Inflatable Boats Repairs: Catastrophic Damage
When an inflatable boat cannot be fixed by a repair kit because a cut or tear made the fabric collapse or deflate instantly, then that damage is deemed catastrophic. If the transom separates from the side tubes or excessive abrasion caused multiple leaks or a boat made contact with any sharp object then the damage might be impossible to repair.
There are catastrophic damages that cannot be fixed by you but can be fixed by a qualified inflatable boat repair shop. Examples of such damages are: a transom that is loose from the side tubes and seams that become unglued. These damages should not be attempted by the owner but should be forwarded to the dealer especially if the boat is still under the regular 5 to 10 year-warranties on fabrics and seams. Name brands boats have authorized repair facilities all over the country and there should be one near you that can deal with any major repair of your boat with or without warranty.
But what do you do if your inflatable boat meets a catastrophic damage while out fishing and that inflatable boat is your only means of transportation? A repair kit would have been handy if you accidentally slash your boat’s tube but what if you forgot to bring your kit too?
Emergency Repairs
If the inflatable boat sustained a gash, be prepared to be creative especially if you do not have a repair kit and you are in the middle of nowhere. A brilliant idea is to stitch the gash. Insert a flat wood into the gash and using a small knife, punch a series of holes a half-inch apart along the edges of the slash. Remove the wood after.
Search for any material that could serve as the “thread”. Since you are out fishing you can use a fishing line or if you have dental floss, that would serve too. Straighten out a suitable fish hook and fashion out a needle out of it. Close the gap with a baseball stitch. Look for a tree that has a sap. A spruce tree’ trunk has gum that you can use to coat the stitches. Apply a large quantity of gum and let it dry overnight if possible. Do not attempt to inflate the boat at its normal pressure but inflate it just so you can reach “civilization” so to speak. If the trip is short and sweet, the stitching would be enough to get you across a stream or river.
Repairing With Duct-Tape
Duct tape is really an all-around tape. You can use it on just about anything for emergency and temporary bonding of materials. If you sustain a gash on your inflatable boat, you can use a lot of duct tape for emergency repair. Deflate the damaged part of the boat which is probably done already or you would not need to repair. Cut 8-inch strip of duct tape and lay each trip perpendicular to the rip or cut making sure it overlaps by at least half their widths and extending to inches past each end of the gash. Do the procedure twice this time the duct tape perpendicular to the first layer of duct tape after which inflate the boat just enough to hold its shape. Apply a third layer of duct tape this time perpendicular to the tube making sure that each strip goes round the tube as far as it can. This will reinforce and hold the tube so it does not expand and tear the first two layers.
The three layers of tape, six if you count the overlaps, should be enough to get you across a river or to where you need to go. The first layer should be perpendicular to the damage; the next layer perpendicular to the first layer and the third layer perpendicular to the tube. It was actually tested that this type of temporary duct tape repair held for several months until a more permanent repair was possible.
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