Tag Archives: dinghy

Chap my Hide! Dinghy Chaps Unglued

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Our new dinghy, a Highfield 360CL, has had a few issues.  Most recently the velcro holding the dinghy chaps (which are the cover to protect the pontoons) stopped sticking to the dinghy.  

We had our dinghy chaps custom made by Kim at Masterpieces in Canvas about 8 months ago.  She did an amazing job and we have had over a dozen people compliment us on the well made covers!   It was not her fault that the velcro sticky back stopped sticking.

The Problem

Kim used the sticky glue on the back of the velcro to adhere the chaps to the dinghy. The male part of the velcro stuck to the chaps and the female part (soft) of the velcro stuck to the dinghy.  In theory this works and it did for a short while (8 months).  But as the dinghy gets hot and cold in the sun it expands and contracts.  This causes the glue on the velcro to loosen and come off.  So, not a good long term plan.

With our last dinghy, we had the velcro glued onto hypalon strips, then sewn together, then we used special glue to stick the hypalon strips to the hypalon dinghy.  We should have remembered to do that to these chaps, but it slipped our mind as we had so much other stuff going on.  Our new dinghy is made from PVC not hypalon unfortunately. 

Hindsight is 20-20 they say.

The Remedy

We had a lovely conversation with Tim at Northland Inflatables.  He was able to sell us PVC strips and special PVC contact glue.  In addition, he walked us through the best way to remove the glue from the dinghy, the application of the velcro to the PVC, and the glueing process of the PVC strips to the dinghy. He is a wealth of information!

Tim informed us that the PVC strips will be stronger if you cut them diagonally across the fabric (rather than with the grain of the fabric).  Good tip.

We were ready to start this project after purchasing our special 2-part PVC contact glue, special brush, and 18m of 30mm wide PVC strips!

Step 1A: The Prep

It seems like all I do is glue removal projects!   Removal of all of the graphic stickers and its 23 year old glue, scraping all of the glue, 5200 and silicone from the ceiling panels, 6 hatch frames and of their adhesive, and now the dinghy glue.  And the funny thing is that they are all different, using different glues, on different surfaces, and requiring different removal techniques.

We removed the outboard and hauled the 75kilo dinghy up using our spin halyard.  Placing the dinghy on our two bean bags allowed easier access to the glue areas on the outside (see photo below).

The dinghy has 23 pieces of velcro spanning over 18 meters.  Tim had suggested we make the strips 30mm wide even though our velcro was only 25mm. He thought it might make sewing easier.  But in retrospect we should have just got 25mm strips.  Now we have to accomodate for the extra 5mm.  What I decided to do was apply the velcro on the bottom of each strip and had the extra 5mm on the top.  The reason I did this was because several velcro strips aligned with a seam and we did not want the white PVC strips to show.

We created a sheet and labeled/numbered each piece of velcro so we know exactly where it goes when we put it back.

Step 1B: More Prep

We used a pencil to mark where each piece of velcro (the edges, start and end) and then we taped all around the velcro before removal.  Taping will help limit the spread of glue and MEK when you start the adhesive removal process.  

We were really good about marking the edges but we did not tape until afterwards.  So the problem was the MEK took off the pencil markings so we had to guess where some of the pieces went. And some of the MEK extended beyond the velcro area causing a very slight discoloration.  So, tape before removing your velcro.

Step 2: The Removal

I carefully remove each of the 23 strips of velcro, one at a time. I place them on the PVC strips lining them up on the edge and labeling each one so I know where they go when we have to put them back onto the dinghy.

Next I get to removing the tons of glue off the dinghy.

We cannot use anything sharp to remove the glue because we would risk puncturing the pontoon (very bad).  I tried a rubber square, a plastic paddle, and a cool tool Aaron from Norsand Boatyard had given me and none of them worked.

