I see Whitworths has a product called Sealflex. You pour it into the tube of the dinghy, roll it around and it supposedly stops small leaks. Just wondering if anyone has used it and if so does it work?
thanks

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sailorsilas said..
I see Whitworths has a product called Sealflex. You pour it into the tube of the dinghy, roll it around and it supposedly stops small leaks. Just wondering if anyone has used it and if so does it work?
thanks

Sorry not an answer but...
Seems like it would have to coat an extremely large area to be sure of getting the leak. I suppose if you know where the leak is you could semi target it.
Automotive Finileak foam sealant (sp?) of course was around in the 70s and I used it to repair tyres so the technology of a flexible solution is fairly old.

The price of inflatables is ridiculous these days so it seems worth a go. Please report back regarding your success.

Most inflatables I know suffer from water leaks where the floor or transom is joined to the inflatable tubes and unfortunately this product is not a solution to that problem.



I'm friendly with all the staff at my Whitworths so I might ask them next time I go in as they may well have some feedback.

Have you checked all the valves and immediate joins for leaks.
Sometimes the valves become slightly loose and leak around the flanges.
If a leak then the valves can be tighten with a valve spanner.

Put it in a swimming pool,half inflated,with a child in it ,and then inspect with goggles under water/run a hose above = bubbles ! - like big tractor tyre tube .
The sealer works in tyres,due to centrifugal force - hard to do with inflatable unless attached to rotalactor !?
Mason

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PLanter4 said..
Put it in a swimming pool,half inflated,with a child in it ,and then inspect with goggles under water/run a hose above = bubbles ! - like big tractor tyre tube .
The sealer works in tyres,due to centrifugal force - hard to do with inflatable unless attached to rotalactor !?
Mason

Why would you do all that when spraying with soapy water is so much easier

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saltiest1 said..

PLanter4 said..
Put it in a swimming pool,half inflated,with a child in it ,and then inspect with goggles under water/run a hose above = bubbles ! - like big tractor tyre tube .
The sealer works in tyres,due to centrifugal force - hard to do with inflatable unless attached to rotalactor !?
Mason

Why would you do all that when spraying with soapy water is so much easier

Damn you man, stop being so logical.

+ no chance of getting it back from kids in the pool !

Thanks everyone, I went over the tubes with soap and water but couldn't find any leaks. After posting here I didn't see any responses so had the idea to fill it with water, which showed two small leaks near the front, then a few more near the transom. The valves sis not show any signs of leaking. Then I got the hose and ran it with small pressure so the water just ran over the tube and found a few more pinholes - 12 in total! I then asked the Rubber Ducky Dr here in Adelaide about the liquid and he advised to use patches, which I will do tomorrow. Soap and water I found, don't disclose small leaks but running water does.

Mountain bike & now road bike has adopted the old 70's leak technology. Using tubeless tires, and you put a good dose of "goo" inside the tires to automatically seal any minor leaks, which is usually what you get with bike tires. The goo is basically liquid latex, sometimes it will have a micro filler additive to help it seal.

It actually works very well, especially with MTB at lower pressures.

You can buy a bottle of the stuff for about $20 at a good bike shop & try putting that inside your rubber ducky to fix minor leaks.

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sailorsilas said..
Thanks everyone, I went over the tubes with soap and water but couldn't find any leaks. After posting here I didn't see any responses so had the idea to fill it with water, which showed two small leaks near the front, then a few more near the transom. The valves sis not show any signs of leaking. Then I got the hose and ran it with small pressure so the water just ran over the tube and found a few more pinholes - 12 in total! I then asked the Rubber Ducky Dr here in Adelaide about the liquid and he advised to use patches, which I will do tomorrow. Soap and water I found, don't disclose small leaks but running water does.

Soapy water is the multi trade go to. A little bit of detergent in a spray bottle of water will show steams of bubbles with any air / gas leak. I'm really surprised it doesn't work on inflatable boats

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woko said..

sailorsilas said..
Thanks everyone, I went over the tubes with soap and water but couldn't find any leaks. After posting here I didn't see any responses so had the idea to fill it with water, which showed two small leaks near the front, then a few more near the transom. The valves sis not show any signs of leaking. Then I got the hose and ran it with small pressure so the water just ran over the tube and found a few more pinholes - 12 in total! I then asked the Rubber Ducky Dr here in Adelaide about the liquid and he advised to use patches, which I will do tomorrow. Soap and water I found, don't disclose small leaks but running water does.

Soapy water is the multi trade go to. A little bit of detergent in a spray bottle of water will show steams of bubbles with any air / gas leak. I'm really surprised it doesn't work on inflatable boats

"you're gonna need a bigger soap"

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damned67 said..

woko said..

sailorsilas said..
Thanks everyone, I went over the tubes with soap and water but couldn't find any leaks. After posting here I didn't see any responses so had the idea to fill it with water, which showed two small leaks near the front, then a few more near the transom. The valves sis not show any signs of leaking. Then I got the hose and ran it with small pressure so the water just ran over the tube and found a few more pinholes - 12 in total! I then asked the Rubber Ducky Dr here in Adelaide about the liquid and he advised to use patches, which I will do tomorrow. Soap and water I found, don't disclose small leaks but running water does.

Soapy water is the multi trade go to. A little bit of detergent in a spray bottle of water will show steams of bubbles with any air / gas leak. I'm really surprised it doesn't work on inflatable boats

"you're gonna need a bigger soap"

Yep. I find minute gas leaks at 1 Kpa using 50/50 dishwashing liquid to water. Thick and bubbly.

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damned67 said..

woko said..

sailorsilas said..
Thanks everyone, I went over the tubes with soap and water but couldn't find any leaks. After posting here I didn't see any responses so had the idea to fill it with water, which showed two small leaks near the front, then a few more near the transom. The valves sis not show any signs of leaking. Then I got the hose and ran it with small pressure so the water just ran over the tube and found a few more pinholes - 12 in total! I then asked the Rubber Ducky Dr here in Adelaide about the liquid and he advised to use patches, which I will do tomorrow. Soap and water I found, don't disclose small leaks but running water does.

Soapy water is the multi trade go to. A little bit of detergent in a spray bottle of water will show steams of bubbles with any air / gas leak. I'm really surprised it doesn't work on inflatable boats

"you're gonna need a bigger soap"

I do note the Jaws reference