DIY pvc boat repair

In detail: do-it-yourself pvc boat repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

PVC boats are in demand today for fishing and outdoor enthusiasts. The boats do not need parking and are inexpensive. Polyvinyl chloride is not a metal, therefore, damage, punctures of the boat during operation are inevitable. The boats are equipped with repair kits for sale, but how to repair them yourself, without the help of specialists, we will consider in more detail in this article.

The main types of damage include:

the presence of torn holes, punctures in the boat resulting from a boat hitting metal rods and fittings, in places sticking out of the water; this usually occurs among beginners who do not know dangerous places, or on an unfamiliar body of water;
valve breakboats as a result of mechanical impact - punctures on the boat with hooks, sharp objects, burning of material with cigarette butts.

No one is immune from boat punctures, so there is no need to despair and despair, because the boat can be repaired. The main thing is to know how to do it correctly and efficiently.

Field conditions do not make it possible to make repairs efficiently and thoroughly, always the reason is lack of time, but it is still possible to fix it in a hurry to continue the journey. Even when collecting, you must not forget about the repair kit.

It may be required at any time, in addition to it, you should stock up on:

scissors;
rubber glue;
pencil;
brush;
roller;
solvent;
soap and rags;
a hairdryer, preferably a construction one, a household hairdryer will also work.

To eliminate cuts, the boat must be pulled out onto land, wiped dry, and repaired. If the unit breaks down, you will need a lighter and a repair kit.

Video (click to play).

The repair kit is specially designed for self-repairing a boat in field conditions, so everything you need, namely fabric washers in the amount of 6 pieces and glue specially for PVC, is in it.

The glue should be:

durable, to create a waterproof seam;
resistant to both dynamic and statistical loads;
resistant to high temperatures so that the glue does not spread in the heat;
elastic.

Cut out a small oval or circle 2 cm in diameter larger than the burned or perforated place from a piece of fabric in the repair kit.
Smooth the surface of the material, there should be no folds. Under the repair site, you can put a board, or a file.
The surface of the boat site for repair must be clean and free of grease, can be wiped with solvent, acetone, or alcohol. Do not use sandpaper and damage the boat.
Putting the patch on the puncture site, you should circle it with a pencil.
Then you need to grease both surfaces with glue, wait for it to dry.
After 15 minutes, repeat the procedure.
Bonding can be started 5 minutes after reapplying the glue.
The glue should be sticky, to activate it, you can slightly heat the area to be repaired with a lighter or hairdryer. This must be done carefully so as not to burn the gluing.
There should be no air bubbles between the materials to be glued; for this, you need to walk over the area with a roller or other blunt object at hand.
Leave the glued area until it dries completely, for about a day.

To locate the damaged area, the damaged compartment, lubricated with soapy water, must be immersed in water. From the puncture site, bubbles will begin to come out, or foam. They will indicate not only the exact puncture site, but also its size.

The boat needs to be prepared for repair; for this, take it ashore and dry it properly.The entire area around the damaged area is degreased, cleaned with sandpaper, carefully straightened so that there are no folds.

In field conditions, it is not always possible to use the best and most reliable method for gluing.

Use the view that is most appropriate for your position:

Apply a layer of glue to the degreased surface, after standing for a couple of minutes, press firmly to the damaged area. The method is good for a while, but when you return home, repeat the gluing procedure again.
Apply a layer of glue to both surfaces, leave for 10 minutes, apply a second coat of glue to both surfaces, wait a little again. The glue should stick to your fingers. Roll over it with a roller, another rounded object that is at hand. Irregularities and air bubbles should not remain under the gluing. This method is considered more reliable. Both surfaces are smeared with glue in two layers, after which the glue should be absorbed and dry completely. The patch is applied to the damaged area, warmed up slightly with a hairdryer, and pressed tightly. It is important to roll the gluing well with a roller, for this, pressing the roller, go over the place several times.

On torn holes and cuts, a patch is applied and glued both from the inside and from the outside, which differs from the previous method of gluing:

Cut out two equal-sized patches in an oval or round shape.
Spread out and degrease the repair area.
Draw the area with a pencil or marker.
Apply glue to both parts in two layers, then proceed as in the above method. You can glue two patches at once on both sides, so it will be more reliable, cut the second patch in diameter slightly larger than the first. Cuts up to 15 cm in length can be eliminated using the material provided in the repair kit.

