8
Troubleshooting
Leakage of air:
If your boat appears a bit soft, it might not be
because of a leak. If the boat was inflated late in the day with
90 degree air, that air might cool 20 degrees overnight. The
cooler air exerts less pressure on the hull, so it could appear
soft the next morning.
If there has been no temperature variation, you need to start
looking for a leak. Below are the three best methods.
1) Visual inspection.
Get a good look at your boat from just a
few feet away. Flip it over and closely check over the outside.
Any large leaks should be clearly visible.
2) Listening.
If you have a rough idea where your leak is, you
can sometimes hear it in a quiet room.
3) Soapy water.
Use a mix of dishwashing liquid and water in a
spray bottle, and spray over suspicious areas. Any leak will
produce bubbles that will pinpoint the location of the leak.
Check your valves:
Look, listen, and if necessary, spray soapy
water around your valve and the valve base. Leaky valves have
several causes:
1) Crossed threads.
Make sure that both the inner valve and the
outer cap are firmly screwed together. If threads are crossed on
either item a slow leak could result. A good way to avoid this
is to first turn the outer cap back 1/4 turn.
2) Sand in Diaphragm,
threads, or o-ring. Check the black
diaphragm at the bottom of the inner valve for sand between
the diaphragm and the inner valve. Also check the threads on
the inner valve, boat hull, and outer cap for any dirt or sand
which might break the seal. Check the O-ring on the inside of
the outer cap for any sand or contaminants which might break
the seal.
3) Extreme overtightening
of inner valve into valve base can
cause a depression in the top of the valve base. In this case,
simply sand the depression out with fine sandpaper to create a
flush surface.
Repairs
Through use you may occasionally puncture your boat. Most
leaks only take a few minutes to repair. Your boat comes with a
repair kit, and additional repair supplies can be ordered from
our website.
Small Repairs:
Deflate your boat. Thoroughly clean (you can
use 3M Vinyl Cleaner for this purpose) and dry area to be
repaired. For a small puncture (less than 1/8th") apply a small
drop of glue. Let dry 12 hours.
Patches:
Leaks larger than a pinhole can be patched. Most
patches can be done in a few minutes, but we do offer a repair
service for more complex jobs out of warranty. Our minimum
repair fee is $75. and you will be responsible for freight
expenses to our facility in Port Jefferson and return freight to
your destination.
First locate the leak by the methods above.
Soapy water will bubble out from the
source of the leak.
Thoroughly clean the area surrounding the
leak to remove any dirt or grime.
Cut a piece of repair material large enough
to overlap the damaged area by
approximately 1/2". Round off the edges,
and place over the damaged area. Using a
ball point pen, trace the outline of the
patch. Angle the pen inward a bit so that
the ink will be covered by the patch later.
Apply adhesive to the
underneath side of
patch and around the
area to be repaired.
Coat the affected area
lightly but completely
with glue. Let the
glue sit for 2-4 minutes until it appears tacky.
Place the patch on the damaged area
and press down firmly. Place a 3-5
pound weight over the patch and allow
12 hours for repair to dry. After patch
has dried, apply glue around the edges
for a complete seal (dry 4 hours).
Replacing Recessed One Way Valves
Over the years the Recessed One Way valves can loosen a bit
which will produce a slow leak. If you are seeing this, first try
to tighten the valve using the the black Recessed One Way
valve replacement tool in your repair kit. If this does not
reduce the slow leak, and you have ruled out a puncture, you
might need replacement valves.
To replace your valve, use the
aforementioned Recessed One Way
tool to remove the old valve. Turn
in a counterclockwise manner to
remove the outer valve
The inner valve is loose, so make
sure you hold the hull so that it
does not move.
Put the new outer valve in place
and tighten by hand until secure.
Use the black Recessed One Way
valve replacement tool to tighten
completely.