Aquaseal/Cure Accelerator Instructions

ArticleJune 10, 2011

Aquaseal is a great repair material that belongs in every boater’s repair kit. Adding Cure Accelerator to Aquaseal significantly shortens the cure time and thins it to a brushable consistency. Cure Accelerator is also a good cleaning solvent for patched areas.

  • Neoprene sprayskirts
  • Neoprene/HydroSkin apparel
  • Most technical apparel: Eclipse, HyproTex, GORE-TEX, Triton, Nylon
  • Latex Gaskets
  • Aquaseal is very abrasion resistant. Spread it on boats, watershoes, dry bags, etc. for wear protection.

Materials Needed

Aquaseal, Cure Accelerator (optional, speeds the tack time to 15 minutes), Applicator, Mixing Cups, Piece of cardboard, Pins.

Warning for all Glue and Solvent Use:
Use of these products can be very dangerous and can have short term and long term consequences to your health. It is important for you to take precautions and wear all appropriate safety gear. Wearing gloves, a respirator, eye protection, and working in a well ventilated area can go a long way towards mitigating these risks.

WARNING: Fully cured Aquaseal is slippery when wet!

Optional Cure Accelerator Mixing Instructions

  1. Mix 1 part Cure Accelerator to 3–4 parts Aquaseal
  2. Mix thoroughly until compound appears white

Repair With Patch

  1. Clean damaged area with Cure Accelerator (or isopropyl alcohol).
  2. Trim loose threads.
  3. Cut a Patch so that it has rounded corners and is at least 1/2" bigger than the tear.
  4. Create backing with masking tape on the item to be patched; this will prevent glue from leaking through the hole and sticking to other parts of the item. Alternately, wax paper can be used.
  5. Draw an outline of the patch on the item to be patched.
  6. Pin the patch onto the piece of cardboard, so that the side you will be gluing is facing up. Clean this side of the patch and let dry.
  7. Apply Aquaseal to both the patch and the area that the patch will cover. It’s okay to go a little larger than the patch; this will ensure that no edges of your new patch will peel up.
  8. If using Cure Accelerator, you will need to wait for 20 minutes or so until the glue is tacky on both sides.
    High wear areas: On high wear areas, outline the patch with a thin coat of Aquaseal for flexible abrasion resistance.
  9. If not using Cure Accelerator immediately place the patch on the area.
  10. Place a piece of wax paper over the patched area, then place a heavy flat object (i.e., a heavy book) over the top of the wax paper and let sit 12 hours (approximately six hours if Cure Accelerator was used).
  11. Keep repaired surface level overnight and avoid contact with other surfaces.
  12. Remove the masking tape that is on the back of the repair.

Repair Holes and Tears

Note: This type of repair will only work for small tears or holes less than 1/4" in diameter.

  1. Clean damaged area with Cure Accelerator.
  2. Create backing with wax paper. This will keep the glue from leaking through and sticking to other places on the garment.
  3. Fill void and 1/4" beyond edge with Aquaseal mix.
  4. Wait for 24 hours and remove the wax paper.
  5. If the hole is not sufficiently fixed, a patch repair may need to be applied to fix the problem.

Gasket Replacement

Step-by-step gasket replacement instructions are available. An overview video is also available.

Wear Protection

  1. Clean the area with Cure Accelerator or rubbing alcohol.
  2. For a cleaner-looking patch, mask off the area to be treated.
  3. Mixing Aquaseal with Cure Accelerator will speed up the cure time and let you spread a smoother layer.
  4. Remove the tape after applying the Aquaseal.
  5. Keep the area level until cured.

Aquaseal is a moisture-curing adhesive. To prevent unused product in the tube from hardening, push glue up to the tube opening, cap tightly (can add a bit of “Vaseline” to the threads) and store in the freezer between uses.