WEST MARINE Boats Inflatable Boat Sealant, Quart

Our sealant finds and stops leaks too small to find any other way!

It’s specially formulated for use with inflatable boats, rafts and tow toys. This sealant forms a bond with the interior fabric of the inflatable, stopping or “sealing” slow leaks and preventing future leaks from developing.

In one easy step, leaks are cured from the inside, which are virtually impossible to find from the outside. Our Inflatable Boat Sealant is the only product of its kind which allows for future deflation of your inflatable (for storage, etc.) without the skin sticking to itself and making re-inflation virtually impossible.

It will seal the leak(s) and keep your inflatable firm for years to come. And Inflatable Boat Sealant can be used multiple times, so if your inflatable develops a new leak weeks or years from now, you can use the sealant again.

Bottle contains one (1) quart of sealant.

How it’s Used

• Deflate the boat
• Inject the liquid sealant into the air chambers through the valves
• Inflate the boat
• Turn the boat end-over-end and side-to-side, making sure that the entire interior is covered
• It’s sealed and as good as new

How Much to Use

One quart of Inflatable Boat Sealant is sufficient to seal small leaks on boats 12′ long or smaller. On boats larger than 12′, there is a formula for calculating how much Sealant to use for each air chamber: The basic rule is: 1/2 ounce of Sealant will cover 1 square foot of material. Using more than the required amount is not better.

The Formula for finding how many square feet of material there are inside your boat is:

• (Length of the Boat in feet) x 12 x 2 x (Diameter of the tube in inches) x 3.1416 -:- 576 = Number of ounces of Sealant needed to treat the boat
• This number, divided by the number of air chambers gives the amount of Sealant needed in each air chamber.

How To Tumble a Bigger Boat

There are a couple of options available to those who own inflatable boats too large or heavy for one person to tumble. One option is to call several friends and ask their help. (When choosing this option, always remember the Cardinal Rule of Boat Repair: When you’re out of beer, you’re out of friends.)

With Friends:

• Deflate the boat and inject the Sealant in each air chamber
• Re-inflate the boat to rigidity
• Have two friends on each end of the boat (now you’re management!)
• Raise the stern to about 45° and hold for about 10 seconds
• Lower the stern and raise the bow for 10 seconds
• Turn the boat (rotate along its length) about five degrees and raise each end again
• Continue rotating the boat 5° at a time and lifting both ends until the boat has been turned completely over

All By Yourself

• Place the boat to be treated flat on the ground
• Deflate the boat and add the Sealant
• WITH THE BOAT STILL DEFLATED, walk the Sealant around the air chamber, that is, step on the air chamber while it is deflated pressing the top half of the air chamber firmly onto the bottom half
• Start at the valves and work your way to the ends until you are sure all the top half of the chamber has contacted the bottom half. (Another alternative to walking the boat is to use a garden type roller to help spread the Sealant.)
• When you are sure Sealant has made contact with the entire interior of the air chamber, walk it again!
• Now you’re ready to re-inflate the boat to RIGIDITY
• Wait three hours, then inflate the boat to full pressure and check for leaks

In the unlikely event that there are still leaks, re-treat the boat using only 1/3 the amount used the first time. Make sure the Sealant gets to the leaking area. Do not allow the Sealant to pool in any one area.