Grab a vinyl patch kit, not the superglue

Patching a small hole in a vinyl pool float quickly is easy — just clean it, glue a vinyl patch over it, and give it a few minutes to set.

That little patch kit they sell near the pool gear is cheap and works fine. Most of them come with a small patch and contact cement, and that’s all you really need. Dry the area, rough it up a bit if you have sandpaper, and apply a thin layer of the adhesive. Wait for it to get tacky, press the patch on hard, and hold it there a minute.

If you don’t have a kit, cut a small circle from any vinyl (an old inner tube works) and use a flexible waterproof glue like E6000 or a tube of vinyl cement. Stay away from superglue — it dries hard and brittle, and the flexing of a pool float will crack it right off. Same for duct tape: fine for the day, garbage by tomorrow.

Deflating the float just a little while the patch cures makes it easier and keeps tension from pulling at the patch. Then let it sit maybe ten minutes before pumping it back up.

Ten minutes now beats buying a new float.