unconventional-last-resort inflatable boat repair materials?

[piggybeach]

i'm going to give my old metzler one last chance to behave before i fill her with spray foam. there are two really costly "official" ingredients for which i need to find cheap substitutes:

1. i'd like to find an inexpensive substitute for the $20/S.F. hypalon fabric that i need to sand, glue and re-tape the seams of the whole boat. i'm thinking heavy duty vinyl (naugahide) and a high quality contact cement (like "barge" brand cement). [i've already tried inner-tube patch material for tires as a hypalon substitute and it didn't work. also, the cheap "construction" grade contact cements are too runny--so i'll stick with the "barge" cement.]

2. west marine sells "seal-a-flat" style liquid to put inside inflatable air chambers to fill small leaks. this stuff is $50 a bottle and i skeptical that it will work... so i'm thinking i'll mix up something like liquid latex and pour it in the air chambers in copious quantities, inflate the boat, slosh it around a bit, cross my fingers, hop on one leg and hope for the best. [i've already tested liquid "fix a flat" for car tires in an inconspicuous air chamber and it was ineffective.]

anyone who's experimented with "unconventional" inflatable boat repairs please respond!

thank you.
ben


p.s. i'm trying to upload two jpgs sized at 61k each with dimensions of 167x125. keep getting "upload failed" error. any help or faq here???

[sailingdog]

You could always go to the bicycle shop and get SLIME tire sealant. It is a liquid that is sprayed into bicycle tires to make them self-sealing against small punctures. You might also check the foam thread, where I mention fiberglassing over an inflatable dinghy.