This is the second part of a 2-part series on how to repair raft and kayak rips, tears, and punctures on the river. Bill Hays, Whitewater Warehouse's expert repair person, shares his insights on tackling tough river repairs....
1. Empty the boat and get it out of the water onto a flat area.
2. When working on a floor put a small tarp under the boat.
3. For leaks: pump the tube up super firm. Check the whole tube for additional punctures. It is a major bummer to work like a surgeon on an obvious leak only to put everything away and discover you have another.
4. If you have a tear in a tube over two inches I would recommend put on an inside patch first. Even if it doesn’t hold air it will provide strength for your exterior patch. Same repair step for inside and outside patch, floor or tube. The floor patch is more forgiving for a bucket floor. It just has to reduce the volume of water that leaks into the boat. I am more relaxed about doing a patch on one side of a bucket floor. When I get the boat home I plan on inside/outside floor patching (again for tears over two inches).
5. Tears over seams are going to be nearly impossible to repair leak free on the river. Your goal should be to provide the best inside/outside patching to slow down a leak. Permanent repairs will probably require deconstructing a seam. HUGH JOB … not for on the river.
6. Here we go on river patching:
• Dry off the work area.
• A cool technique to create a smooth, flat, firm surface is to put a flat-bladed oar or paddle under your work area. Make sure the oar does not have any sharp edges.
You can check out the additional 10 repair steps by clicking on Whitewater Warehouse's raft repair "how to" page.....
