Does Hypalon deteriorate out of sun & heat

[Geek_Guy]

If a Hypalon dinghy is stored out of the sun and with climate control does it retain it integrity or degrade?

[JPA Cate]

Hypalon does UV degrade, so it might go longer if protected as you suggest. I've seen old hypalon Avon dinghies, stored many months of the year, with the hypalon in excellent condition, at the age of 20 yrs.

We used a 2nd hand dinghy also hypalon, into its 15th year, but it was not holding air very well its last year, required pumping up, more than once a week. No one had thought of chaps, then; it had been uncovered throughout its existence.

Ann

[44'cruisingcat]

Guess it depends on how long. Nothing lasts forever.

[Sandero]

UV degrades everything.

[belizesailor]

Hypalon is amazing stuff...long life span in full sun and rough use...stowed out of sun...wow...long long time.

[Cheechako]

I sold a Hypalon Achilles that was mid 90's a few years back. The Hypalon was in great shape still.

[Aquadome]

Originally Posted by Geek_Guy

If a Hypalon dinghy is stored out of the sun and with climate control does it retain it integrity or degrade?

IT will last longest stored that way ... many years

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Sandero

UV degrades everything.

Not true, actually - take stainless steel just as one example. And a harmful oversimplification even with regards to those materials which are affected by UV.

Hypalon is chlorosulfonated*polyethylene, which has extraordinary resistance to UV compared to other synthetic rubbers. It's used for roof membranes on commercial building, among other things, and typically has a 20 year warranty.

Hypalon does wear out, but typically not from UV. Typically the seams give out or there is mechanical wear or abrasion. My former Hypalon Avon dinghy was 15 years old when I sold it, and the tubes still had no problems whatsoever apart from mechanically worn spots. It had lived on davits and never spent a day in the shade in its life.

Of course if you can keep any dinghy out of the sun and weather, it will stay fresher. But UV does not noticeably affect the Hypalon material over periods of time less than 15 or 20 years, in my experience.

[tedowens]

The problem is with the glue not the Hypalon. Hypalon dinghies are glued together and the glue definitely deteriorates out of the sun. I bought a dinghy that had been stored 10 yrs in a garage. At first, there were a couple of loose joints that I fixed. Then a couple more and so on. I never could fix it even after glueing a dozen spots. The joints kept separating and I eventually had to scrap it.

[redsky49]

"...Hypalon does wear out, but typically not from UV. Typically the seams give out or there is mechanical wear or abrasion. My former Hypalon Avon dinghy was 15 years old when I sold it, and the tubes still had no problems whatsoever apart from mechanically worn spots. It had lived on davits and never spent a day in the shade in its life.

Of course if you can keep any dinghy out of the sun and weather, it will stay fresher. But UV does not noticeably affect the Hypalon material over periods of time less than 15 or 20 years, in my experience."

This may be true for northern latitudes, but underestimates the damaging effects of sunlight (UV) in southern zones. It is remarkable how intense the sun is, impacting most any surface and/or material - human skin in particular.

In my experience, 15-20 years of dependable service life in the tropics is truly the exception. That said, I regularly use a recommended protectant on my hypalon dinks, treat them with kid gloves, and cover them whenever possible. My hope is to beat the ten year mark with my current Achilles inflatable.

YMMV

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by tedowens

The problem is with the glue not the Hypalon. Hypalon dinghies are glued together and the glue definitely deteriorates out of the sun. I bought a dinghy that had been stored 10 yrs in a garage. At first, there were a couple of loose joints that I fixed. Then a couple more and so on. I never could fix it even after glueing a dozen spots. The joints kept separating and I eventually had to scrap it.

I have a three year old Hypalon dinghy, material is in great shape, glue however is beginning to fail.
That is what will spell its demise, unless I can find someone who can reglue the thing as I'm afraid that is beyond my capability.
I have a couple of patches on leaky seams now.

[tankersteve]

My dad still has an Achilles Hypalon from the early 1980s. Now, it mainly came out for a few weeks each summer, and was never in the South, just the Great Lakes and Niantic area, but that dinghy is still in decent shape.


Tankersteve

[Rapanui]

We had a mid 1970s Avon hypalon Redcrest until about 7 years ago and it still worked fine although looked a little shabby. Kept in garage or on davits when sailing. But that was in UK south coast and North France so pretty much out of the sun as the OP asked.
There are many old Avons of similar age still in service in the UK, but then the original Avons were almost indistructable. I doubt my Avon Riblite will last anything like as long even in UK conditions and its now in the Med. I suspect modern hypalon dinghys are built of lighter materials and faster to reduce costs.
If you want a testemonial to the Avon, read 117 days adrift by Maurice and Maralyn Bailey. I did and canned my dodgy Campari dinghy for a new Avon in 1973 which was still going strong recently.

[ingrid75]

You also have to consider vermin. I left my hypalon dinghy deflated and covered on deck in kochi, India for 2 months and returned to find Hugh holes knawed in it! Rats.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by redsky49

"...Hypalon does wear out, but typically not from UV. Typically the seams give out or there is mechanical wear or abrasion. My former Hypalon Avon dinghy was 15 years old when I sold it, and the tubes still had no problems whatsoever apart from mechanically worn spots. It had lived on davits and never spent a day in the shade in its life.

Of course if you can keep any dinghy out of the sun and weather, it will stay fresher. But UV does not noticeably affect the Hypalon material over periods of time less than 15 or 20 years, in my experience."

This may be true for northern latitudes, but underestimates the damaging effects of sunlight (UV) in southern zones. It is remarkable how intense the sun is, impacting most any surface and/or material - human skin in particular.

In my experience, 15-20 years of dependable service life in the tropics is truly the exception. That said, I regularly use a recommended protectant on my hypalon dinks, treat them with kid gloves, and cover them whenever possible. My hope is to beat the ten year mark with my current Achilles inflatable.

YMMV

Maybe, but I'm not sure it's UV which kills them. I also cruised in the tropics for a couple of decades, and I don't think I ever saw a Hypalon dinghy killed by sunlight. It was always the seams which failed. This was in marked contrast to PVC dinghies, which were visibly eaten up by sunlight.

It is true that my last Florida dinghy had chaps to keep the sun off it. But even the dinghy before that, an AB or something Italian, was still perfectly usable and not even sun faded, after 10 years in davits in the Florida sun. Hypalon is really a remarkable material.