Float tube repair

Mukman

Mukman

Life of the Party
Due to my gross negligence during a house move, my float tube (Scadden Outlaw Escape) ended up spending an extended period on the sunny side of our house last summer, and one of the oar locks separated from the tube due to the glue softening and letting go.

What glue and what cleaning techniques would be best for re-attaching said oar lock? Regular old rubber cement? Appreciate any guidance here.
 
Mukman said:
Due to my gross negligence during a house move, my float tube (Scadden Outlaw Escape) ended up spending an extended period on the sunny side of our house last summer, and one of the oar locks separated from the tube due to the glue softening and letting go.

What glue and what cleaning techniques would be best for re-attaching said oar lock? Regular old rubber cement? Appreciate any guidance here.
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By oar locks is that the entire pinned housing mount?

If so, I’d not go with rubber cement and instead go with a marine grade two part adhesive. PVC specific, small amounts are about $15-20. Clean the old stuff off as best as possible, light scuff etc.

Fairly certain all the add-on kits come with a two part adhesive.
 
Stabond, available from Big Sky Inflatables, or HH-66 vinyl adhesive, available from Amazon. I re-glued an oar lock on my Water Master last summer after the original bond gave up the ghost after over a decade of use. I don't know, but I don't think rubber cement sticks to PVC or vinyl.
 
3M 5200 is simply magical. Comes in black or white. The "quick cure" takes 24 hours to set. 3M 4200 is a slightly less permanent bond. It is only sold because 5200 is actually too permanent for some applications.. I'm sure other options are very good, but so far, IMHO... 5200 for the win. Small tubes can be found at West Marine for about $15.
 
Just a thought here, I don't have a lot of experience with adhesives for rafts and float tubes so I usually buy what the tube mfg recommends.
I don't find any of info on the hull material used for the Scadden Outlaw Escape. I assume it's PVC or Polyurethane coated fabric (possible mix?).
Salmo_g said:
Stabond, available from Big Sky Inflatables, or HH-66 vinyl adhesive, available from Amazon. I re-glued an oar lock on my Water Master last summer after the original bond gave up the ghost after over a decade of use. I don't know, but I don't think rubber cement sticks to PVC or vinyl.
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Stabond (UK148) 2-part Adhesive is great for bonding PVC- and urethane-coated materials.
HH-66 Vinyl Cement for... applying patches, and adhering moldings... works well with aluminum... PVC vinyl, steel, urethane...
Haggis57 said:
A third option is Clifton 4123 Adhesive which is a 1 part adhesive. I've used it to add two Scotty Glue-on mounts to my vinyl Fish Cat Scout.
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Clifton Urethane Adhesive LA4123 is an excellent one-part contact adhesive for PVC and urethane.
Jim in Anacortes said:
3M 5200 is simply magical. Comes in black or white. The "quick cure" takes 24 hours to set. 3M 4200 is a slightly less permanent bond. It is only sold because 5200 is actually too permanent for some applications.. I'm sure other options are very good, but so far, IMHO... 5200 for the win. Small tubes can be found at West Marine for about $15.
Click to expand...
I don't know at all if 3M 5200 "Tough and flexible polyurethane polymer"... forms strong bonds with vinyl (PVC) but I can't find any listing from 3M or dealer websites that says it's suitable for vinyl surfaces. YMMV.
 
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I've used a lot of Aquaseal over the years. The best thing about it is that you can mix it with the "hardener" (Cotol) and it sets up in about 15 minutes. I find it works great for small leaks in waterproof or airtight sporting goods, especially when immediate repair is necessary. However when it comes to bonding something to something else... 5200 wins for me (so far). Aquaseal will start to turn brown and peel after a couple of years. 5200 is used in boat repair with the expectation of it lasting decades. I used 5200 on my float tube bladder (before buying a new set) and it worked perfectly.
 
Slight thread derailment...Splashzone is another product worth mentioning. It's a two part "putty". The smallest can cost $70 at West Marine. You mix the two parts together in your hands to form a ball of green "clay". It can be pushed into cracks, seams, holes etc. and when it hardens, it can be drilled, sanded, painted etc. But the really cool thing about Splashzone is that it will actually harden under water!! So if your boat hull springs a leak you can fix it while it is floating. No other product can do this. Maybe you hit a log or rock out in the Sound and you realize a small crack is leaking water in. You break out the Splashzone, jump in the water and push a handful of that "clay" into the crack. And your boat doesn't sink. Just one example of the usefulness of this amazing product.
 
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Jim in Anacortes said:
I've used a lot of Aquaseal over the years. The best thing about it is that you can mix it with the "hardener" (Cotol) and it sets up in about 15 minutes. I find it works great for small leaks in waterproof or airtight sporting goods, especially when immediate repair is necessary. However when it comes to bonding something to something else... 5200 wins for me (so far). Aquaseal will start to turn brown and peel after a couple of years. 5200 is used in boat repair with the expectation of it lasting decades. I used 5200 on my float tube bladder (before buying a new set) and it worked perfectly.
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Agree with you on 5200.
Head down to one of the boat yards around lake union and ask any of them what adhesive they're using. 95% chance they say 5200.
It's the gold standard for marine adhesives IMO.
 
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