Re glueing handles on inflatable

[Jonah]

I have a Walker Bay RID (ridge inflatable dingy), some of handles are coming off.  What would be the best way to reattach them?  I'm thinking that trying to clean and prep the areas would be difficult.  While it is getting old, it is still serviceable and I enjoy it a lot. Would appreciate any and all helpful tips.  Thank you, blessings,  'J'ene

[relamb]

I have 1999 and 1988 vintage inflatables, both hypalon, and have patched and glued them many times.  Catfish spines, a big stingray, errant fillet knives have taken their toll.  While I've patched them myself, the patches never seem to hold that well and often developed slow leaks.  But then again, they were often done on the water so I could keep fishing.  At least for hypalon, the surface must be well prepped, the adhesive must be fresh, and the temperature and humidity play a big factor in how well it holds.  I've never had a PVC boat, so don't know about that.
I finally took mine to a shop specializing in inflatables, they reworked all my old patches, and I couldn't be happier.
So I'll keep carrying a patch kit and doing temporary repairs if I need to, but eventually I'll go back to the shops (I used two different ones) if I want the repair to last.
Rick

[relamb]

By the way, both shops charged by the hour, and it was only an hour or so labor to rework 5-6 old patches to the point where the boat would hold air for weeks.
The second shop actually did the older boat for free because I bought a consignment boat from them, some of the nameplates and safety labels were starting to come unglued, they peeled everything off and reglued them.