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I have several major leaks that all seem (ha) to be coming from where tube-to-tube seams meet the floor. This undoubtedly stems from making my reinforcement strips too long and interfering with the seam strip and trying to go back and fix this and losing some TPU in the process. Any suggestions for plugging these up besides using ungodly amounts of seam sealer? Also, suggestions for more rapidly sealing / testing seams when using seam sealer? At the current rate of seam sealing, waiting to cure, then testing again, I may have a working boat by December. I need a quicker way to apply seam seal, then test that joint for leaks.
Any help is appreciated!
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Okay, great! I’ve brushed off any debris, including the remnants of Tyvek tape, Exposed the 4 corner seams, 2L-1L, 2R-1R, 3L-4L,3R-4R, and applied pretty liberal amounts of seam grip over and around the seam strip bubbles. Assuming that’s successful, tomorrow I’ll do the same on 1L-1R and 4L-4R and hopefully have a working boat!
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Here is an image of what I’m dealing with, if I press on these bubbles with my finger I can stop the audible leak, but how best to do that with seam sealer and/or a patch? I can’t access the inside anymore since whole boat has been assembled, the only way in is the valve.
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I don’t see any major problems here – it sounds like you have a small hole that needs to be plugged with seam sealer. Try to remove any foreign objects that might prevent the sealant from filling the gap between the fabric layers (I’m not sure what that white stuff is) and then apply more Seam Grip/Aquaseal on the spot that is leaking and the surrounding area. Try to force it into the hole (with the Seam Grip brush bristles or something similar) for good measure. If it still leaks after one coat, simply apply more.
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Hi – one thing to keep in mind is that these areas are invisible on the inflated packraft, so don’t be reluctant to spread the Seam Grip or Aquaseal onto the tube fabric there, as any discoloration will not be noticeable. A thin layer spread wide should do the trick, especially if you have a zipper in your boat and are able to apply it to the inside. If there are folds or gaps in the seams, apply a thicker coating or multiple coats there to ensure you fill the voids.
When constructing a packraft I coat the inside of all those tube/tube/floor/reinforcing strip areas with Seam Grip spread out about 5 cm or 2″ from the seam on all directions (as well as coating the entire length of the inside of the seam strip), and since I started doing that I haven’t had any leaks.
As Kjetil mentioned, you can use an accelerator to speed up the curing time of the McNett/Gear Aid polyurethane products (Aquaseal, Seam Grip, Aquasure). Here, the accelerator is called Cotol-240.
I hope that helps!
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