This problem occurs quite often on the river. You are sitting in a boat, and suddenly, the water inside begins to arrive. Fishing in such conditions will no longer bring pleasure, so the boat needs to be pulled ashore, dried in the sun and the bottom cut should be repaired. In this case, no glue is used, it is unlikely to have a long-lasting effect. The cut is sewn with very strong threads.

You need a special wrench to replace the valve and of course you don't have one. Do not use any handy tools to remove the valve; you can damage the boat even more.

To do this, you need a jigsaw and a plastic metal tube up to 2 cm in diameter. The boat cylinders must be deflated, after which a diameter of 2 cm. Make a cylindrical hole at the top.

using special glue, unscrew the valve body from your cup holder;
remove the valve, in case of minor breakdown, you can limit yourself to lubricating the valve with grease, but first it must be thoroughly rinsed and dried;
if the old valve is no longer suitable for use, you need to screw in a new one, while holding its counterpart with one hand;
it is not necessary to tighten and tighten the valve strongly, the key can quickly break;
having lubricated the place with soapy water, check if all the parts fit tightly to each other; when the air comes out, the valve must be slightly tightened.

Often fishermen make repairs in a hurry, make mistakes, and as a result, after a short period of time they have to redo the work. The tips above will help you get your boat repaired and continue your journey.

Follow clear instructions, adhere to certain rules, and you can easily fix the boat yourself:

The adhesive connection must undergo a polymerization process, only then can we talk about the quality of the gluing. The boat inflates slightly, or folds neatly.

The glued place is left for a day to dry, the glue must undergo full polymerization. Usually the course is 3 days, but with high-quality gluing, the boat can be launched for 24 hours already.

Under no circumstances should the surfaces to be glued be heated with fire.

It is not recommended to use Moment and Superglue for gluing. These types of glue form cracks, whether it is worth talking about the reliability of such a connection.

Contact a service center if the lacerations or lacerations are too large. The repair kit is not available for repairing cuts longer than 15 cm.

Applying simple tips and following step-by-step instructions for a particular type of repair will help you make the repair efficiently. The PVC boat will serve you faithfully for many years to come. Take your time, carry out the work neatly, harmoniously. It is better to do the work conscientiously the first time, after all, it is much more difficult and costly to redo it.No one is insured on the water, especially in the swampy and abandoned sections of the river, snags from the water often come across, metal rods stick out. When going on a trip, check that the repair kit is assembled, there is no service nearby and sometimes there is no one to ask for the necessary spare parts. Be prudent, and then the rest will not be ruined.Many people who like to fish or relax in nature purchase PVC boats. They are much cheaper than motorized hard metal counterparts and do not require a parking space. A PVC boat is an excellent economical option for those who have fishing and recreation on ponds as an integral part of their leisure time.However, one of the most significant disadvantages of PVC boats is their high susceptibility to damage. This is understandable, because the material cannot be compared in strength to metal. Often, the life of a boat depends on the knowledge and skills of its owner in the field of repair. It is not for nothing that when buying a boat, it immediately has a repair kit.

Puncture of an inflatable boat. It may happen that the hook is pierced by the side, or you, through your negligence, pierce the boat with a sharp object. There are situations when a PVC boat is burned with cigarette butts.

Cuts and lacerations. Very often in domestic reservoirs you can find various metal fittings and rods sticking out from the bottom. Most often, beginners stumble upon boat cuts, who have not yet managed to identify all the dangerous places for themselves.

Failure of the boat valve. The valve usually breaks due to mechanical stress on it. You can simply step on the valve.

If a misfortune has happened to your boat, then do not despair ahead of time. PVC is a material that can be repaired very well. Often a PVC boat can be repaired in the field and then continue fishing or rest.Of course, in many cases, hastily made repairs are not very high quality and require rework after returning to land. But nevertheless, it allows you to continue your journey.In order to repair the boat yourself, you will need the following tools:

Repair kit (adhesive and patches)

Scissors

Metal plate or roller

Hair dryer. It is better to use a construction hairdryer, but in extreme cases, a household one is also suitable.

