apply your first coat of glue on both your patch and your boat. Wait fifteen minutes or so for that coat to totally dry and then you can apply a second coat.

You can now align the patch over the hole to make sure you can put it where you want it. Since the area has not been heat-activated yet, the patch and boat are not yet sticky and you can move the patch where you want. Once you decide where you want your patch, put it in place and apply heat to the area to reactivate it. On of the most effective ways to apply heat is to place a pan of boiling water on top of the area. Let the pan sit for about two minutes, and then move to the next area of the patch. Let the patch sit for as long as possible without being disturbed to let the glue cure. It takes about a week for this process to be completed. In the case of an emergency repair away from home, the patch job would be strong enough to get under way in about an hour.

Painting is another way to repair small leaks in your inflatable pontoon boat. This paint has special adhesive properties that allow it to stick to the fabric. It can be used to cover worn material and old patches. It will also fill in any small pinhole leaks that you may have. This product can improve the appearance of your boat and make it look like new.

Any inflatable boat is bound to develop a leak or a tear at one time or another. By using the proper repair technique, you can help ensure a longer life for your inflatable pontoon boat.

See Also: Disadvantages of Inflatable Canoes

About The Author:
Cara Kelley is a successful author and regular contributor to best-inflatable-boats.com.