In the entire history of mankind, no invention has proved as important as the ultimate fix-it tool, duct tape. Until now. Rhino Hide’s new urethane adhesives like XFR Marine and Rhino Lok may surpass the silver stuff, when it comes to fixing things in the do-it-yourself world.
XFR Marine used to come in a white tube that would spin open to expose a kit including everything you needed to prep a surface—metal, wood, PVC, plastic, whatever—mix a batch of moldable repair adhesive, and shoot it into place. The chemical make-up of this stuff is secret, but it has a 30-second working time, quick-sets in a minute, and is fully cured and sandable in five minutes. Remember that old Crazy Glue commercial, where a guy hangs from his helmet, attached to a steel beam by just the glue? That’s child’s play for this stuff, which has an astonishing 4,000 psi tinsel strength once hardened. As you might expect, something this strong requires a two-part mix. Unlike most two-part adhesives, however, XFR is mess-proof and idiot-proof because the two parts are self-contained in a double-plunger syringe. To mix them, you'd simply pop off the cap on the end of the syringe and clip on a mixing tip, then press the plunger. The mixing tip is designed to fully combine the chemicals before they reach the end of the tube. Just one problem: it turns out the plunger’s o-rings really didn't like some of the chemicals in this mix, and the XFR kits had to be pulled off the market. A new packaging system is currently being test but for now, the next best option is Rhino Lok in a 10 ounce tube. This stuff has the same finish strengths and qualities, but it also has a slower set time of one to two minutes, instead of 30 seconds. Good thing, because it'd be tough to make good use of 10-ounces of super-goop in 30 seconds. I first started playing with these adhesives the day after the plastic stereo mount in my boat’s electronics box broke, while I was banging through three foot seas. I didn’t have high hopes for a permanent fix, but three month (and many fishing trips) later, it’s still holding the pieces together and shows no sign of giving up. It got another chance to prove its worth when one of the supports on my duck boat’s boat-blind sheered off. Again, XFR surprised me by supporting the stress without a problem. Since then I’ve used it to glue the handle back on a fillet knife, attach the lip to a diving plug, and replace the latch on an old, broken tackle box. Of course, working with a 10-ounce tube for small repairs like these won't make too much sense; until a new version of XFR is introduced save the Rhino Lok for bigger jobs. You know, stuff like filling massive cracks in the hull, or mounting outboard engines on the transom - jobs that would normally require between two and three rolls of duct tape.
Price: Unknown for the XFR; a 10-oz. tube of Rhino Lok goes for $29.95, the gun goes for $45, and mixing tips are $1.00. Buy four cartridges and they'll give you a free dispencer with 50 tips.
The Highs: Fix just about anything, anywhere. The Lows: Working time is very, very short, and it’s tough to act fast enough when doing complex repairs... and you'll need to use big batches or ruin big tubes, until they can get a new small-batch product on the market. Who Wants It: DIY guys looking for a new super-goop.
