Red Can needs a friend.

[avlclimber]

So what do you use for gluing foam when you need to slide things into place (i.e. longer working time than contact cement)? I'd like a sturdy bond. Does Weldwood without drying first

For instance when gluing a PVC water channel under/through the saddle. I tried gorilla glue on a wedge of foam (to foam) that needed to slide into place. It did not even try to stick or harden. What's up with that?

Thanks in advance.

[Smurfwarrior]

I still use Weldwood, but have in the past used Goop. For Weldwood, just coat both sides, let dry then apply another layer to tube to slick it up then just insert and let dry. Works well. As for the Gorilla Glue, did you wet both sides prior to trying to glue them? It needs water to work it seems.

[David G]

I used G/flex to glue some foam on three sides and to hull that I had to slide into place. It is holding so far. I did have to use some tape to hold it in place until it cured.

[Silent Bob]

I've always had pretty good luck with Goop. Another hardware store alternative is PL premium. It's a polyurethane construction adhesive. I've used it some, it's not as flexible as Goop though. Gorilla glue is a moisture curing polyurethane, best to dampen both surfaces a bit before you put the parts together.

-Bob

[RodeoClown]

I still use contact cement, but as Smurf said, don't let the second coat dry, just 'wet fit' everything. It'll set up, but takes longer than the normal method. This method also works well for things that might need some repositioning as you install them- like sidewall foam.

[sbroam]

I find when I do that (don't let the second coat dry), it never completely dries - however, it can still be stuck "enough". What do I mean by that? When I've later pulled those pieces of foam apart, there are still fumes and it's clearly not bonded as well. But... if you have to slide it in, i.e. your transfer tube, you don't need the same bond like you would for a knee pad.

+1 on Goop - it makes a great protective coating, too. For maximum bond, follow the "contact cement" directions on the package - my Gooped thigh strap anchors in the Zephyr are still going strong. Used "wet" it's easily as strong as "Red Can".

[eddyhops]

Just slide it in and tack it in a couple of spots on either side with any of the above mentioned sticky stuff, it won't go anywhere

[Silent Bob]

Had another thought: Automotive seam sealer. Used in body repair to seal the gaps between spot welded body panels. Has about the consistency of goop, smells about the same, flexible when dry, can be had in clear. And it's pretty tenacious stuff when it cures. Usually comes in caulking gun sized cartridges, which is nice if you have a bunch of stuff to glue.

[AJ]

For fitted foam pieces I use Marine Goop. When gluing to PE, I sand to rough up and wipe with alcohol for a better bond.

[avlclimber]

Hmm.. Good advice and I am sorry to have ever doubted the Red Can.

Re: Gorilla Glue.

Separate from the foam gluing, I was planning on trying expanding GG as a quick/cheap fix to fill the foam void and stiffen up a delaminated hull section. All the beta I had on Roylex repair said get the hull very, very dry. I'd hate to mess up my months of drying out by adding some moisture, but the Gorilla Glue won't work without it?

I suppose I could soak up my stock of G-Flex in this chine repair, but was hoping to get away with the gorilla glue.

thoughts/advice?

[econpaddler]

I had some delamination in the chine of a Zoom. We cut through the ABS on the outside, squirted in some gorilla glue, and added just a little bit of water. Real surprised at how fast, and how much it expanded. We had to scramble to get it clamped down. This was a year or so ago, and it's held very well.

[AJ]

Not sure about your exact application, but do not trap wet contact cement or vynabond on royalex.

[ohioboater]

Weldwood, once it's dried to the point where it's ready to be stuck to itself, is pretty forgiving about not sticking to unglued surfaces. Depending on how tight your clearances are, you could try a barrier layer to prevent the parts from sticking until they are in place - something like thin card stock or waxed paper that can be pulled out after the parts are aligned.

I learned this trick when a friend helped me rebuild a kitchen counter. We had probably 36 square feet of weirdly shaped, floppy laminate to glue onto a correspondingly shaped counter top blank. We laid a whole bunch of wooden dowels down on top of the glue coated blank, then laid the glue coated laminate on top of them. It was very easy to get the parts aligned and then gently slide the dowels out one at a time. I thought for sure there would be issues with the glue sticking to the dowels, but that didn't happen at all. Now I suppose that might have worked better because each dowel didn't have much surface area, so you'll probably want to test the paper/card stock trick on some sacrificial pieces first...

[ian123]

I ve used parchment paper. Put it between the two glued surfaces, make your adjustments, carefully pull the paper out and squish the pieces together.

[TNbound]

I'd go with 3M 5200. It is a great marine-grade sealant adhesive that stays somewhat flexible when it dries. The bond is EXTREMELY tenacious; I've seen attempts to drop keels off 30 foot sailboats foiled because they were "sealed" with 5200.

Also, if you don't need so much holding power, 4200 is pretty good.