C-Forum

Hi. I know this subject has probably been covered but please bear with me. Which glue is used successfully for attaching anchor pads(for straps) in an R-lite canoe? Or please refer me to the appropriate post covering this subject.
Thanks!
Jkaz

John: The old Royalite you needed Sta-Bond because the inside covering was not vinyl. My understanding is that the new Royalite HAS a vinyl layer so you can use vynabond.
Give Mikey a call to confirm.

Dave Coleman

I got to try out the Spark at the NOC in July - I think it is Wayner's boat - and I hate that the first thing I get around to posting about it is negative. Most of the d-rings glued to the hull for the bags had come up, though the patches for the straps were still secure. I had always heard the gluing to Royalite was a challenge...

I really enjoyed the boat - If I was in a position to buy a plastic open boat, that'd be the one.

Hi Kaz,

Can't wait to try the Spark out- I love your defiantand hope the SPark performs closely. (though I realize it is based on a different model)


Maybe David can confirm Vinyl is used on the royalite- but I think the outfitting glue and weldwood stink for drings. I know lots of people use them, but I like vynabond. The only dring failure I had was with outfitters glue on my first boat a bell wildfire. Purchased Jan 03.




Bill

Thanks for the info. Is there a product known as Urethane Adhesive? Is it still available?
Thanks.
JKaz

I used Vinyl adhesive (VC2) for the outfitting on my Spark. I can confirm that it eats into the inside surface quite nicely. Where I needed something thicker, I "prepped" both sanded surfaces with VC2 and used the adhesive that came with the D rings in between.
See http://www.wwslalom.org/bob/spark/index.htm

Hi Kaz,
There are two readily available 2 component Urethane adhesives. They are probably both the same product, just different packages. I have used both on polyethylene hulls and have had great results, with the adhesive still holding after 8 years. I am not sure what type of polymer Royalite is, so I cannot offer any opinion on whether the urethane adhesives that I have used will be good for that material, but from what I understand these adhesives work well on most plastics. They are pricey. The trick to using urethane adhesives on polyethylene hulls is that you have to "blue flame" the polyethylene first. "Blue flaming" is quickly passing the blue portion of a propane torch head over the plastic surface. The blue portion of the flame causes a chemical change in the surface of the polyethylene that allows the urethane adhesive to bond with it. You are not trying to melt or even heat up the polyethylene. This process does work.
The most expensive of the urethane adhesives is called "3M Scotch Weld Urethane adhesive" (Part # 3532 B/A)(2 components). Boxes of this adhesive were on the store shelf at Zoar Outdoors two weekends ago and some is probably still there. You can probably Google it and find any number of adhesive dealers who sell it. I believe NRS carried it at one time.
The second one is sold by Old Town Canoe. Old Town advertises it on their web site as their "Discovery Repair Kit" and/or their "Polyethylene Repair Kit". The directions that Old Town provides with the adhesive are excellent and describe the Blue flaming procedure in detail. If you need directions on the "blue flame" technique, I can photocopy the Old Town directions and mail them. Good luck.
Jack
jackgill@yahoo.com

Thanks Jack. That's was very informative. I'm not sure which product I'll use now. I just got off the phone with Jacques at Esquif and he says...................................................they're switching over from Vynabond to a product called Stabond. I'm heading up there to pick up some boats next week so I'll probably bring back some of this Stabond product and try it.
Thanks again.
JKaz

Not meaning to thread-jack here, but I saw an Old Town polyethylene canoe that I'm fairly certain had been repaired with the kit that Jack describes. The owner had taken it to a "fiberglass repair shop" and they did a great job applying it - hard to tell it was there. What really impressed me was how solid the patch was and that it flexed similarly to the rest of the boat. Many fiberglass patches I've seen on plastic boats are obvious (thick) and much stiffer than the surrounding material.

The next time I need to repair a polyethylene or ABS hull, I'm going to think about this kit...

John,

Sta-bond is exactly what we used to use with r-lite Rivals and Ocoee's. The stuff is deadly to work with and a ventilator and respirator is a must. It's rank smelling but seems to be the only thing that holds well. Sorry I didn't get to make it to Canada. Heard you where once again...."the man".. congrats old-timer!!

Craig

PS>>How come your short boat times where so close to your med-boat times....................hmmmm?

I have used it to bond vinyl knee boots and foot braces to Royalex and find it to be extremely strong. Rocky Garrett, the maker of the boots and braces, recommended it over Vyna-bond to install his products in a Royalex boat. Following his recommendation, I appled one coat to both the hull and the vinyl and allowed both to dry for about twenty minutes. I applied a second coat and allowed it to dry for twenty minutes. Then, heat each surface with a heat gun before installation to activate the adhesive (same as done with vynabond). Use a roller (same as used for raft repairs) to make sure both surfaces have full contact and no air is trapped between the vinyl and the hull.

This adhesive is two-part and can be mixed in a tupperware container with a popsicle stick. Wear a respirator with a organic cartridge or use in the open with good ventilation. Don't get this stuff on your hands. Wear good rubber gloves (no cheap latex ones).

Sta-bond has a limited shelf life. Don't buy a container that has been sitting on a store shelf for a year or more. I ordered the adhesive from a raft repair shop that could insure the product quality.

Craig,
We missed you and some of the other cheese curd people at nats. Not sure what you mean about medium boat, I didn't race it. If you have a copy of results, can you email them to me? I can't seem to open the results link on Keech's website.
thanks.
JKaz