Patch-N-Go Emergency Repair Strips, bigger sizes

Patch-N-Go is a new release-paper backed 5 mil clear teflon film, that comes in small precut circles, squares, and strips. When you get a hole, you just clean the area with alcohol, dry it for a moment, and slowly apply & burnish the patch. Wait five minutes, or more if you want, and you are on your way. In other words, it is like using tape to cover the hole - but a tape that actually works. Even the best military duct tape won't adhere well enough on inflatable exteriors to prevent air tunneling out from the rip to the edge of the duct tape no matter how much you put on. Not so with Patch-N-Go.

Gotta admit, we were very skeptical of it a few years back when it came out. We fully expected the same thing to happen as with duct tape during testing, with the air escaping from underneath. We were wrong. At 2 p.s.i., which is as much as you should ever think about putting in a freshly repaired boat, the Patch-N-Go patch hung in there amazingly well, with no air tunneling out from underneath. At 2-1/2 to 3 p.s.i. there was a slight stretching open of the cut underneath, clearly visible through the transparent teflon, but the patch itself did not budge. How well it really stuck becme even more apparent when we tried to remove the stuff!

We tried a 3" patch on a 1" cut, and a 6" square on a 1" X 2-1/4" L-shaped tear. It always worked flawlessly. And this was after only a few minutes. The adhesive patch n'go cures more over time so it will only get stronger after an hour or a day. Not only is the glue powerful, but it also seems to help that the Patch-N-Go base teflon does not stretch like even the best duct tapes will.

These are not intended to be a permanent patch for quality boats that use higher pressures but on a Sevylor (or any unreinforced vinyl) kayak you could call it "good enough" due to the low pressure they run on, and you could never get it back off a Sevy anyway. The 5 mil Patch-N-Go circles will also provide a permanent fix on an AIRE tube bladder. In our mind the main thing that would keep it from being a permanent repair on outer raft hulls is the fact that being stiff, the Patch-N-Go tends to crinkle up a bit when you roll the boat. Over time these crinkles could lead to minor air tunneling. Or not. If the same adhesive were available on softer urethane, it would not crinkle, but it would allow the rip underneath to stretch. The teflon is not only extremely tough in terms of tear & stretch resistance, it also slips over anything. Any area of your boat with a piece of Patch-N-Go applied will never, ever rip again.

The one thing you should know is that if you do want to get the Patch-N-Go back off your boat there will be some tenacious goo left behind. This must be removed before the real patching begins. The residual adhesive cannot be removed with alcohol, so you will need MEK or Coleman fuel for this part of the process. We also need to point out that delamination of the outer coating of your boat is a very real possibility. There is no free lunch here - if it did not stick so well, if wouldn't work at all. But because the glue is so powerful, urethane, neoprene, hypalon, and particularly nitrylon (Innova) coatings can be pulled off when you lift a Patch-N-Go.

Patch-N-Go's are expensive for what you get, but then again, getting stuck on an impromptu overnighter along the riverbank is a real drag. We do have a kit with two small circles, and two larger sizes listed separately in this section of our site. You should probably bring a small smoothed-over putty knife for burnishing and maybe some extra alcohol in a little Nalgene - and don't forget the rag.

A 3" X 24" strip OR a 6" X 12" strip is $13; we do have a $25 minimum so please keep that in mind before preceeding to the cart.

Note that Patch-N-Go items can be mailed far cheaper than what you would pay for UPS, so that's how we'll send them unless you specify otherwise. We are happy to send them UPS if you wish.