Choosing the right glue or adhesive to repair your inflatable dinghy or boat tender can be confusing. There are many variations of adhesive on the market and some could leave you unstuck at a dangerous moment. When you’re on the water, you’re also as risk, and the wrong type of adhesive is a risk you don’t want to take.
Adhesive – Glue Types
Inflatable Boat Fabric (Hypalon or PVC Adhesive?)
In the case of inflatable boats and dinghies, the fabric construction is the first important fact to determine, is it Hypalon fabric or PVC fabric. Our ‘PVC or Hypalon Fabric‘ guide will help you determine what your Honwave Dinghy, Plastimo, Scorpion or Quicksilver Inflatable dingy is made of.
Single Part Glue or Two Part Adhesive?
Single part adhesive, basically a simply applied glue direct from a tube. This is OK for quick repairs and temporary emergency dinghy repairs, but not recommended for a lasting robust repair to your inflatable boat.
Single part adhesive can also be used as a primer for preparing Rubber or PVC Fittings prior to securing to the opposite material of PVC or Rubber inflatable tubes with a permanent 2 part adhesive.
Two Part Adhesives offer greater strength when fixing rubbing strake, handles and inflatable boat accessories to the tubes. Also fixing holes and damaged seams requires the durability of a two part adhesive. Ploymarine adhesives for both Hypalon and PVC have a strong heritage being a product of choice for liferaft service stations and major manufacturers.
Hypalon Inflatable Boat Adhesive. Solvent based polychloroprene rubber adhesive giving high strength bonds when used in conjunction with 107 curing agent. Particularly suitable for manufacture and repair of inflatable boats. Will bond natural rubber, polychloroprene, butyl, nitrile, hypalon and polyurethane rubber materials. Please note – not for use on plasticised PVC (use Polymarine 3026 PVC Adhesive). Excellent resistance to heat, salt water and humidity. Easy to mix two part system supplied in sets with requisite amount of curing agent. Can be used as a single part for quick temporary repairs. Easy to apply by brush or roller. Contact bonds in 10-15 minutes, full cure 48 hours. Shelf life – 24 months unopened tin, mixed adhesive has pot life of 3-4 hours. Coverage – using 2 coats 1 litre bonds 1 square metre. Cleaner – Solvent 510. As used by MOD, liferaft service stations and major manufacturers.
PVC Inflatable Boat Adhesive, a Solvent based polyurethane adhesive giving excellent adhesion to both plasticised and unplasticised PVC. “part is used in conjunction with 107 curing agent will bond a wide variety of surfaces including PVC, nylon fabric, polyurethane fabric and foam. Use for repair of all PVC inflatables including Zodiac, Bombard “Dynalon” and “Strongon” fabrics and Narwhal, Valiant “Hypertex”. Easy to mix two part supplied in sets with requisite amount of curing agent. It can be used as a single part for quick temporary repairs. Easy to apply by brush, roller or serrated trowel. Contact bonds in 10-15 minutes, full cure 48 hours. Shelf life – 24 months unopened tin. Mixed adhesive has pot life of 3-4 hours. Coverage using 2 coats 1 litre bonds 1 square metre. Primer- Solvent 2903 necessary as primer before applying adhesive for maximum bond.
Can I use the two part PVC adhesive to glue PVC fabric to the transom of the dinghy on a Zodiac??
Yes, and also you can use 1 part as a primer as shown on this Zodiac Transom repair feature:- http://www.polymarine.com/advice/zodiac-dinghy-transom-repair
I am having a heck of a time repairing a small cut right at the reinforcement seam of my dinghy. I applied a small round patch correctly but still have a pinhole leak right at the seam on the edge of my patch. Any suggestions?
Hi Mark. If it’s a pinhole then Sealflex is ideal! http://polymarineshop.com/sealflex-500ml.html
Hi
I have a Zodiac that has minor but irritating leaking seams. Will Sealflex work on that ?
