I have a 1998, West Marine by Zodiac dinghy, with a high pressure floor. The dinghy is used two weeks a year and is stored indoors when not being used. This week I noticed a portion of the bottom floor (not the high pressure floor) came unglued from the tube on one side up near the bow in an area about seven inches long. The inflatable looks brand new from the little use it gets. Is there a glue that I can use to reattach the black bottom floor the tube or is the inflatable no good? Thanks in advance.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
Dinghy Repair
- Thread starter tim f
- Start date
Capt. Bill1
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 2017
- Messages
- 6,127
Hmmm.... as I recall that might be one of the years Zodiac was having adhesion issues with their dinks made out of PVC. You might try contacting them.
Had the same issue. Used a Zodiac Dealer to repair it. What they did was use the Zodiac PVC glue to reattach the the floor area while it was inflated fully. They then glued an additional patch over the reattached area for reinforcement. Nice clean patch on both port and starboard to match. Could pass for factory.
They said the reason the nearly new looking Zodiac separated at that seam/joint was that the boat was probably stored deflated for a long period. Maybe in a garage where the temps were high. I know that the previous owner used it only twice and stored for years, deflated, before I bought it.
I use it as a dink, so it's inflated 24/7 on the stern. No problems the last 6 years.
If you are handy and a little meticulous, you could probably do a nice DIY job on it.
I, on the other hand, was cursed at birth with little innate talent and a pronounced lazy streak.
1996 Zodiac Series 134 (11'2") PVC, wood floors. Pushed with a 15hp Honorable Tohatsu, and it's not a moorage queen. Should be good for 5 or 6 more seasons.
Hope this helps.
They said the reason the nearly new looking Zodiac separated at that seam/joint was that the boat was probably stored deflated for a long period. Maybe in a garage where the temps were high. I know that the previous owner used it only twice and stored for years, deflated, before I bought it.
I use it as a dink, so it's inflated 24/7 on the stern. No problems the last 6 years.
If you are handy and a little meticulous, you could probably do a nice DIY job on it.
I, on the other hand, was cursed at birth with little innate talent and a pronounced lazy streak.
1996 Zodiac Series 134 (11'2") PVC, wood floors. Pushed with a 15hp Honorable Tohatsu, and it's not a moorage queen. Should be good for 5 or 6 more seasons.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for the help. I contacted the nearest Zodiac dealer and they said this is a common problem, and it doesn't make a difference how much the dinghy is used. He said Zodiac knows they have a problem, but are unwilling to fix it since all the issues happen after the warrantee runs out. I asked him if he did many, and if the fix last? He said he did four last week, and the fix works. He is charging me $200.00 for the repair. He will re-glue the floor, then run a 2" strip around the entire bottom. Better than buying a new one. Thanks again for the help.