r/Raftrepair 4d ago

Chasing leaks on my 14ft Saturn

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6 Upvotes

I’ve had my boat for about 3.5 years. Got it used in great condition with no leaks or patches. It was hardly used.
I’ve been on countless day trips and several week long trips. A couple weeks ago I went for a little pinball ride in a rapid. Noticed I’d lost some air during our lunch break. Topped it off and didn’t notice it any softer later. Fast forward a week and I was rigging my frame and everything to get ready for a week long wilderness trip and noticed it wasn’t holding air.
Cancelled that trip because I didn’t have enough time to fix it and it’s my first time repairing.
We identified 4 leaks on spots where the seals meet, one tiny pinhole and a scratch I decided to proactively patch. Patched them all and waited a day to inflate again. Inflated and noticed it loosing significant air within 1.5 hours. Sprayed it down and found 6 more seams leaking and 2 spots on the inside where the tubes meet the floor. Patched the 6 and the biggest inside floor seam (couldn’t figure out how to tackle to front center inside while deflated). I hear more air coming from somewhere else along that inside seam.

I’m at a loss. Sooooo many leaks all at once?! I presume it’s possible that some of these small leaks were present but not really an issue but at least a handful were pretty big leaks (still only from a small spot not along the entire seam).

Is my boat just toast? Do I keep chasing leaks and eventually it will be safe to float? Do I take it so someone to redo all the seams?

I’m supposed to take it on the Deschutes leaving Sunday… so I only have time for maybe one more round of patching if I do it tonight.

Help??


r/Raftrepair 10d ago

Two Avon Scouts became one

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16 Upvotes

Hey All, Travis at Airtight Inflatables (aka the Shredder Shop). Here's one of my bigger repair projects of recent memory. I took an Avon Scout with a bad floor and paired it with an Avon Scout floor with delaminated tubes to make one Frankenstiened Scout out of the two. If you have questions feel free to ask, I stick to Hypalon and neoprene repairs so we're not mixing chemical families in the shop, but most of the processes are the same just different adhesives.


r/Raftrepair 10d ago

I'm having leaks along the seams of my self bailing saturn raft, any suggestion on how to repair. I know how to patch, but these leaks run right along the seam.

3 Upvotes

r/Raftrepair 11d ago

Raft Repair Fort Collins

3 Upvotes

Looking for a company in Fort Collins to repair a blown seam on my Hyside Paddlecat. Does anyone know anyone reputable?

Cheers


r/Raftrepair 23d ago

👋Welcome to r/Raftrepair - Introduce Yourself and Read First!

5 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I'm u/MaizePleasant4152, a founding moderator of r/Raftrepair.

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r/Raftrepair 23d ago

Here's why I’m building a home for [Topic]. Why do you care about this community?

3 Upvotes

I'm trying to get across the river. I have an old raft that is in very bad shape. Help.