Finally Matt brought out a putty knife that he adapted for me.  He rounded the corners and dulled the blade.  Eventually, I was able to remove the adhesive while using a heat gun to warm up the glue and the modified putty knife.  This would get the large globs off.  Then I went back with MEK (really nasty stuff) and a non-absorbent rag to remove the difficult to see remnants of the glue.  If you use an absorbent rag you end up wasting a lot more MEK. But you have to wear very thick, high quality gloves as the MEK will eat your skin and nails!

After many hours we finally have a dinghy without residue…clean.  It is always amusing to me that I have such a hard time removing adhesives.  Why do you ask?  Well, I am removing it because it no longer sticks, so why is it hard to come off?  Why I ask you?

Note

Tim from Northland Inflatables told us to put the velcro on the dull side of the PVC strips.  The dull side is the side that has UV protection which does not stick as well as the clean shiny side with no UV protection. The trick is trying to determine the shiny side from the dull side while in the sun.  So, we stick the velcro to the dull side, then sew it on.  This leaves the shiny, clean side ready for the contact glue to stick to the dinghy.

Step 3: Sewing

I tried to use our trusty Baby Lock sewing machine to sew the velcro to the PVC strips.  However, the machine struggled with the PVC as it was slippery and wouldn’t move with the machine’s foot.  And it made the stitching on the back look funny.

Matt breaks out our new “to us” Sailrite Sewing machine.  I had not used this machine yet as it totally intimidated me!  But, you got to start somewhere.  The Sailrite has much better feet and it just sucked the strips right through!

I had 38 meters of sewing to do as I sewed all four sides of each of the 23 strips of velcro to the PVC – it will not move now!

Step 4: Glue PVC strips to Dinghy

We did a lot of research on what was the best glue to stick things to PVC and either Bostik 995 or PVC contact glue were stated to be the best.  We found a tiny bottle (50ml) of Bostik 995 at All Marine for over $100.  Well that won’t do as we need over 300ml.  So, we asked Tim what we should use and suggested this special contact PVC glue that he uses on all of his dinghy repairs.  He sold us 300ml for $25.  Sweet as!

We run MEK along the strips and the dinghy to ensure there is nothing that will prohibit a good stick.

Next, we tape off the dinghy where each strip goes.  This will protect the dinghy from getting excess glue on it and it will help us align the strips in the exact place since we won’t have the luxury to move them around once they make contact with each other.

Matt and I work together to adhere the PVC strips.  Tim gave us a “chip” brush that he cut down to almost a stub and then rounded the corners.  He said this will help us to use less contact glue.

First you apply the contact glue to the PVC strip and then to the corresponding area on the dinghy.  You let it set for 10-15 minutes.  Then you go back with a heat gun to warm both up and slowly and carefully apply the PVC strip to the dinghy.  I say “slowly and carefully” because once the PVC strip makes contact with the dinghy it aint movin.  

Then I follow behind with a dowel to press the PVC strip to the dinghy and ensure it is stuck on good.

We ended up having to get an additional canister of the special PVC contact glue to finish our project.  But we did use it for two other smaller projects.  In the end I think we probably used 350-400ml.  We were probably more generous with the glue than necessary.

Completion

As you can see we are doing our best to leave no room for errors and to ensure this is stuck on good.  After a week of work we are finally done and our beautiful chaps are now snug as a bug in a rug!  Let’s hope these last us many years.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occured in early January 2024.  Don’t miss out on our luxurious experience at Wai Ariki Hotsprings and Spa – check out our last blog post.

New Canvas: Inside and Out

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New canvas!  We replaced all of our interior and exterior cushions when we purchased Sugar Shack in 2010.  Do you remember the horrid teal pleather that was on the boat when we bought it?  The shop in Turkey did a really great job replacing the cushions and covering them.  We replaced the interior cushions with a beautiful, light tan micro suede called Alcantera and the exterior cushions had a sturdy, stainproof, water resistant beige sunbrella. 

Fast forward to today…if you were to look at our cushions from afar you might wonder why we were replacing the fabric…Even I think they look pretty darn good from this shot.