Pencil

Solvent

Paint brush

Water, soap and rags (rags).

Of course, this is all about removing cuts on land. If you have to repair the unit in the field, then you will be able to use only a lighter and a repair kit.

The repair kit is a set of materials with which you can independently repair the boat in the field.

Considering that PVC fabric is a more than unpretentious material, an inflatable boat can be repaired even in the most difficult conditions.

The standard repair kit includes a set of PVC fabric washers (usually with a diameter of 40 and 80 millimeters in an amount of 6 units) and a tube with a special adhesive for PVC. I must say that absolutely all PVC boats are equipped with repair kits, so you don't have to choose it yourself. If you run out of fabric or glue, it’s best not to throw out the tube, but leave a piece of fabric as a sample.

Unfortunately, most often the glue in the repair kit ends or becomes unusable. If you cannot find exactly the same as the previous one, then we advise you to use some recommendations.

First, the adhesive must create a strong waterproof seam.
Secondly, it is obliged to withstand the static and dynamic loads to which the boat will be subjected.
Finally, it must be thermally stable. If you do not want your patch to come unstuck during storage of the boat in winter and not "float" in summer, be sure to take into account the thermal resistance parameter.
The adhesive must have sufficient elasticity.

This video presents the choice of glue for repairing an inflatable boat from a practical point of view: several patches of various types of glue were glued to a piece of pvc in accordance with all gluing rules, and left to dry. Then they were tested by the sun. Which glue for a pvc boat is better - find out from the video.

Which PVC boat pump is most suitable for your boat. Let's try to figure it out together.

To get started, unpack the repair kit and cut out a small piece of fabric - preferably oval or round. You can trim rectangular workpieces with scissors or, if repairs are being made in the field, with a knife. It is important that the length of the workpiece is at least a couple of centimeters greater than the diameter of the cut or pierce.

It is important that the gluing is done on a flat surface without creases. Level the area of the material to be repaired by placing a boat floor or a board under it.

Do not glue the material onto a dirty surface. Use acetone or solvent to clean and degrease it. If neither one nor the other is at hand, use alcohol. Do not under any circumstances clean the surface with sandpaper - this will only harm you.

Place the cut patch over the repair and trace around it with a pencil.

Take a brush and apply the glue evenly on both surfaces. Wait a little while it dries out.

Repeat the previous operation in 10-15 minutes.

Begin gluing 5 minutes after reapplying the glue. In general, the drying time of the glue depends on the humidity, the ambient temperature and the storage time of the glue itself, so it is better not to wait for the exact time, but to guide the state of the glue - it should stick a little.

To activate the adhesive, heat the repair area with a hair dryer or lighter. It's important not to overdo it - you should heat the glue, not set it on fire.

Squeeze out any air bubbles and roll the bonding area with a hard roller. In the field, a knife handle will do for this.

The glued area should dry out for at least a day.

The procedure for repairing large ragged cuts and holes differs from the previous repair method only in that it is necessary to glue the linings also from the inside.

First, you need to cut two oval or round patches of the same size.

Then prepare the repair site, straighten and degrease it.

Sketch out.

In the same way as in the method described above, glue two patches.

For maximum reliability, you can stick two pads on the surface at once. The first should be smaller than the second in diameter.The repair kit is designed to repair cuts that are no longer than 15 centimeters.Repair of cuts differs in that the gluing procedure is preceded by stitching of torn surfaces using heavy-duty threads. The rest of the operations are carried out in the same way. The gluing of the slots is carried out using two pads on the outer and inner surfaces of the boat.How can one person independently launch an equipped boat with a motor?You won't be able to replace the valve just like that - you need a special key for this.To remove the old valve, it is strictly not recommended to use improvised means and methods, because you can further aggravate the situation.If you have a factory key, there will be no problems with removing the valve. Otherwise, you can try to make it yourself. Find a small diameter tube of about 1.5-2 centimeters made of hard plastic or metal, as well as a jigsaw - you will need it to cut the teeth (to get contact with the inner surface of the valve). To place the "crank", make a small cylindrical hole from above. Be sure to deflate the boat's cylinders.

