Experiencing leaks in your inflatable kayak while planning for a little vacation? Or what will you feel when u are starting for a holiday and find out that your inflatable kayak is not in the state of floating at all?
A situation to get anxious, isn’t it? But if you remain a little more careful, you can easily handle this situation to have enjoyable kayaking.
This guide is going to help you for tackling your situations by comprehensing on how to glue Velcro to hobie inflatable kayak.
Let’s get started!
How To Glue Velcro To Hobie Inflatable Kayak – A Complete Guide
Time Needed: 1 day and 50 mint.
Materials Needed:
- Pencil
- scissor
- Velcro patch
- Detergent or soapy water
- glue
- roller
Gluing your kayak is not a tough task but it needs appropriately handling. You will not appreciate your repaired kayak getting leaky again while floating or your patch falling out after gluing so passionately.
All you need is to just have patience and follow the steps properly to glue the Velcro in an exact way.
Steps On Gluing Velcro To Hobie Inflatable Kayak
Step 1 – Pointing Out The Leaks
There may be single or multiple leaks out there. You need to find out all of them to repair altogether. That’s how you will cut off the future hassles also. Again, there may be a pinpoint hole or a large hole. You need to track them by-
Inflate the kayak fully in a quiet place. Get your cheek closer to the kayak to feel any air fleeting. Try to hear any sound of air escaping out from your boat.
If you succeed to find out then go to step 2. Otherwise, use the most common way by applying soap water to every inch of your kayak so that every corner is checked.
After applying soapy water, inflate it completely. Now watch out if there is any bubble forming due to air. By this, you can surely find the holes.
You can use snow foam shampoo also which is thicker and its bubbles are more rigid to help you tracking the leaks more easily.
Step 2 – Marking:
After spotting out the leaks, mark them with a pencil circularly. So that you don’t miss them out further.
Step 3 – Cut The Velcro:
Cut the Velcro according to the desired diameter in a circular shape. Please don’t cut it into rectangular, square, or any other shapes as those will have edges that will make the air escape out again.
And as PVC is a slippery material, it is tough to just stick the patch. So It is needed to roughen the Velcro with sandpaper a bit and also the area where you will attach the patch. But don’t overuse the sand which will make it greasy and difficult to attach.
Step 4 – Cleaning & Preparing:
The last thing someone would prefer is that greasy, dirty patch coming out from an unclean spot. Use plastic cleaner for your PVC inflatable kayak. Clean the kayak and patch properly.
Don’t use acetone or toluene which are for Hypalon and other materials.
Step 5 – Applying Glue
Here is an important task to select the perfect glue for your kayak. You can’t use any random or household glue of yours.
Choose the glue which is appropriate to stick to PVC material, can withstand water, and also give an air-tight seal.
After selecting the appropriate glue, read the instructions coming with this as every tool works and requires a different amount of time.
To properly repair the leak, you will need to apply glue 2 times.
Firstly apply a thin layer to the patch and the kayak for 30 minutes. After drying, apply the second layer and wait for 10 minutes.
When this dries, apply the patch on the boat with both hands and press gently so that no air bubble remains between the patch and the boat. You can use a hair drier here to dry fast.
Clean the area or you can mask the surrounding before applying the glue to stop the spread of adhesive. After this step, you can tear out the mask.
Step 6 – Rolling:
Take the roller and rub it on the Velcro to bond the patch and kayak more strongly. Rolling also makes sure that no micro air patches remain in between them.
Step 7 – Waiting
Once all the steps are done, you need to wait for at least 24 hours to harden the glue. You can wait for a longer period to have a more strengthful result.
The more time you give this step, the stronger bonding will be there on the leaky spot. Once this step is also done, now you are ready to float again with your repaired, new-looking inflatable kayak.
In Case Of The Large Leak
There may be a hole bigger than 75 mm which requires 2 patches – one for the inside and another for the outside. By this, the damaged area is made to withstand better air pressure and flexibility. You need to do-
- Cut the Velcro in a size to overlap the area 30 mm in all directions of the damaged area.
- Mix the glue and hardener at a 25:1 ratio.
- Apply glue and wait for 30 minutes to dry the patch. Again apply the second layer of glue.
- Stick a piece of polythene on the glue-covered area of the patch so that you can insert the patch into the hole easily.
- Insert the roller into the hole. Do flatten the patch and remove the plastic piece. Attach the patch against the area smoothly.
- Wait at least 6 hours for the glue to dry. After that inflate the kayak to check there are no more air leaks.
- Follow the same steps for the outside patch and wait for another 6 hours.
- After that, fill the kayak with its maximum air capacity and wait at least 7 days to harden the glue at its best.
FAQ
1. Isn’t There Any Other Way To Tackle The Leak?
Yes. You can use a heat gun, seal flex also. There are some other similar things on the market. a heat gun is mainly used when there is a large gap to prevent it from spreading instantly.
2. If I’m Still Unable To Locate The Leak But Sure About Having One, What To Do Then?
In this case, you may have a pinhole leak and you can use polymerine seal flex for this issue. It requires simple processing only to use this for repairing.
3. Should I Use This Process For Repairing Holes In Kayak Seams Or Crevices?
This may require inside and outside patch both. But I suggest you seek professional help to manage this actually.
4. Can I Use The Glue That I Have For Hypalon, To Repair The PVC Kayak?
No. This won’t give you any benefit.
Conclusion
After reading thoroughly the full, you must have understood how to glue Velcro to hobie inflatable kayak. To be honest, PVC inflatable kayaks are sensitive to UV light and also they are comparatively less durable than the Hypalon ones.
But they are water-friendly and best for beginners.
All you need to remember that these leaks are common for this journey, so keep appropriate patch and glue adjusting to the kayak material, follow step-wise steps, give it your time and make the kayak once again your perfect vehicle.
