A few days ago we partook on the fun task of patching our skiff. Several months ago when First Mate completed the dinghy chaps, I patched a few holes that came from someone that had over-zealously motored our skiff into a dock. The dinghy chaps will help prevent this in the future, but the holes needed to be tended to. Unfortunately, the original patches did not hold, and probably because I did not prep the surface well enough. This time I went by the book and really cleaned and sanded the areas around the holes.
The hardest part of these repairs is the surface prep work. It’s the same with painting and varnishing. If you want to paint and varnish to adhere, you have to properly prepare the surface. When patching you have to sand and thoroughly clean both the patch and the surface. If you do it right, all will end well. Don’t get in a hurry and be sure to follow all the instructions for the glue you are using. Note that there are different glues and patches for Hypalon and Vinyl.
Now a few days later the front tube of the skiff seems to be holding air. Yay! Now on to the one side tube that still has a leak. The fun never ends!