You will need to find the mating part of the valve ("glass") and unscrew the valve body from it. It is possible that, as a result of long-term operation, the valve will not twist. Then a special spray will come in handy.

Inspect the broken valve after removing it. You may be limited to lubricating the spring with grease and flushing the old valve, and you will not have to change it.

If the valve cannot be repaired, install a new product.

Using a wrench, screw in the new tap valve, while holding its counterpart. The main thing is not to overdo it with effort. Do not pinch the new valve too much - this can break the key or the valve itself.

Check the tightness of the connection with a soapy solution. If air still flows through, gently squeeze the valve.

If you repair the PVC boat on time, then it will serve you for a long time. The main thing is to follow the step-by-step instructions and take your time, because poor-quality repairs are sometimes very difficult to redo.how to repair a pvc boat yourself?
types of damage to pvc inflatable boats.
the main problems arising from punctures and cuts of PVC inflatable boats and ways to eliminate them.
pvc boat repair in field conditions. proper storage of the boat.Happy owners of PVC boats sooner or later face various damages to their craft. It should be noted that it is not cheap. The question arises: "How to repair a PVC boat with your own hands in field conditions or in a workshop?" There is an opinion that the repair of PVC boats is a very laborious process and not everyone can do it. Is it so? Let's figure it out. First, don't panic. Nothing is impossible. So, first things first. Image - DIY pvc boat repair

WHAT IS DAMAGE TO PVC BOATS?

Scratch, bully... At first glance, it may seem like a minor damage, but later this scratch or scuffing can cause the fabric to rupture at the most inopportune moment. This type of damage is also dangerous.

Puncture... This is perhaps the most common type of damage. It occurs either with careless handling of hooks or tees of baits or other piercing objects.

A cut... This is usually due to contact with the cutting tool. Most often they occur due to improper transportation or storage, or simply on the shore.

Torn hole (wide gap). This type of damage occurs when the boat is moving. For example, protruding metal fittings, a sharp stake, etc. There have been cases of boat collisions when the side is damaged by the motor propeller.

Gnawing by rodents... When storing a boat in a garage or shed, especially an unwashed boat with fish slime, groundbait, etc., which attracts rats and mice with its smell, anglers often find such an unexpected defect at the beginning of the season.

Burn... PVC boat is sensitive to high temperatures. Therefore, it is easily burned by cigarette butts or other heated objects.

Damaged boat valve... A strong mechanical impact on the valve may break it. Most often, they just step on the valve by negligence.

Unsticking oarlocks, seat mountings.

WHAT TO DO?

If the damage is insignificant (puncture, pinpoint burn), and you want to continue fishing, then the PVC boat can be repaired in field conditions.More serious damage (torn holes, extensive gaps) requires repair in a workshop.

PREPARATION

The first thing to do is an inspection. After the place of damage has been found, it is important to understand: is it possible to make reliable repairs in field conditions or postpone and make it in the workshop, will you do the repair yourself or you will have to contact a specialist. If the damage is not very dangerous, then a simple boat repair can be done on site using a repair kit and then continue fishing.

Any renovation begins with preparation. For field repairs, you will need: a repair kit (glue, a piece of PVC cloth), scissors or a knife, degreaser, a rag.

Repair carried out on a fishing trip is not always of high quality, so you often have to modify or redo it at home or in a workshop.

For self-repair in a workshop (at home, in a garage), the list of necessary items will be somewhat wider. You will need: a repair kit (glue and a piece of PVC cloth), a pencil, scissors, a roller or a metal plate, a hair dryer, a solvent, a brush, soap, water, rags (rags).

WHICH GLUE IS BEST TO USE TO REPAIR PVC BOATS?

The glue that is part of the repair kit often thickens, dries up and you have to buy another one yourself. This is where the question arises: "which glue is better to buy for a PVC boat?"

First, it is necessary to take into account the requirements for PVC glue.

All adhesives can be roughly divided into heat-resistant and non-heat-resistant. Most often, this problem arises in the summer when gluing surfaces exposed to strong heating. If the area to be glued is below the waterline, then this parameter is not so important.

