Dinghy Repair

[Bones]

My dinghy has some cracks in it and I am repairing them with Sikaflex. However, there are some quite big cracks and when I went to order some more sikaflex I noticed there are several different sorts. Has anyone got any experience of them and can you recommend which one to use?

if the Sikaflex doesn't work I might move onto something more serious like some tape, but for now I want something that might work.

 

The dinghy is double skinned and it is the edge where the skins joining that the trouble is occuring.

[rjasmith]

I wouldn't class myself as an expert in plastic boat repairs but is the dinghy fibreglass or is it a "proper" plastic like polypropylene?

 

If fibreglass, might it be better to try using a GRP repair kit with the usual glass fibre mat and epoxy resin? The sikaflex will certainly seal small cracks but won't impart any great structural strength which might be needed on your bigger cracks.

 

Nothing seems to stick well on "proper" plastics and I'm afraid I don't know enough about the more obscure types of sikaflex to be any help although I did once ring up their tech help line on a problem I had choosing one to work well with glass and brass (a prism). They were very helpful but the recommended solution was so expensive that I ended up transferring my allegiance to Marineflex which seems just as good and cheaper (or as the man who sells it says - less expensive!)

 

Richard

[Bones]

I wouldn't class myself as an expert in plastic boat repairs but is the dinghy fibreglass or is it a "proper" plastic like polypropylene?

 

If fibreglass, might it be better to try using a GRP repair kit with the usual glass fibre mat and epoxy resin? The sikaflex will certainly seal small cracks but won't impart any great structural strength which might be needed on your bigger cracks.

 

Nothing seems to stick well on "proper" plastics and I'm afraid I don't know enough about the more obscure types of sikaflex to be any help although I did once ring up their tech help line on a problem I had choosing one to work well with glass and brass (a prism). They were very helpful but the recommended solution was so expensive that I ended up transferring my allegiance to Marineflex which seems just as good and cheaper (or as the man who sells it says - less expensive!)

 

Richard

 

Thank you.

I don't need any structural strength, just to bung up the holes so the water doesnt' get between the double skin.