Que faire en cas de crevaison du boudin de son Zodiac ?

October 7, 2022 Orca Blog

What should you do if your Zodiac's bladder gets punctured?

Of course, pneumatic tubes are robustly designed (if properly maintained, a Hypalon bladder can last up to 25 years!), but no one is immune to a puncture. An unfortunate snag with a sharp object while fishing, or a collision with rocks or coral are all things that can happen.

You then notice that the fabric of your inflatable bladders is loosening, and you can feel the effects of deflation: you've got to act fast!

The good news is that RIB boat bladders lend themselves very well to puncture repair. So what should you do if a bladder on your inflatable boat gets punctured? What steps should you take to repair it? Orca Retail has the answers.

1. Locating the leak

Before anything else, make sure you locate any spaces that may have been affected. Even if you've visually spotted a tear in your bladder, now's your chance to take stock and get rid of all possible punctures.

The first method of checking can be done dry: inflate your bladder as much as possible, then press it (by sitting down, for example). This will force air out through the "wound". Then listen closely to hear this leak. For larger models, a little help won't hurt. This method is simple, but unfortunately it's not always easy to spot the leak in a noisy environment, when there are various sources of leakage, or when the leak is very small.

That's why we'd rather recommend the second, admittedly more tedious, but more accurate method, using a body of water. Maneuver your pudding so that it is immersed end over end in the water, pressing down on it. If you seeair bubbles escaping, you've found the culprit!

If you're still having trouble, you can also buy a leak detection spray from the store. This involves applying a coat of product to the suspect areas. A thin film will settle on the surface of your inflatable tube, and if there's a leak, bubbles will form.

As a last resort, call on a repairer specializing in RIB boats near you! To do so, check out our rubric dedicated to our repair partners or our blog.

2. Repairing the puncture

If the damage is limited, as with any tire you can simply use puncture patches for Zodiac. However, in the case of larger tears, we recommend seeking professional help directly and using our adapted repair fabrics.

We will return here to a repair with patches, whose steps are as follows:

Spread your fully deflated bladder on a flat surface.
Cut out a patch. It should be rounded and larger than the hole.
Degrease the surface to be glued with a cloth and acetone, as well as the patch.
Badge the patch with special glue using a brush. Repeat this step 2 or 3 times, allowing 10 minutes for the glue to dry.
Also brush some glue around the hole.
Once you've found the space around the hole and your patch, install the patch with precision.
Evacuate air bubbles by running over the newly installed patch with a tool, and press well to set and glue dry.
Finally, clean the perimeter still using acetone, in a superficial manner.

And there you have it! You've repaired your punctured bladder all by yourself! For best results, wait 2 days before putting your RIB back in the water.

Tips for avoiding punctures

You've finished your inflatable tube repair session, what precautions should you take to prevent this from happening again

1. Inflate your bladder properly

It may seem counterintuitive, but an over-inflatedinflatable boat bladder will wear out less quickly than an under-inflated one. So you can inflate your tube without hesitation, especially as pressure-relief valves have been fitted to most models for over 10 years.

2. Invest in fenders

This is particularly useful for mooring phases, as the use of fenders in the driving phase is not ideal. But using it for port entry or exit is a good idea. Even if impacts with boats or docks are minimal, over time, this can wear out your RIB tubes.

3. Strengthen your tube

Use our tire repair fabrics to offer unparalleled strength to your tubes. Orca Retail offers a wide choice of boat lengths, colors and finishes, so you can customize your inflatable bladder just the way you want it. Our Hypalon (Neoprene / CSM) fabrics are guaranteed for 5 years and are recommended by hundreds of repairers!

Another way to improve the strength and robustness of your tubes is to buy ragging strips to glue along them.