Repairing Nylon Air Bag

Advice
#1

One of the airbags that is fitted to my canoe has is puctured. These are in fact micro holes that are not perceptible by the naked eye. Thematerial of the bag is defined as “Durable Hard Wearing Plastic Lined Nylon Material”.



Is anyone familiar with repairing bags made of nylon? What kind of glue and/or other materials should I use?



Thanks in advance,



Luis

#2

Try Aquaseal
If they are really small holes, I would try just putting a drop of aquaseal on 'em. Clean the area well (alcohol) first.



Often the trouble is finding the holes. Good luck.



~~Chip

#3

ripstop repair tape also
If you detect a cluster of holes in one area (perhaps if it was abraded) a piece of Coghlan’s (or other brand) ripstop nylon repair tape might do the trick.



I’ve used the stuff in the past for fixing a bunch of stuff in emergencies and have been impressed with the durability of it. Most impressive was when we hit a rock with a fiberglass skinned vintage OT wooden canoe that knocked a 4" long chunk off the keel ridge under the bow, causing a slow leak. We used well-masticated chewing gum to fill in the gap and then smoothed a 6" by 2" strip of the tape over the area, hoping it would hold at least til the end of the trip. It not only held, but that day-glo orange nylon patch stayed on that canoe for 3 summers of usage after that before the friend who owned it got around to properly repairing it.



I have also used the vinyl repair patch kits that you can get in sporting goods stores (for air mattresses and the like)to patch the coated nylon (i.e. “plastic-lines”) inflatable sponsons on my folding kayaks and never had the patches blow out even under pressure on hot days. I suspect the little tubes of goop with the kits are akin to Aquaseal.



Perhaps ripstop tape with the edges of the patch sealed with Aquaseal would be good insurance.

#4

For very small holes, I might use
Seamgrip rather than Aquaseal. Seamgrip is thinner, penetrates fabrics better, but still has enough body to cover small holes. Seamgrip and Aquaseal are apparently made by the same company, and both are urethanes.



They tend to harden in the tube after use, but if you don’t wait too long, you can clip a corner of the tube and use the rest.

#5

Repairing Nylon Air Bag
Thank you all for your replies. They are greatly appreciated!



Take care,



Luis