dingy rub rail (re)attachemnt

[salty_dog_68]

i have a "force 4" inflatable dink whose rub rail has come unglued. what do i use to reattach it?

[sailingdog]

You don't mention what material the dink is made of. The adhesive would probably be different, depending on the material. Just to be safe, I would call the manufacturer for their recommendation. Using the wrong adhesive can seriously damage or weaken the material.

[salty_dog_68]

i do not know what it is made from or how to tell.

[RigidHull42]

Now owned by Sensation Yachts in New Zealand. As far as I know, Force 4 only used PVC in their recreational tenders.

I do not know of a US agent for them any more. Defender was the last one I remember selling their boats. That goes back about 5 years.....

You can probably contact Defender's service for some advice. This is what I would do: you'll want to use a two-part Bostik glue, for PVC fabric, clean with MEK before re-installing. Rough up the fabric (both sides) if it was not done at the factory (may be why it came off in the first place).

Good luck!

[mikeedmo]

Re-glueing with either hypalon or pvc be sure to completely deflate the dinghy and put the reglue under some type of compression to insure a tight repair. The first time we reglued our hypalon Avon we didn't deflate but glued and used only duct tape to apply pressure... big mistake. Second try we deflated, scraped and after regluing used a weighted wood plank over the rub-rail and had an almost "oem" seal after the repair.

Good Luck!

[sailingdog]

Also, be very sure to clean the material thoroughly, otherwise the adhesive will not hold properly.