Painting a new lnflatable

[Richfind]

I have a brand new West Marine 340 Hypalon RIB. I am thinking of painting it with a quality inflatable paint to protect it from UV damage. Hopefully this would extend the life of the fabric.

Usually people paint their boats after the fabric has started to deteriorate.

I have considered chaps but this boat has 25 hp on it and can't imagine the force of the water not getting between the bottom edge of the chaps and the hull fabric and not causing issues.

Does anyone have experience with painting preemptively?

[KeelMe]

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...alon-4816.html

[a64pilot]

Chaps if fitted correctly will work fine.

[KeelMe]

Bottomless chaps. Definitely bottomless chaps.

[JPA Cate]

Hello, Richfind,

If the dinghy does not have to be dis-inflated, then painting will help protect it. CF member "thinwater" may know about hypalon paint. It was available years ago, what we used to apply registration numbers to an old grey hypalon Zodiac.

However, if you do have to roll it up, the paint is likely to crack off in spots, and it will appear unsightly. If it were me, I'd go the chaps route. But, as in the link, do read the SailRite chaps instructions before you undertake to sew yours.

CF member, Sapient Sue, has recently completed a beaut set of Sunbrella chaps for their elderly hypalon Caribe. She incorporated flashes of retroreflective 3M patches for it, as well, one fore and one aft, port and stbd. I think Sunbrella is better in this application than the Weather Max I chose to make mine out of, , because the former has greater UV resistance, and and its lack of resistance to chafe does not seem to be a big deal in dinghy chaps.

Ann

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

Hello, Richfind,

If the dinghy does not have to be dis-inflated, then painting will help protect it. CF member "thinwater" may know about hypalon paint. It was available years ago, what we used to apply registration numbers to an old grey hypalon Zodiac.

However, if you do have to roll it up, the paint is likely to crack off in spots, and it will appear unsightly. If it were me, I'd go the chaps route. But, as in the link, do read the SailRite chaps instructions before you undertake to sew yours.

CF member, Sapient Sue, has recently completed a beaut set of Sunbrella chaps for their elderly hypalon Caribe. She incorporated flashes of retroreflective 3M patches for it, as well, one fore and one aft, port and stbd. I think Sunbrella is better in this application than the Weather Max I chose to make mine out of, , because the former has greater UV resistance, and and its lack of resistance to chafe does not seem to be a big deal in dinghy chaps.

Ann

I'd wait at least a few years. The surface will be roughened up them. Hypalon really does hold up well in the sun.


That said, I did use MDR's product on an older Hypalon inflatable. It lasted about 8 years. There are other paints, just as good. The main thing is surface prep. But I would definitely wait. It usually isn't the UV that kills them, it's chafe.

[flyingfin]

Paint an inflatable???? Just buy a cover, or even a cheap fitted sheet from Dollar General and replace every 6 months

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by thinwater

I'd wait at least a few years. The surface will be roughened up them. Hypalon really does hold up well in the sun.


That said, I did use MDR's product on an older Hypalon inflatable. It lasted about 8 years. There are other paints, just as good. The main thing is surface prep. But I would definitely wait. It usually isn't the UV that kills them, it's chafe.

Thank you for this, thinwater. I agree about the chafe. On our first hypalon dinghy, the hypalon wore off where we sat, the underlying scrim became accessible to the UV, and it began to leak. Painting one about the 8 yr. time makes sense to me, for hypalon.

Right now, we're trialing a set of PVC tubes on our rib, and so far, it's okay. I made chaps for it out of Weather Max, which has not held up well, imo, to the UV. Sunbrella works better.

Ann

[scallowayuk]

Hi.i have always used hypalin dhingies my present avon redcrest is about 25 years old ,has done the caribbean circuit from england 4 times presently in the canaries its still fine .vinyl ones leach a brown sticky fluid in hot climes probably why they need covers or painting .hypalon is tough and long lasting.

[SteveSadler]

My rib is 4 yrs old and I will paint it next year. The hypalon is harder to clean than it was new. I painted my SUP inflatables with latex house paint and it works great. They are PVC, stored on deck, lots of sun. The paint is 3 years old and will scratch but not noticeable if same color as PVC, and easy to touch up.
Chaps are very expensive, some use plastic clips to attach that scratch topsides, and hard to clean the stains. I'm sure there is a better paint out there, but I've tried a few and have problems with them remaining tacky.

[hellosailor]

Rich-
There is a compromise. Products like 303 or ArmorAll will substantially block UV and stabilize the plastic. Might need to use them 4x per year in the south, only twice a year in the north. Way cheaper than paint, too.(G)

[Dave22q]

If you use ruberized paint intended to renew the hypolon fabric it will work well. I would avoid paint designed for cosmetics as not much UV protection. Defender carries for about $50/qt- plenty for a 10-12' dinghy,

[model 10]

I would give it a paint job with Stits Polyfiber. It's a 3 layer spray job. First layer is soft and very adhesive, 2 coats. The second layer is totally full of AL flakes for UV and takes probably 4 coats. The top layer is the color, at least another 2 coats. It actually comes out pretty thin, it won't hide anything and will offer little protection other than for UV.

[billknny]

We painted our dinghy early on. We deflate it all the time, and the paint holds up just fine. It lasts about 3 years, and then needs renewal.

Painting an inflatable will NOT give you a showroom finish. In fact, it will, even with the best care, give you a bit of the "workboat esthetic"

That's fine for us, make it less attractive to steal, and the UV protection was more important than being all spit polished.

[brcdive]

Try these products. They made 15 year old dinghy look brand new.


http://www.islandgirlproducts.com/product-list/