But, when you look closely, the fabric has started pulling away at the seams especially around the bolsters.  Unfortunately, this is not fixable.  I know, I tried and it doesn’t hold as the fabric is too thin and worn to hold the thread and glue.

And some of the cushions have actually worn through the fabric on the sides.

Exterior Cushions

The exterior cockpit cushions are holding up a little better but they are stained and looking a little tired.  They are also retaining water (when it rains the cockpit gets wet) which takes ages to dry out.

Shopping for a Dressmaker

One of the first things that we did when we arrived in New Zealand (Nov.2022) was to look for canvas makers.  We knew this would be a huge job and so we wanted to get on the books early on.  We met with several companies and decided on Masterpieces in Canvas.  The owner, Kim, is very professional, has amazing creative ideas, great suggestions, and a reputation for stellar work.

The Pending Canvas Projects:

  • Replace fabric on interior Cushions (7 backs, 8 bottoms, 1 nav seat, 2 bench seats, 1 round seat)
  • Recover exterior cushions (3 long cockpit cushions, 2 helm seats)
  • New back bolster covers at helm seats
  • Dinghy Chaps / cover
  • Cockpit enclosure
  • Sail Bag Cover (North Sails will provide this)

We selected a new, hardier interior fabric that is a macro-suede in Ash (left photo).  For the exterior, we selected two types of a new (to us) fabric called Sauleda.  The main cushions and helm seats will be in light silver gray called Tandem Piedra.  The new dinghy chaps, sail bag, helm bolsters and cockpit enclosure will be in a darker gray called Tandem Grafito.

The macro-suede is water and stain resistant and can be scrubbed and cleaned.  The Sauleda is waterproof, stain proof and much stronger than Sunbrella.  It has more threads making it a sturdier fabric.

The Big Reveal:

The new cushions came in and boy oh boy are we excited.  They turned out so beautifully that we did not want to sit on them!  The color is perfect, the material is soft and luxurious, and the design is perfect.

Kim has great attention to detail which can be found in all the seams, curves, and design.  Yours truly (Christine) made the beautiful, buttery soft blanket in the bottom photo.

The bottom side even turned out really nice.  She used a beautiful black phifertex, with sturdy zippers and wood on the bottom (so your bottom doesn’t sink into the holes below)

The seat at our navigation table even came out super cool.  We bought a new chair and had Kim recover it to match the cushions.  This new chair is on a swivel so it turns around and will lift up so we can still access the storage underneath it.

Outside Canvas work

The vendor in Turkey did a great job providing us with large, cushy cushions.  All we needed to do was add a little more water proofing and new canvas.  They came out beautiful as well.

Cockpit Enclosure

Matt and I had made our rain and sun shades and they were very tired and did not completely enclose the cockpit so when it rained everything got wet.  Kim and Matt designed our new enclosure that has windows and is completely enclosed.  We will most likely only use the large back panel and the two side panels (not the corners) on a daily basis.

From the inside…excuse the mess but we are still under construction…

A New Dinghy and Chaps

Our amazing Avon 3.4 lasted over 22 years!  She was a spectacular dinghy and lasted way beyond expectations.  She had a deep “V” bottom, a false floor so we had a flat surface to stand on inside dinghy, tall transom, locker with hawes pipe and 3 pontoons.  But she had several slow leaks and we just could not keep up with them.  We thought about just replacing the pontoons because we loved this dinghy so much, but the cost was equivalent to a new dinghy.

Avon no longer makes small dinghies (they just make gigantic dinghies) so we could not even replace her with another one just like her.  In fact, we had a lot of problems finding a dinghy we liked.  We wanted a 3.6M dinghy, with a deep “V”, false bottom, tall transom (for our long shaft outboard), and hypalon pontoons.  But, New Zealand does not sell dinghies with hypalon pontoons because they are too expensive and they don’t sell.  So, we had to go with a pvc version which just are not as strong or sturdy.  What can you do? Just means the life span of this dinghy will be maybe 5-7 years tops.