Hi Paul, Sealflex is a flexible waterbased acrylic latex sealant used internally for sealing porosity and minor leaks in Hypalon and PVC inflatables. If your leaking seams have tiny porous holes (as opposed to an obvious hole or split) then Sealflex will fix that for you.
Hello! Can I use the two part PVC adhesive to glue HEYTEX, PVC H2585 Boat, 1400 g/м2 material?
Hello Georg, looking at the specs on the heytex.com website the H25853 is PVC, so if you are pretty sure that is your fabric then a test with 2903 Solvent for PVC would confirm that for you as per this guide: http://www.polymarine.com/advice/pvc-or-hypalon/
I have a sevylor riviera inflatable kayak and the underside has a split/tear right along the seam in the direction of the seam and is approx 15-20 cm long, how would I go about repairing this and what type of adhesive would you recommend.?
The boat material is PVC.
Thanks
Hi Stuart, Sounds like you need to follow this guide to Fixing a PVC hole with a patch on both sides. http://www.polymarine.com/advice/pvc-adhesive-how-to-repair-inflatable-boat-tubes-made-from-pvc-fabric/
I have a west marine by Avon RIB, the rub strip is falling off. I bought PolyMarine 1 part glue from west marine and followed all directions. After 48 hours it is falling off again.
Will 2 part perform any better? Or is rub strips an uncurable problem?
I am discouraged regarding the results, and reluctant regarding the cost of “experimenting” with these products.
Thanks
BP
Hello Bob
Thanks for your question. Here’s what we say on the website:
Single Part Glue or Two Part Adhesive?
Single part adhesive, basically a simply applied glue direct from a tube. This is OK for quick repairs and temporary emergency dinghy repairs, but not recommended for a lasting robust repair to your inflatable boat.
Two Part Adhesives offer greater strength when fixing rubbing strake, handles and inflatable boat accessories to the tubes. Also fixing holes and damaged seams requires the durability of a two part adhesive. Polymarine adhesives for both Hypalon and PVC have a strong heritage being a product of choice for life raft service stations and major manufacturers.
To fix your Avon Bob – The rub strip requires a permanent repair (is your Avon Hypalon like usual?), the two Part Hypalon Adhesive and P510 Hypalon Solvent Primer will do the job. You can find a guide to using it here: http://www.polymarine.com/advice/hypalon-adhesive-how-to-repair-inflatable-boat-tubes/
Regards
Bryan
I have an 89 futura compact with a annoying leak coming from an old patch that has also been covered with a blick strip of plastic I feel like i am opening a can of worms do you have any suggestions
I recently used the single part PolyMarine Hypalon adhesive to reattach the rubrail to my Hypalon Avon inflatable. The repair lasted about one month. I now know that I should have used the two part. Do I need to remove all of the old adhesive before applying the two part, and if so, how do I do this correctly?
Hello Matt
Stripping back to the original fabric is most likely the best thing to do. Clean off the old adhesive ready to complete a professional repair. There is a good guide to help you here:- http://www.polymarine.com/advice/pvc-adhesive-how-to-repair-inflatable-boat-tubes-made-from-pvc-fabric/
Hi Bill. It’s advisable to remove old adhesive. Old hard adhesive is best sanded off. Your recent application of single part adhesive may come off easier with Hypalon Solvent Cleaner. Perhaps warm he adhesive with a hot air gun first to soften it up.
we can i get this product in malaysia kuala lumpur.
thanks
Hello Brian
There is a list of overseas distributors here: http://www.polymarine.com/distributors/
You could check the nearest few to see if they ship to your location. Some distributors on eBay may now ship to Kuala Lumpur?
Regards
Polymarine
I have an old (early ’90’s) 14′(approx) Zodiac that is delaminating in various spots, mostly near the transom. What is the best way to repair this and, should I have it professionally done? Thank you.
