Fix seeping air on larger RIB tubes

Hi chaps,

I am looking to restore a RIB with slow leaking tubes. There are products on the market just for this, like Bixler's Toobseal (to name just one) but all of them require the liquid to get in contact with the problematic areas on the inside of the tube. It is normally proposed to turn the inflatable around a couple of times so the product will slosh about inside.

On larger boats this is rather difficult to do.

I wonder if anyone of you has a good idea how to apply one of those products without being able to turn the boat around. I thought it might be possible to spray the product with an atomiser into the tubes (and inflating the tubes that way as well. Has anyone ever tried anything like that? Any tips? Any recommendations which one of those products is most suitable for this kind of application?

Many thanks for your time.
Peter

 

Can’t you identify the leak and apply a patch that looks like a go fast stripe or a wear patch? That’s what the pros do.

 

The pros would and have recommended scrapping of the boat. The only proper repair here would be retubing but the cost of this job would exceed the value of the repaired boat . This is an entirely different question though.

But yes, patching will be done in parallel. However in particular one leak is not very accessible for patching so I am looking for a second line of defense so to say, to increase the chance to make it last for another season. My question is in particular about a way to apply internal sealant products to a big boat that can't be turned over easily.

 

I've never seen a Zodiac or Zodiac style boat that doesn't slow leak air from the tubes.
The remedy is to pump them up as needed.
That's your simplest solution, economical too!

 

My deepest apologies as a newb on this forum for any misunderstandings. I really don't mind getting no answer when there isn't a good one... but right now I wonder if there is any 'on topic' policy on boatdesign.net?

 

Welcome to the forum. Not sure exactly what is meant by your last reply, but will move this topic from the Boat Design main forum to the Boatbuilding forum since the question is more about a construction (or repair in this case) technique than the design of the overall boat. Remember when you post on the forum other people aren't able to see the boat in question or its exact condition other than what you post to describe it, and others don't know what you have already considered or what you already know. People who reply will sometimes offer alternate suggestions or share their experience which they feel would be helpful related to the original question. If you feel responses aren't going in the right direction, there's nothing wrong with restating the question to clarify exactly what you are after. Please remember that people who reply are generally giving their own time to share their experience to try and help.