Ranger RIB Leaking

[Dcsqatar]

I pumped up my 5 year old Ranger inflatable dinghy after the winter and it is slowly leaking. Anyone have guidance on the most likely leak locations (where to look first) and how best to find the leak? If it was warmer I would put it into the water right-side up and then upside down while swimming around it, and look for bubbles. Possibly a soap (snoop) solution applied to the fill valves and all the seams would work best.

Anyone have any repair tips assuming I find the leak?

Thanks for any help!

 

[Nwdiver]

The old trick of using a spray bottle filled with soap solution usually works and you can do that out of the water and stay warm

 

[glider4]

I’m pretty sure the RT dinghies are Hypalon. You should confirm with RT. The other, and cheaper material is PVC.
Hopefully it’s not a seam but a puncture. If so, you may need a patch that should match the material of the dinghy. The usual marine supply places carry patches in different sizes and shapes.
Seams are much more problematic. You may need to get a dinghy repair specialist to repair a seam. There was a guy in Gig Harbor doing repairs a few years ago.
If you do have a puncture or are going to tackle a seam, I highly recommend using Weaver adhesives. We had to add davit pads to our dinghy and several dealers and the Zodiac national rep told us to use the Weaver adhesive. Weaver makes both Hypalon and PVC adhesive. The directions are very specific and need to be followed to the letter.
We ended up installing davit five pads on our new Zodiac alu rib and they are all holding perfectly after two seasons.
https://www.weaverindustries.com/Adhesives/

Valve leaks can be easier to repair. This video is pretty good in going through the valve replacement process:
https://www.google.com/search?q=dinghy+ ... 565ls,st:0