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Boat Forum / Building / October 2006Rapairing an AVON Inflatable
I just purchased a 1984 AVON R2-80 that is in very good shape as far as the fabric. BUT there was a problem with rats/squirrels in the POs garage and there are 5 large (1.2") holes in the tubes. These have been patched with PVC patches and something that looks like 3M-5200. They hold air but look like hell and there is a slow leak that requires re-pumping it every 36 hours. The color of the tubes is dark grey. I dont know what the material is. The floor is a set of hard fiberglass/plastic (?) boards that link together on the inside. I want to remove the patches and replace them with proper patches and overcoat the tubes in a white colored sealant/UV protection. My plan is to first remove and replace the patches, then fill it with an interior sealant and air it up and roll it about to get the interior pin hole leaks. Then I want to clean it well with some sort of solvent, maybe alcohol?, and then repaint the surface. My questionS ARE: 1) WHAT do I use to re-patch it, 2) WHAT do I use to seal it from the inside, 3) WHAT solvent do I clean it with, and 4) WHAT do I use to repaint it? I removed one of the patches and it still holds air because the 3M-5200 sealed the large hole as a filler and the PVC patch wasnt really holding the air it. The patch just peeled of the 5200 easily without much coaxing. But I would be affraid that the 5200 might not hold without a fabric patch over it so I plan to leave the 5200 "plug" where it is, clean off the fabric around the edge of the "plug" , and just glue a new fabric patch over the area. After getting it restored to "new" I would like to fit it with a hard bottom keel. I have heard of people doing this but dont know if it is really feasable. Any comments, suggestions, arguments, etc are welcome. BTW in case you are thinking a 1984 Avon is not worth the effort, The fabric is in very good condition as it has allways been kept indoors when not in use and more importantly, I paid just $50 for it. AFAIK, all Avons are hypalon, so PVC patches would not work. Get a proper repair kit for hypalon and follow those instructions. >I just purchased a 1984 AVON R2-80 that is in very good shape as far as > the fabric. BUT there was a problem with rats/squirrels in the POs [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > fabric is in very good condition as it has allways been kept indoors > when not in use and more importantly, I paid just $50 for it. > AFAIK, all Avons are hypalon, so PVC patches would not work. Get a proper > repair kit for hypalon and follow those instructions. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] >> My questionS ARE: >> 1) WHAT do I use to re-patch it, Hypalon patches from a local inflatable boat dealer + the 2 part glue they will sell you. Forget the 1 part; it doesn't last. >> 2) WHAT do I use to seal it from the inside, No idea if it's possible. Talk to an inflatable boat dealer that does repairs >> 3) WHAT solvent do I clean it with, and Same story - talk to the dealer or read the directions on the glue bottle. >> 4) WHAT do I use to repaint it? You can get hypalon paint but a good scrubbing will do wonders. I'd try simple green and work my up from there. Evan Gatehouse > AFAIK, all Avons are hypalon, so PVC patches would not work. Get a proper > repair kit for hypalon and follow those instructions. I thought Hypalon was a recent development and that the older inflatables were PVC. My Avon is a 1984 model. Was Hypalon being used back then? "My Avon is a 1984 model. Was Hypalon being used back then?" Yes, Hypalon was used back then. At our club we have a few Avon made during the early eighty and late seventy.They are still in use and look in fair condition. Most of their owners keep them inflated all year. They are used from early may to early October. During the off season they are stored in their garages. The best looking one are store indoor when not in use. My friend brings his Avon when he needs it and bring it back into his garage when not in use. Although his Avon is about 20 years old it looks almost new. >> AFAIK, all Avons are hypalon, so PVC patches would not work. Get a proper >> repair kit for hypalon and follow those instructions. > > I thought Hypalon was a recent development and that the older > inflatables were PVC. My Avon is a 1984 model. Was Hypalon being used > back then? > I thought Hypalon was a recent development and that the older > inflatables were PVC. My Avon is a 1984 model. Was Hypalon being used > back then? I've got a '76 Zodiac made of Hypalon. It was used a lot in the earlier days on quality inflatables (and even some cheapies). Not used that much anymore. The new Zodiacs are some form of PVC. Hypalon can be a bear to glue. Be sure to get the right adhesive (usually a 2 part mix) and follow instructions carefully. If you're gluing two different parts of the boat, find out if they are the same material first. The glues are different (for instance my Zodiac has a vinyl bottom, vinyl to Hypalon has a special glue). I find that I need to abrade the material more than I think in order to get a good bond. |
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