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Hi'ya! I just realized last week that my saddle and knee pads are becoming partially unglued. Can someone give me advice on the best way to fully remove them so that I can re-glue them? My boat is royalex.

THANKS!!!!

Just use a thin bladed paint scraper or similar tool to carefully work the foam up of the hull. You want something with a flexible blade which will conform to the curvature of the hull without digging into the vinyl of the Royalex.

Sometimes warming the foam, especially a relatively thin sheet like a knee pad, will help loosen the bond of the adhesive where it still attaches the foam.

One thing that causes the foam bond to Royalex to fail is shear. The bond may fail, not through the glue, but within the foam right next to the glue bond.

These bonds may last longer if you study foam placement and also other ways that the foam is supported, so that in use, shear force at the glue line is reduced.

On knee pads, if your knees swim around a good bit on the pads because your thighs are insufficiently controlled, you can get earlier failure. I add knee blocks to the inside of my thighs so that my thighs stay in place better. Also reduces knee pain.

On the saddle, I wouldn't rely only on glue to hold it down. I add little triangular wedges glued along the sides and ends of the saddle. If these come loose, they are quickly replaced. I also use one or more thwarts to hold a saddle down.

It might occur to a person that minicell lacks the inherent structural integrity to withstand shear forces and other stresses. That's why the stuff can tear internally and let go. Using other holding and locating methods other than the glue line will help avoid failure. One of my triple saddles is loose at the back end, but it isn't going anywhere because there's a thwart over that end, keeping it down.

I use a plastics putty knife and still be very careful with the corners of the putty knife that it doesn't gouge the royalex.
After sanding and prep with acetone, apply weldwood cement, from your local hardware store, to both surfaces. Allow to get tacky, then stick them together and weight them to the boat.

That should do it!