Hi Alfred, It not clear how bad your delamination is, however, there are a few options dependent on the extent of the damage. If it is repairable, then using Polymarine Sealflex inside the tubes will cure porous fabric and pin holes. Applying suitable shaped patched with Polymarine 2 part adhesive is also an option especially if the damage is due to wear and abrasions. A protective patch is often used to protect against localised abrasion on an inflatable boat.
We accidentally used your 2-part Hypalon adhesive for a repair on a PVC inflatable boat with poor results. What is the best product to clean off the old adhesive so we can start over again, MEK? Also, the oar support seems to be holding ok with the Hypalon adhesive but we haven’t actually used the boat yet, should we trust it or try to remove it and use the 2-part PVC adhesive? Will the 2-part PVC adhesive dry clear? The Hypalon adhesive is a dark yellow/brown color when dry. Thanks, Jim
Hi Jim, Thanks for your message.
Please check out this article, generally it will tell you most of what you need to know, also (regarding oar support) it explains about priming rubber components before sticking to PVC; http://www.polymarine.com/advice/pvc-adhesive-how-to-repair-inflatable-boat-tubes-made-from-pvc-fabric/
MEK will be ok to clean up but better still is the Polymarine Solvent Cleaner, there is one for both PVC and Hypalon applications. https://polymarineshop.com/adhesive/wipe-down-cleaner-solvents.html
Removing the oar support – see the section about ‘Removal of old fittings’ on this page; http://www.polymarine.com/advice/restoration-beaufort-dinghy/
Best regards
Polymarine
We have a hyplon inflatable with a slow leak in one chamber. So slow we can’t find it. 2 weeks to get soft. I have heard there might be a product to pourer into the chamber that will seal like finni leak for car tyres. Any thoughts?
Regards Mal
Hello Mel, The ideal pour in product for your hypalon inflatable is Sealflex. A flexible waterbased acrylic latex sealant used internally for sealing porosity and minor leaks in Hypalon and PVC inflatables. Sealflex is introduced into the inflatable through the valve opening, which is then inflated and tumbled to circulate the sealant which adheres and cures to form an impermeable membrane. 1 x 500ml bottle is sufficient for an 8-9ft inflatable.
Best regards
What glue do I need to fix the rubber to timber on the back where motor hooks on .its a quick silver dinghy. Thank u
Hello Steve, The wooden transom would need priming with Polymarine Hypalon Adhesive, prior to completing your repair with Polymarine two part PVC adhesive. Here is an article which shows how. http://www.polymarine.com/advice/zodiac-dinghy-transom-repair/
Hi. How can i get this glue? My i9s inflatable kayak most of the glue give way. Need advise.
Hello – thanks for asking – If your are in the UK? https://polymarineshop.com/adhesive.html we also have a list of world wide distributors http://www.polymarine.com/distributors/
Hello,
I have a PVC inflatable kayak from Stearns. I would like to apply a sealant to the seams because they maybe allowing water to seep in. Can I use your Polymarine 3026 PVC Inflatable boat adhesive as a sealant where the seams meet up?
Regards,
Roy
Hi Roy, rather than PVC adhesive the ideal sealant for leaky or split seams and other difficult to repair areas would be SureSealExtra. https://polymarineshop.com/sure-seal-extra.html
Best regards
Hi, what if I don’t have this kind of repair glue?
Get some! 🙂
Do you sell a glue that will repair a small split in a boat fender?
Yes – “Sure Seal Extra”. A flexible repair sealant and adhesive for a waterproof permanent repair to PVC Fenders as well as PU, neoprene, rubber, leather, most plastics and fabrics.
Creates a tough resilient skin to repair actual holes without the need for a fabric patch.
Hi I have a tiny leak around the seem of my Zodiac around the Airdeck inflation valve seem just under the pressure label, please can you tell me what product should I use to repair?
Hi Tim, from what you say, it seems like a task for super tough and flexible ‘SureSealExtra’. It’s easy to apply and dries fast to a clear finish. It is ideal for use around seams and valves where applying a fabric patch would be difficult. https://www.polymarineshop.com/product/sure-seal-extra/