Glue "Uranus", which is often part of a boat repair kit, is suitable for repair in field conditions. This adhesive does not have sufficient heat resistance. Therefore, when repairing a boat in a workshop, they use this glue or its industrial analog Desmocoll with the addition of one more component - Desmodur heat stabilizing additive. This additive is added in an amount of 5% -7% by volume.

A good result was shown by adhesives "RK-2", "Master glue", "UR-MONO", Super-NN (with hardener "Izur-021")

This list is far from complete. More and more new species are constantly appearing.

"Moment" type glue, etc. can be used only as a last resort: in field conditions, if there is no other glue, and the damage is not dangerous. One fishing trip is usually enough. It is important to correctly assess the safety of such repairs so that fishing does not become the last. And you also need to understand that it will be difficult to clean the boat from this glue later, repair at home will become more complicated.

Thickened adhesives are usually diluted with a special solvent: MEK (methyl ethyl ketone).

PVC BOAT REPAIR IN OUTDOOR CONDITIONS

wash
dry
spread the damaged area on a flat surface
degrease. The degreaser is not included in the repair kit. You need to take care of this yourself, in advance. At home, you need to pour either acetone or a solvent into a small bottle. In the absence of such, you can use vodka. And if it is not there (this also occurs), then just carefully wipe the gluing site several times with a clean rag or bandage. The contact time of PVC fabric with acetone or solvent should be minimal. For cleaning the surface of the boat and the patch, you cannot use emery cloth, as is done when gluing rubber.
cut out a patch from a piece of PVC fabric (from a repair kit), which is 4-5 cm more to cover the damage, or use a ready-made one.
Apply glue to the damaged area and the patch and after about 3 minutes press them firmly together. It is best to apply the adhesive in 2 steps if given sufficient time. The first layer (on a boat and a patch) is dried for 10-15 minutes. Then reapply the glue to both surfaces and let the glue dry for 5-7 minutes.An indicator that the gluing time has approached is the fact that the surfaces to be glued do not slip relative to each other, but begin to stick firmly.
attach the patch in place and roll something tight. If you don't have a roller at hand, you can use, for example, a glass bottle. It is important to remove all air from under the patch.
inflate the boat immediately after gluing, but not to the working pressure, but until the moment when the boat only takes its shape and leave in this state for at least 2-3 hours.

PVC BOAT REPAIR IN WORKSHOP CONDITIONS

The first thing to do is to take care of the ventilation of the room, or to carry out work in the open air. Repairs should not be carried out at low temperatures. The air temperature must be at least 15 degrees. WITH.

The stages of repairing a boat in a workshop are practically the same as in field conditions. The fundamental difference between repairing a boat in a workshop (or at home, in a garage) from repairing a fishing trip is that all procedures are done without haste, thoroughly.

So here step-by-step instruction PVC boat repair:

If you are fixing a cut or significant puncture, then two patches are installed. One is glued on the inside, the other on the outside. In order to glue the patch from the inside, it is necessary to unscrew the valve with a special key and carry out the necessary repairs through the hole formed. The inner patch is glued first.

In case of extensive damage, all stages of the repair are similar to the previous ones, only before gluing, the edges of the cut or gap are first sewn together, and only then they are glued.

In case of large defects, for example, gnawing by rats, when small pieces of tissue (1 - 2 cm) are missing, another patch, slightly larger in size, is additionally glued on the outside, on top of the second patch. The third patch is applied only after the glue of the previous patches has dried.

If the defect of the boat is too large, for example, a cut or tear of more than 15 cm, gnawing with the absence of pieces of tissue more than 2 cm, numerous ruptures of a complex configuration, then repairs should be carried out in service centers.

Often in hot weather, when the boat heats up to high temperatures, the oarlock partially peels off. This type of repair is carried out in a home workshop or in a service center.

