It’s to be expected that SIB repairs may need to be taken out at some point.

If done in the correct environment then repairs are relatively straightforward.

Ideal conditions are:
Relative humidity less than 60% 
Temperature between 18°C and 25°C
Dry, shaded and well ventilated area
Away from naked flames

There’s lots of videos on YouTube that show you how easy it is to do your own small repairs saving you the hassle of sending your boat off to have it done by someone else.

If you fear you have a slow leak, try to locate it by applying soapy water to your inflated SIB and look out for bubbles forming that will indicate the leak. 

Once you have found the leak or tear, deflate the tube completely.​

Cut a piece of material to size leaving a small overlap of 4-6cm with rounded corners.

If it’s a big tear greater than 50mm you may need two pieces of fabric. One for each side.

Place the patch over the tear and mark around it with the pencil.

For Hypalon use sandpaper to roughen both the patch and the tube itself. No need if it’s PVC.

Clean/prime both areas using a clean dry lint-free cloth.

On Hypalon use Hypalon Solvent Cleaner.

On PVC use MEK or Acetone.

Wait until solvent has evaporated or the MEK/Acetone becomes ‘tacky’.

Apply the masking tape along the pencil lines to avoid any over spill.

Mix the two part adhesive according to the instructions.

On bigger tears apply an even, thin layer of adhesive using the brush to the back of one of the patches and the inside of the tube around the repair area and leave to dry for 20 minutes.

Apply a second and third coat leaving each coat to dry for a couple of minutes or until tacky.

Place the piece of polythene over the applied adhesive and roll up like a cigar so that the glue doesn’t stick to itself and insert gently through the tear.

Now the tricky part..

Carefully unroll the patch, position over the tear, peel away the polythene and apply to the glued area.

Once it’s been applied it can not be re-positioned so this part is important to get right.

Use a wallpaper roller to smooth the patch firmly removing air bubbles and to ensure a good contact.

Repeat the 3 adhesive applications with the second patch and position over the tear lining up to the masked area before smoothing out any air bubbles once again.

If bubbles remain or it’s not sticking in places then use a hairdryer or hot air gun to gently smooth in to place.

Remove the masking tape and clean off any remaining glue with Solvent cleaner for Hypalon and MEK or Acetone for PVC.

Any remaining glue will turn brown so it’s important to remove as much as you can at this stage.

Place a heavy object on the patch and leave for 24 hours before re-inflating to check the repair has been done successfully. 

Job done. Any problems please get in touch.