Boat repair advice

[Bugmeister]

I have an Aquaglide Blackfoot. The boat is commercial-grade Duratex reinforced PVC (using denier and GSM-rated multi-layer fabric) with drip stitch floor.

Last summer I foolishly left it out in my driveway - in the sun - a bit too long. One of the inflatable cushions burst along a ~6” section of the seam.

Any advice for how to repair a long seam like this? What kind of cement will be effective?

Sadly it appears Aquaglide was acquired and shut down their boat line, so their customer service folks seem knowledgeable about their inflatable water slides and stuff but not so much their old kayaks,kayak materials/seams, etc.

 

[Evan B]

If the seam just separated and the actual PVC fabric isn't torn, it should be repairable.

I'd use a proper two-part PVC adhesive like Polymarine 3026, not regular vinyl repair glue. Carefully mate the surfaces and roll them together to eliminate any air pockets.

With a split that long, I'd also want to reinforce it with a patch of matching PVC material extending well beyond the damaged area. Depending on how the seam is constructed, that might require reinforcement from the inside as well.

The biggest concern is whether this was an isolated failure or whether the heat and pressure compromised the adhesive or welds elsewhere. I'd inspect the rest of it pretty carefully before investing any time or money.