I have some D-Rings coming off one of my canoes. They are the larger square ones with multiple attachment points. I really want to save them as those are pricey and I am on a budget. Has anyone reattached a d-ring before. Would you remove the whole thing and clean it up?
I was thinking about removing it, cleaning both surfaces with MEK, and then reattaching using contact cement. Any thoughts?
I’ve glued down D-rings to canoes but I’m not sure what you mean by “larger square ones with multiple attachment points”. Can you provide a photo or a link to the product?
Tom
Contact cement has always worked for me.
Contact cement will not hold very well or very long if there is much distracting force on the patch. It works fine for glueing in knee pads or foam saddles where there is no “pull” on the object.
For vinyl patches I have used vinyl cement of various types. In the past I used Vynabond which worked quite well but was discontinued by the maker some years ago. I have reattached many vinyl backed D-rings in both Royalex and composited canoes.
If you can remove the whole thing easily do so. Clean the back of the patch and the attachment point on the hull well. MEK will work but so will acetone.
I used to be a sailor and when sailors needed to stick things together they used 3m 5200 sealant/adhesive. When I started canoeing I brought that with me and I have successfully glued a number of D rings into boats that are still there after many years.
Peter
G Flex epoxy also works quite well and I know a number of whitewater boaters who started using it in preference to vinyl adhesive for bonding outfitting into whitewater canoes. Vinyl adhesive does have a tendency to fail after a number of years. But G Flex will result in a relatively permanent installation whereas patches bonded in with vinyl adhesive can generally be removed without damage to the hull by judiciously warming the patch.
H2 Glue from Salamander Paddle Gear works really well for attaching D-ring pads. But not inexpensive at $16.95 for 4 oz. can.