Step-by-step instruction oarlock repair | seat mountings.

circle the place of attachment of the oarlock (or attachment for the seat) with a marker;
detach the oarlock (or seat mountings) completely loose from the boat. You will need a powerful hair dryer for this purpose. Then remove the remaining adhesive from the surface of the oarlocks (or seat mountings) and the boat. Usually, sandpaper is not used to prepare PVC boat surfaces for gluing, but this time sandpaper is most likely indispensable. The oarlock or seat mount can be easily cleaned. But the fabric of the boat is cleaned as a last resort and very carefully, especially the thin-walled fabric;
degrease both surfaces with a solvent;
apply the first layer of glue on both surfaces and allow to dry for 10-15 minutes;
reapply a layer of glue on both surfaces and heat with a hairdryer until bubbles appear;
attach the oarlock (or seat mount) to the boat, heat it with a hairdryer and press it firmly for a couple of minutes;

The boat can be used after 12 hours.

For this type of repair, you will need a special valve removal wrench. Not all PVC boat manufacturers include this key in the repair kit. Therefore, the valve wrench has to be made independently, or contact a service center.

You can make a key for the valve yourself from a tube of a suitable diameter. It can be either a metal tube or hard plastic.

All that needs to be done is to grind the appropriate number of teeth on the end of the tube and drill a hole for the knob on the other end of the tube.

Unscrew the valve using a wrench.When unscrewing the valve, you need to hold the socket located on the inside of the boat. Therefore, the boat must be deflated before removing the valve.

Examine the valve. If there is mechanical damage to the body, then such a valve must be replaced with a new one.

Sometimes, in the absence of damage to the valve body, it is enough to flush the valve with subsequent lubrication of the spring with grease.

Screw the new (or repaired) valve back into place while holding the seat. If necessary, sealant can be applied to the edges of the hole before tightening the valve. The force with which the valve is twisted should be moderate. Overtightening can damage the valve or wrench. If insufficient, air will bleed.

STORAGE

Storage of PVC boats is usually straightforward. The temperature range for safe storage is wide enough: from +70 to - 40 degrees. C. No special preservation is required.

Usually boats are stored in garages, sheds, on the balcony or at home. If the boat is stored at low temperatures, then it is not recommended to move it from place to place, because PVC material loses elasticity at low temperatures, there is a risk of damage to the fabric.

The only thing that is required before storing the PVC boat is to wash and dry it well. Particles of dirt, fish slime, groundbait and other organic debris left on the surface attract rodents.

If you are not sure about the safety of storage in such places where there are toothy animals, then it is better to move the boat to another place.

CONCLUSION

Have your boat repaired in a timely manner and it will serve you for a long time. The main thing is not to rush, to carefully carry out all the stages of the repair. Poor repairs are very difficult to redo. Of course, if you are not confident in your abilities, especially in difficult situations, then it is better to entrust the repair to specialists. Safety is most important!

When citing the materials of the article, a link to our site is required.

“Anything can happen in life, then rats appear in the most unexpected places, and bars sticking out of the water are no longer a rarity in our reservoirs. I remember a case when one of my friends was chopping wood for a fire. I just chose an unusual place - next to the boat. He chopped himself, chopped. He missed a little, and he hacked almost a new boat! " In this article I will try to tell you in detail how to repair a PVC boat with your own hands.

PVC material, from which most inflatable motor boats are made today, is very unpretentious in operation. Accordingly, it is quite easy to repair a PVC boat with your own hands, even in field conditions.

You can store PVC boats in almost any conditions at temperatures from +70 to -40 degrees Celsius. In winter - in a warm garage, or on a cold balcony, without any special preparation for conservation. It is advisable to wash and dry the vessel just before that. When placing the boat for storage, it is necessary to take into account that the PVC material is very "like" the rats. Therefore, it is better not to leave the boat in places of potential habitat of rats or mice.

Another important condition for storing a boat in freezing temperatures is that the bag with the boat packed in it cannot be constantly moved from place to place, and in general it is better not to touch it unless absolutely necessary.

If the shell of the body or the bottom has been damaged, and there is no service center "at hand" and cannot be, do not be discouraged. Nothing terrible actually happened. Repair of PVC boats can be done by hand. PVC material lends itself well to field repair, even on water. Although, of course, it is better to repair a PVC boat in "garage" conditions, thoroughly and with a margin of time for the glue to dry completely. It takes about 3 days for the PVC boat glue to fully polymerize, although the glued inflatable boat can be used after 24 hours.

