Fishing Forum

The hypalon pontoons in the old "Personal Fishing Cat" my brother gave me both have slow leaks. one is worse than the other. One gets soft after a couple of hours the other one overnight.

I think I want to use some internal liquid sealer. I have looked on line and have seen several brands all kind of spendy around $50.00 - $60.00 a quart. [shocked]

A quart will do a 12' raft so it is probably way too much for my two 8' pontoons.

Anybody ever use any of this stuff? Does it work well? Best brand? Best value? Here are a few I found online.

[url "javascript:popupWindow('http://www.riverconnection.com/inflatable-boat-raft-sealant-pi-111.html')"][/url][url ""][/url]


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[]The leaks I have fixed have been with a patch like on a bicycle tube, I havn't heard of these internal patches sealants, this will be an interesting topic
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I have never known any one to use these. It has always been patches. Curious as to what it could do to the valves.
Good luck and keep us posted.
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[quote flygoddess]I have never known any one to use these. It has always been patches. Curious as to what it could do to the valves.
Good luck and keep us posted.[/quote]

Well I stopped by the Maravia Raft factory in Boise (Garden CIty actually) and talked to them about sealant. They encouraged me not to use it as it was a "bandaid" and could mess up thye valves just as you thought.

They told me that the valve may be loose and sold me a wrench to tighten it up with. I tried it tonight but one of the pontoons was pretty soft after about 4 hours. The other was tight as a drum. I can fish with it that way, topping it off every couple hours but that sounds like a pain. Think I can find a leak that slow with soap? Guess I will try but my guess it is a pinhole leak in a seam. Might be hard to seal.....
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Most of us have learned from TubeDude about the practicality and reliability of Aquaseal brand sealand. Be sure to follow the package directions and use it when you have plenty of time for it to cure.[cool]
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I don't know what your valves look like. My Brother in law had a toon with a slow leak. I could take the valve completely out on it, so I mixed some red food coloring in a couple of gallons of water and you guessed it...I poured it inside.
I had the toon laying on white cement. It had enough red water to cover the full length and I rolled it. I could not find the leak any other way, but there was the red water right next to the valve.
The Aquaseal activator works pretty good, but still allow a few hours.
Try a little baby powder when you put the bladder back in the cover. It helps take the wrinkles out......and it smells good LOL
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You are right about the smell. lol. Even the lavender scent adds to the aromatic experience.[cool]
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CALMING![angelic] No wait...that is just being on the water that does that!
Maybe RELAXING! Nope.....the water again!

I don't know!
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The valves look like this:

[url "http://cgi.ebay.com/Halkey-Roberts-Inflatable-Raft-Boat-Air-Valve-690NSBV_W0QQitemZ280253154458QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting"][/url]And my pontoons don't have bladders. They are made of the same stuff and the same way as a large whitewater pontoon or raft is made of. It is Hypalon onr something like that.
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So a bladderless. A PVC coated cloth with welded seams.
That is the same valve all mine have. You can try the fill it up, cover it with dish soap and look for bubbles or foam.
It is tuff. Good luck and keeps us updated.
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If you have the hypolon bladder, then you very well may need to use the liquid filler solution. Since hypolon is a synthetic rubber, you may be able to get a less expensive sealant at your local autoparts or you can get a quart size of the Green Slime from Home Depot or Lowes.

The quart of Tire Slime will only set you back about 20 bucks and is compatible with all types of rubber, including synthetics.[cool]
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Again, I would worry about the valve. I put slime in my bike tires (Goathead stickers all over). It clogged the valve, not to mention made a mess.
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I have a small leak in the seam of my FC4. Thankfully, I can use my wife's matching tube which doesn't leak but I'd like to get mine repaired. Its right on the seam on top of the bladder, right in the crease. Could I just caulk that and seal it or use Aquaseal like you would caulking a bathtub or whatever?
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I have never done it. My hubby had a hole in an older pontoon as my brother in law did, but they were Urethane and I have a patching tape for them. I have no idea on Vinyl. Larry Tullis says Aqua seal patches everything.
Just have to wait so long for it to dry[mad]
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RiverRat77 , If all else failes, go to Outcast site and check the price for a replacement bladder.
If my ever fading memory serves me correctly, they are in the $35.00 range.
If it is less that 5 yrs old,, call them and see if you can send it to them.
They are nice folks .ole Mike
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Ah... good idea Mike. I'll have to check that out. I have tried the aquaseal before on seam leaks... with mixed results and its kinda hard to apply a patch. They seem to keep peeling up on me. I tend to run out of breath as well, having to lean over and blow up a bladder every half hour. [cool] Thanks for the suggestions... now I just need to pay a visit to an old friend (its been way too long Dude) and if I can, purchase some of your minnow stock (can you use the chubs from Big Spring up at Willard?) and some new jigheads from you.... I need to start posting some pics of my tubing trips too. I've been absent from the BFT scene for a long while.
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River Rat

I have a Wood River Glide Rider that developed a seam leak that I spread Marine Goop on. It has held up for at least 4 years now. Didn't use a patch or anything just a small blob of Goop.

Had a slow leak on the underside of the bladder in my old Fat Cat 2 years ago. Took me a while to find it but a dab of Goop fixed it up just like that. In my estimation Goop ranks right up there alongside Duct Tape. Fixes leaky waders too.

God Bless,
Don
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[cool][#0000ff]Welcome back to the evil empire. You still have visitation privileges at the tackletorium.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Aquaseal should take care of the seam, depending on how long the split is and where it is located. I have never had a seam split, but have helped fix a few. I would be happy to take a look at it and render an opinion...and/or help fix it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]All kinds of minnows work at Willard. BS chubs have been well received by the local fishies up there...of all species...for several years. They also like carp meat, crawlers and even pieces of hot dogs.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]You know where I live...but sometimes I have trouble remembering. Us "old" friends have that problem.[/#0000ff]
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Well here is what I did. I checked for leaks with soapy water & found several very small ones. They were mostly on the seams but I also had a couple elsewere.

Not wanting to use any of the internal sealants ($60 for fancy "fix a flat" seemed a little steep) I opted for a $3.50 tube of Goop at Wal-Mart.

I sealed all the seams & the little spots with the Goop so I will let you all know how it worked after it fully cures (72 hours)
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Still leaks............. sigh..................[:/]

I guess there are just too many pinholes. The pontoons are 15-16 years old. I may have to resort to the $60.00 internal selant. [crazy]
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