How long professionally repaired patches last?

[Alex F]

I never had any of my dinghies patched (knock on wood). I'm looking at a dinghy which had a small cut, which was professionally repaired. Those who have knowledge on this, what would be the expected time frame for professionally repaired patch to last?

 

[Hampton]

Forever, potentially. Inflatables are glued together from the factory. Patches are glued on from your repair guy. If he knows what he is doing, there is no reason it shouldn't last as long as the boat.

 

[fwebster]

The key is "professionally repaired".

Not all inflatables have the same chemical make up. Following PVC repair guidelines on a Hypalon boat can lead to a short repair life.......but there is no way to know about the "professionally repair".


I tend to work backwards from the other end on something like this. For example, what if the repair fails? Is the repair in an easy spot to access with few curves?. If so, then your worst case is you have the boat repaired by a professional......remove the old patch that leaked, remove the adhesive and do another slightly larger repair.... it's not brain surgery. Use the repair/damage as a negotiating point and you might end up with a great boat for not much money.

 

[Alex F]

.... Use the repair/damage as a negotiating point and you might end up with a great boat for not much money.

Thanks guys. This was exactly my plan, I just had to get the comfort level on the repair.

 

[Carver370]

I have had repairs last over 5-6 years and they are still going strong with the new owner. Just make sure its the same material and it is cleanly done without any sloppy glue job.

 

[Alex F]

Excellent! Thanks Ray.

 

[stephane]

I send my AB to professional repair after mice eat it in the winter they put 7 patch on it and they all blow on the first inflate. I then try my self 3 time to redo all after reading, spending 500$ I just decide to buy a new one. I dont understand why I know it is not rocket science to do but on my hypalon notting have ever hold