It may be good to test a few dabs of the bonding adhesive from more than one kind of tube repair kit to see which may stick to the old boot rubber best?.
If you have to patch from the inside, pretty thin material will be necessary to conform to the zig-zag shape, so if the kit patches are too thick, perhaps you can cut the thin rubber of a bicycle tube or something similar into the sizes you need...again test the bonding adhesive on your patch pieces too before doing the actual repair..
Like Steve mentioned above, make sure you fully coat the individual pieces with the bonding material stuff and let dry as req'd to get tacky before you attempt sticking the pieces together..
On the danger scene, use in a well ventilated area or you'll probably be buzzing from inhaling the fumes of the bonding goop...unless you want this to happen on purpose?
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Good luck...and have fun?!
~ Pete