We sell our beloved Sweetie along with our old 8hp Mercury outboard.

The gorgeous new outfit for Sweetie 2.0

And we get new chaps made for the new dinghy to protect the pontoons.  Sweetie 2.0.  The far left photo has shadows from the trees – the bow is actually perfect.  Kim added two beautiful pockets and the craftsmanship around each cut out is simply amazing (lower left photo).

Here is a photo of Kim and Roger (our sailmaker)

Events from this blog occurred between April-May 2023.  Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual events. We replace all of our ceiling panels, ceiling lights and update the master bath in our last blog.

Sweetie back from the spa

Dinghy Spa for Sweetie

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Our sweet 20-year-old dinghy has had a slow leak for a few months.  However, she has required air 2-3 times per day over the last few weeks which is simply unacceptable.  One it is annoying and two it is not good for the velcro holding the chaps (chaps=sunbrella dinghy cover).  We decided it was time to take Sweetie out of the water. 

Getting Sweetie onboard Sugar Shack

Our Yamaha 25hp outboard is a beast weighing in at 50 kilos (110lbs).  Way too heavy and awkward to lift by ourselves. We used the main sheet and the boom to hoist the outboard over the transom (stern of the boat).  Matt was in the dinghy, in the water, holding the outboard steady as I hand cranked her up over the lifelines.  She is secured on the stanchion while we work on the dinghy.

Next, we had to find out how to get Sweetie onboard Sugar Shack.  Matt decided it was best to copy our monohull friends. Using the spin halyard that comes from the top of the mast, hoist her over the side of the boat.  Our dinghy is an Avon rib with a hard bottom.  She weighs in at 82 kilos (180lbs) and is 3.4 meters in length (without the outboard).  Matt cranked this time raising the main sheet as I attempted to keep the dinghy off the side of the boat and over the life lines.  Once onboard and safely resting on towels (to prevent scratching the deck), we deflated her.  She looks so sad.

Dinghy deflated and sad

Dinghy deflated and sad

She IS 20-years old which is remarkably old for an inflatable dinghy.  We’ve been very happy with her and hope to get a few more years out of her before having to buy a new one.

Patching Sweetie – Slow Leak

One day while snorkeling, we noticed a leak on the port side bow (just below the attached line hold). The valve cover also has a slow leak.  It was time to repair them. But first, Matt took dish soap and water to the entire dinghy to see if he could find any other leaks.  Luckily those were the only ones that were found.

The pontoons are made of Hypalon (it like a heavy-duty rubber).  Matt had purchased specific glue made for Hypalon.  Unfortunately, it was a few years old and had dried up making it unusable.  Of course!  You try to be prepared by purchasing necessary items in advanced – but it doesn’t always work out.  Instead, he used G/Flex waterproof, flexible glue which we had used before.  Matt cleaned the area, applied the glue to the patch, then applied the patch to the dinghy, and added weight to it.  Now we wait 24 hours until it is dry.

The valve leak repair is only temporary as we are waiting for our new valve covers to come from the States.  We need a visitor (or as we like to call them “pack mules” – you know who you are :).

The first image shows the exposed or weak area causing a leak.  The upper right photo shows the glue during with “weight” and the last is the new patch.

Patching a slow leak

Patching a slow leak

Sealing Up another Leak

Our dinghy has a false floor.  The floor inside the dinghy is a flat surface and is called the “false floor.”  Which is great as the “V” shape floor makes it hard to stand, walk, keep your gas tank, and groceries flat and dry.  Back to our false floor.  Between the false floor and the actual bottom of the dinghy is a space that would periodically fill up with water.  Not a big deal as you simply pull the plug to drain it (see bottom right photo with 2 plugs).  The top plug drains water out of the dinghy (above the false floor) and the bottom plug drains water between the false floor and the bottom of the dinghy.  But how did the water get in there?We also would get water in our forward locker where we stow our dinghy anchor chain, tools, and inflate pump.  Everything can get wet, but they rust and make a mess.  How did water get in there?

