Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

[fishrdan]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

What about contact cement and rubber inner tube? Might that work?

Sounds like it's worth a try, the contact cement will flex with the plastic and keep a good bond. I don't know if I'd use an inner tube though, it would get smoking hot sitting in the sun and toast your buns

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

An inner tube may work, but it will need to lay flat on the surface and conform to the correct shape with no stress. or it may just lift off after a short time.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

I was also thinking that the black tube will get smoking hot... But I don't know of any other non black type thin rubber like that. Ideas?

 

[BigB9000]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

fibreglass aint gonna work!

well..... there are ways it will, like drilling some holes in the plastic, fibreglasing the bottom and top of the repair area. that will make kind of a sandwhich repair. they do that when they make speaker pods for plastic door panels in cars.

but probably will leek.

another way is to cover the bottom in the priorley mentioned Henrys roofing tar, then rivet /screw 2 peices of steel to the plastic (again, a sandwhich type repair) the advantage to that is the colder it gets, the better it seals. I did that to my alumimum boat as a riverside repair:

 

[BigB9000]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

also.... you could take the pedals/ruder off, make a fibreglass mold, then make a new one out of fibreglass.

itll cost you $300 and 3 days to do this, but you could make many many more out of said mold, and (if done correctly) it'll be a hell of a lot stronger and lighter than the plastic ever was.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

I gotta know; what plastic tool vanished?

I was using a tukey baster to suck the resin out of the can and into my mixing container without making a mess... but the plastic part basically "melted" or dissolved or whatever you want to call it, into the resin after I sealed it in the can for a week. The rubber bulb on it didn't dissolve though, and the part that did dissolve, was all kinda globby.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

Ok, riveting metal to a curved seat would be real tough. Making a mold and putting myself in the peddle boat business is not really high on my list! Putting $300 in a $20 boat seams like a tad of overkill!

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

fibreglass aint gonna work!

well..... there are ways it will, like drilling some holes in the plastic, fibreglasing the bottom and top of the repair area. that will make kind of a sandwhich repair. they do that when they make speaker pods for plastic door panels in cars.

but probably will leek.

I was actually thinking of using the fiberglass to cover it entirely, rather than just as a patch. You're right, a patch wouldn't be very good with fiberglass. But using the plastic boat as an inside mold, and covering it completely with fiberglass topped with a good gel coat would work. But like I said, that's getting way too expensive for this project.

 

[redfury]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

I was actually thinking of using the fiberglass to cover it entirely, rather than just as a patch. You're right, a patch wouldn't be very good with fiberglass. But using the plastic boat as an inside mold, and covering it completely with fiberglass topped with a good gel coat would work. But like I said, that's getting way too expensive for this project.

Boy, I had an idea brewing, and then realized it's not much better than what's been suggested. You pretty much need to find something you can use as a stiff liner and glue it to the seat...that's all I can really think of.

 

[penst8grad]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

There is stuff at HD and Lowes calls ABS Cement. It's commonly used to repair motorcycle fairings. I'm guessing that your boat is made of ABS plastic. The ABS Cement is black runny goo. Normally it is used for black ABS pipe fittings, but will work great for repairing fairings...or boats made of ABS. I would imagine that you could even mix some glass with it for strength.

It's in the plumbing section.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

Maybe go by an industrial roofer shop. Ask them for a few scraps of rubber roofing, usually black, white or grey. Made to be in the sun all the time. They probaly have a dumpster full of scraps way bigger than you will need. The roofers should be able to recommend what adhesive to use also. Probaly a silicone adhesive. Lots of contact cements tend to get brittle over time.
I think they use a heat gun to help it conform to corners and curves. Do that without any cement.

Without something over those cracks I can see some screaming kids as their behinds get pinched as the sit.

 

[jeeperman]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

And if you want to try it, you can use a regular old soldering iron and strips of milk jug to weld the cracks. Just like tig welding sort of. But u being in Ottawa might be a problem as those milk bags wont work so well.

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

Maybe go by an industrial roofer shop. Ask them for a few scraps of rubber roofing, usually black, white or grey. Made to be in the sun all the time. They probaly have a dumpster full of scraps way bigger than you will need. The roofers should be able to recommend what adhesive to use also. Probaly a silicone adhesive. Lots of contact cements tend to get brittle over time.
I think they use a heat gun to help it conform to corners and curves. Do that without any cement.

Without something over those cracks I can see some screaming kids as their behinds get pinched as the sit.

Hey, that's not a bad idea...

 

[samo_ott]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

And if you want to try it, you can use a regular old soldering iron and strips of milk jug to weld the cracks. Just like tig welding sort of. But u being in Ottawa might be a problem as those milk bags wont work so well.

A milk jug? what's that! Oh, those old things... They still have em down there?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

I know you're looking for a $2.00 fix on $20.00 item, but the reason these toys are given or thrown away is because there is no easy cheap fix for cracked or broken areas. The entire structure is aged from exposure to UV light, hot a cold temps, plus from the oversized users of the item.

As these parts are formed, the plastic is heated and stretched over a mold under Vacuum, some are also roto-molded from small pellets. While they try to keep the thickness even, it rarely is and where it gets stretched the most, it's the thinnest. These thin area's tend to fail first if they get stressed and in this case the seat is a highly stressed area. The area around these cracks is weak also, so if something is just glued to it like an inner tube, the seat will continue to crack. The lost strength needs to be added back with whatever repair you make, that's why I said to glass the seat area and then glue and screw it so it will stay in place. Yes this method does work, the problem is, it costs money and time, plus needs to be done correctly, and it takes even more time if you want it to look good.

Now you know why it sold for $20.00.

 

[kalla man]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

just use the boat as a mold and cast yourself a brand new one out of fiberglass

keep making them, and selling for a profit, until you break even.

 

[Coors]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

Just get a piece of aluminum, rivet it, smear something on it, it ain't gonna sink.
Be done with it.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

If the area was flat aluminum would work very well, the problem is it looks to be a compound curve, so for the best results whatever you put on the surface needs to follow the contour.

 

[jmzhbz]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

Couldnt you use a course fiberglass mesh to overlap the area approximate 3-5 inches from the edge of damage, resin and screw thru (or rivet) the edges with a "sandwich" patch and then use a two part epoxy to smooth over entire patch like you would use when using bondo to do car repairs? Then paint to match rest of top?

Make the inside patch do the actual strengthening and sealing and the outside patch be for cosmetic purposes.

 

[snowman48047]

Re: Plastic Peddle Boat Repair

That looks EXACTLY like the Pelican I have in my garage! I have the same thing but I got the rudder with mine. Good luck with the repair! I have no ideas other than take it apart and 'glass it.