In a separate post I commented about my ballast upgrade with Wakemakers and Jabsco reversible pumps. Several contributers on PL were lifesavers with their stories of tackling this project and spared me alot of time and frustration by posting what they did and lessons learned. Hoping to do the same here.
I was out last weekend and encountered a small rip in my Wakemaker 750lb ballast bag on the port side. Totally self inflicted and shame on me for getting in a hurry to clean the boat up before heading home. Take your time!!!
When I got home I began searching for ways to fix my tear and came across a solution in a DIY section of a much inferior boating forum So, since I didn’t see the product listed here I thought I’d share what I found and the repair I did this week in hopes some other person in a rush might benefit from my mistake.
VLP- incredible glue that can be purchased at ACE/True Value for $10 or so. Pic below for a visual. This stuff is unbelievable. I put some on the seam and once it dried I was unable to tear it back open with my hands. Now, I dont have the same hand strength as the pressure of a 750lb ballast bag hitting a wave but still, surprised me how strong this stuff is. I’ve been a duck hunter for years and torn waders, decoys, neiprene gloves, etc. for decades and wish I’d found VLP sooner. I won’t leave home without it.
Because the tear was near a seam and has a contour when full, I decided to get some vinyl patch off Amazon and for about $12 I had 3 5.5”x7.5” patches to my doorstep in a couple days. I’m sure there are other options but this was quick and so far it has worked for my needs. I reinforced the seam with a little patch I cutt and more VLP, pressed out the air bubbles and then for extra measure lined the patch with a little more VLP because I love this stuff so much. Fixed a kid’s pool float while I was at it too.
Here’s a couple pictures of the process that I hope help others who have the same problem.
BTW, I’m really happy with this ballast upgrade and the ability to surf with an old SAN.
I was out last weekend and encountered a small rip in my Wakemaker 750lb ballast bag on the port side. Totally self inflicted and shame on me for getting in a hurry to clean the boat up before heading home. Take your time!!!
When I got home I began searching for ways to fix my tear and came across a solution in a DIY section of a much inferior boating forum So, since I didn’t see the product listed here I thought I’d share what I found and the repair I did this week in hopes some other person in a rush might benefit from my mistake.
VLP- incredible glue that can be purchased at ACE/True Value for $10 or so. Pic below for a visual. This stuff is unbelievable. I put some on the seam and once it dried I was unable to tear it back open with my hands. Now, I dont have the same hand strength as the pressure of a 750lb ballast bag hitting a wave but still, surprised me how strong this stuff is. I’ve been a duck hunter for years and torn waders, decoys, neiprene gloves, etc. for decades and wish I’d found VLP sooner. I won’t leave home without it.
Because the tear was near a seam and has a contour when full, I decided to get some vinyl patch off Amazon and for about $12 I had 3 5.5”x7.5” patches to my doorstep in a couple days. I’m sure there are other options but this was quick and so far it has worked for my needs. I reinforced the seam with a little patch I cutt and more VLP, pressed out the air bubbles and then for extra measure lined the patch with a little more VLP because I love this stuff so much. Fixed a kid’s pool float while I was at it too.
Here’s a couple pictures of the process that I hope help others who have the same problem.
BTW, I’m really happy with this ballast upgrade and the ability to surf with an old SAN.