In the event that the cut occurred on the water, then you can do the repair of the PVC boat with your own hands within an hour. However, a hastily made "patch" will not last long, and therefore, after returning home, such a "repair" must be redone "clean".

In order to do it yourself repair of a cut, puncture or other damage to the PVC boat, you will need:

• The repair kit that you received with the boat upon purchase;
• Scissors for PVC material;
• Roller or metal plate;
• Hair dryer (you can borrow it from your wife for a while);
• Pencil for marking;
• Brush for applying glue;
• Thinner number 646.

In the field, when doing PVC boat repairs with your own hands, you can get by with only one boat repair kit, a knife and a lighter.

We repair a puncture (burn)
Business as usual. Hooked over the side, accidentally poked a knife into a cylinder, accidentally used the side of the boat as an ashtray. The damage in this case is small, from microns to 3 centimeters, therefore, to repair this PVC element of the boat with my own hands, I propose to proceed as follows:

1. Cut out the patch from the strip of material of the desired color included in the repair kit. The patch can be of any shape, but it is better if it is round or oval. In the field, you can simply cut corners from a rectangular workpiece. The diameter or maximum length of the patch should be 3-5 cm longer than the cut length.

2. Carefully flatten the damaged section of the cylinder on a flat surface. If there is none, place a board or boat floor under the cut.

3. Clean the PVC boat repair site from dirt and degrease it with 646 solvent. You can also use acetone, or, at worst, in the field - alcohol. I do not advise you to clean the material with sandpaper - this can only harm.

4. Patch the cut and draw a pencil around the seam.

5. Using a brush, evenly apply a thin layer of PVC adhesive to both bonding surfaces. Let the glue dry.

6. After 10-15 minutes, repeat the same procedure and let the glue dry again.

7. After 5 minutes, you can proceed to the last phase of repairing the PVC boat with your own hands, that is, to the gluing itself. Five minutes is a conditional time. It depends on the ambient temperature, the storage time of the adhesive, and even on humidity. Therefore, you should not use a stopwatch to carry out this operation. Touch the glue - it should dry out, but stick slightly.

8. To "activate" the glue on the surface of the PVC material, the bonding area and the patch must be heated. To do this, you can use a hairdryer or a lighter. Remember that this do-it-yourself PVC boat repair place needs to be heated, not ignited! This operation must be carried out quickly enough so that the glue does not dry out during this time.

9. Now the surfaces to be glued must be placed one on top of the other so that no air bubbles remain under the patch and thoroughly rolled with a hard roller. If you don't have one at hand, you can use any available means: a knife handle, a meat grinder handle, etc.

10. Without bending the material at the place where the PVC boat is being repaired, carefully fold the hull and leave the glued place to dry for at least a day.

Torn holes. Cuts longer than 5 cm.
Such do-it-yourself PVC boat repair is carried out similarly to the previously described method, with the only difference that in the first case it was enough for us to install a patch on only one side. For large cuts, it is necessary to install two patches, both from the outside and from the inside (from the inside).

The procedure for repairing a PVC boat with your own hands remains the same:

• It is necessary to cut out two oval patches from PVC material (preferably of the same size);
• Prepare the gluing site, gently straighten the cylinders and degrease the place where the PVC boat is being repaired with a solvent;
• Outline the outer patch at the gluing site;
• Using the method described earlier, first glue the patch from the inside, and then - from the outside.In the case of an "attack" of rats and in the presence of a ragged hole with a diameter of more than 1-2 cm, two external patches can be made, ie:
• After completing the first 4 steps, you can cut another patch, with a larger size than the first (2 cm or more). Glue it over the first patch that was glued earlier.

The PVC boat repair kit is designed to repair cuts up to 15 cm long. It is assumed that longer damage should already be repaired only at service centers.

Bottom cut repair
His fault, as a rule, is the reinforcement rods, which are often found in our reservoirs in the most unpredictable places.

The cuts on the bottom are quite specific. Basically, these are torn and complex damage along the contour.

Video (click to play).

To repair the bottom of a PVC boat with your own hands, you need two patches on the outside and inside. Before gluing, the torn surfaces are pre-stitched with "harsh" threads. All gluing operations are performed in the same way as described above.