inflatables eternal headache

[vicestrella]

i recently inhereted an 12ft inflatable boat with 8hp motor,and just began to discover the exciting world of boating since i live on an island in the caribean and every weekend is a new adventure exploring remote beaches ,coves mangles and reefs for swimming and snorkling...with 5 gls of gas i spend the whole weekend trolling around....i love it !! but theres always a down side:

the boat has more holes than a swiss cheese, even thou i`ve tried to patch every air leek, it manages to peel off my patches and ruined my weekend everytime, so my question is?

has anybody ever try to fill an inflatable with POLYURETHANE FOAM???
i belive this to be the answer, or can anybody tell me otherwise. please i`m desperate , the weekend is coming and i cant sleep!!!!

i have a pickup so i dont mind that it wont disinflate....

[Asterix]

The answer to your problem is to put carpet glue with a high percentage of latex (or pure latex) mixed 4-1 with water into your pontoons. The mixture should be about the consistency of milk, make up about half a litre and remove the valve and pour through the hole. Blow the boat up and take it
for a roll around the garden and make sure your mixture sloshes around all the joints. If it still leaks repeat again this will get rid of most small leaks. Also test the vavles and valve patches with soapy water. My boat used go down in a day now it takes several weeks, the only negative is if you fold the boat up it will stick to it's self.
regards Asterix

[Raykenn]

Vicetrella,

Here is one of those instances where I learned more from my screw-ups than I did getting it right the first time.

Filling the pontoons with foam - It can be done, but it is verrrrry difficult to control the mixture and the expansion of the foam. Overexpansion of the foam will give you more problems than you started with, and take a bite out of your wallet.

Coating the pontoon - I had good results doing this. I never used the mixture the other gentleman mentioned but I did use both Neoprene(black) and Hypalon(white). Both of these were purchased at the local hardward/roofing supply store in gallon cans. Here is what I did:

Sew and glue patch all holes or seam tears.
Inflate boat
Apply 2-3 coats of the color of your choice.

I used this on all of the inflatables I had while living in the carribbean, ran them up on the beach almost daily, and was never disappointed in the performance of the coatings.

Hope this helps

Regards

R. Kennedy

[vicestrella]

thank`s to you both, for taking the time,the problem is :that i forgot to mention that some of my IB air leaks are the size of quarters and i imagen that the solutions you guy`s suggest are for small pin size leaks,,,,,,
my main problem is that the avalability of most of the products needed for a proper repair (glue,adhesives,patches and quemicals)on the island is non existing, and some chemicals are restricted for air mail...............

now : on the subject of filling the chambers with POLYURETHENE FOAM
i have friend that is chemical engineer, the one who suggested it, that has experience
and works with the product in his shop, and told me about how delicate the process
of filling is , and warned me that he can`t guarantee success .
that in the filling process the overexpansion of the foam can rip the fabric open at the seams and loose the boat
all together, he told me that he will have to calculate the exact volumne of the chambers down to the exact cubic centimeter and estimate expansion percentage of
the foam. so i was aware of those details ...my curiosity is ,
let`s suppose everything went ok in the filling process and the boat came out perfect
how will it handle ? will it weight to much ? will it handle the weight ? ETC,ETC...
the pros and cons..............
and if everything came out ok ,how come there is`nt a portable foam filled boat for sale????????????? thank`s

[woodboat]

I wish you luck but doubt your chances for success with foam. I can't even get an even application filling small areas. It expands so much that the slightest uneven distribution will result in huge bubbles all along the hull. If you were successful making the boat rigid with foam I suspect it would handle very differently then it does now. It would probably be a much rougher ride with the hull slamming like a Small Boston whaler more then the absorption of wave energy that the air chambers give you currently. This of course is pure speculation as I have never seen an inflatible filled with foam.

[Asterix]

Hi vicestrella,
What is the boat material Hypolon or PVC all my boats have been PVC and it is
very important to sand with fine sand paper and clean with a solvent thinners
before you glue. Check with your hardware merchant for glues. Heat both
surfaces before application of patch and have a minimum of 50mm cover around the hole (ie 100mm diameter over a small hole) press down hard with an old spoon to iron out any air and wrinkles.
P.S. If you use the foam I think you will end up with a nice abstract scupture of a boat.
regards Asterix

[vicestrella]

thanks, ASTERIX AND WOODBOAT, i read your advice ,and decided not to use
the foam, and followed the instructions on patching the leaks , i found a simaler rubber fabric ,because hypilon is not comun in my country and used the inner and outer patch technic with some contact cement i found in the hardware store and waited at least 48 hours in a climate controlled room before filling with air,,,,,,,
this morning the 48 hrs were up , and filled with air, its been 5 hrs and no leeks are visible even with soap and water so im excited that i`m planing on skipping work this afternoon and try it out ...if weather permit`s .............................so thank to everybody for their opinions and advice happy boating to everyone..........see ya