With Sweetie out of the water we are able to explore all possibilities.  Matt decided to remove the tow eye (bracket) in the front of the bow that holds our painter (long line that we use to tie the dinghy up).  He noticed that it was not sealed properly which is not a surprise considering it is 20-years old.  It appears that water was getting in through these two holes filling up the bow locker and the space under the false floor – ah ha!

Photo: top right is the bow locker.  Top photos show the holes that hold the tow eye.  Bottom row shows the tow eye out and then secured back in place with new sealant. 

Sealing a leak at Tow Eye

Sealing a leak at Tow Eye

Gluing Velcro to Hold the Chaps

Sweetie has a blue dress that covers her pontoons to keep them safe and last longer.  The dress, aka “chaps” have been sewn and patched several times over but are still in good working condition.  The chaps are attached to Sweetie using velcro.  The velcro is stitched to a small strip of Hypalon which is then glued to the dinghy.  Glue adheres better when it is Hypalon to Hypalon. Part of this strip needed all new velcro.  No small task as the thread/stitching is smothered in glue.  After a few hours of picking, I was able to remove the old velcro and stitches.  The new velcro was stitched to the strip which was then glued back on to Sweetie.

The top image shows the old velcro (white) just above the rub rail. The new velcro (black) was sewn on to the strip of Hypalon which was then glued on to the pontoon (bottom photo)

Re-attaching the velcro strip

Re-attaching the velcro strip

RE-ATTACHING THE RUB RAIL

Every dinghy has a rub rail as the rub rail takes a beating to protect the pontoons.  It is not us ramming into things, but rather the dinghy bumping against docks while we are at shore.  Also, the glue loses its adhesiveness when the dinghy deflates as there is no pressure holding the rub rail to the pontoon.  So, we had to do lots of gluing with special epoxy to get the rub rail back in place.

Attaching the rub rail to the dinghy

Attaching the rub rail to the dinghy

SCRUB AND SHINE

The last part of Sweetie’s spa day is a scrub and shine.  I know she looks really disgusting with the green growth, but I have to tell you this is nothing compared to most dinghy bottoms.  However, this is bad for us and for our dinghy.  It is really difficult to clean her bottom as she has to be out of the water.  Our dinghy and outboard are too heavy to lift by ourselves unless we bring her on deck which is a huge ordeal.

It takes a lot of muscle and several products to clean the growth off.  We use “On Off,” bleach, and soap and water.  Some of the products we can only use on the hard-bottom surface while others we can only use on the Hypalon.  I’m pretty darn pleased with how she turned out.  The hard-bottom is white again and the green, black, and brown spots are done.

Bottom of dinghy scrub and shine

Bottom of dinghy scrub and shine

Fiberglass Repair

The hard bottom of the dinghy was a little banged up.  Partly from us dragging her on to the beach and partly just wear and tear.  So, Matt added some fiberglass and epoxy to some of the worn areas.  Almost good as new.  Top left photo is the “before picture” and bottom right is “after.”

Fiberglass repair

Fiberglass repair

After a week on the deck, she was finally ready to go back in the water.  Lucky for us, we did not need our “car” while at our current anchorage.  We swam to shore a few times. Remember, Sugar Shack is our home and our dinghy is our car to get from our home to everywhere else.  Putting the outboard back on the dinghy.  Matt tried a new method using a dynema line and 3:1 purchase which reduced the rubbing and pressure on the main sheet and boom.

Putting the outboard back on the dinghy

Putting the outboard back on the dinghy

It was really good to be mobile again. 

Sweetie back from the spa

Sweetie back from the spa

Dinghies can be very expensive so it is in our best interest to make our little girl last as long as possible.  Check out new dinghy rates.

Events from this blog post occurred during the month of January 2021.  Our blog posts run 8 weeks behind our adventures.