Dinghy Has Strange Rash

[wdkester]

Last winter, the wind blew the cover off part of my dinghy. This area was covered with snow. When I took the cover off in the Spring I found this rash. The bubbles are water-filled. They can be pulled off fairly easily. You can see in the picture that I have pulled a couple off.

I have 2 related questions:
1. Is this a hypalon dinghy?
2. How would you fix it?

[JPA Cate]

Write to the manufacturer about the repair. It does not appear to be hypalon.

I've never seen that type of damage before, I don't understand how freezing could have accomplished that.

Ann

[Reefmagnet]

Hypalon will have threads coming out of the seams. We've got an Apex brand hypalon dinghy that has what I consider an inferior hypalon to the original Dupont stuff used on dinghys like the old Avon's. I've also noticed the same type of problem on it when the light grey surface coating has come away in small patches on the handles and along the strips that covers the seam of the tubes connecting to the hull, exposing the lighter fabric reinforced material underneath similar to your picture less the water. I haven't worried too much about it (the dinghy is about 10 years old now) as with hypalon the top layer does not contribute to the strength and I haven't noticed any UV degradation of the underlying fabric.

Having said that, I have sometimes wondered if the material is either a faux hypalon or lighter grade then the tubes because the tubes themselves have never had a problem.


Sent from my SGP521 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[JPA Cate]

Since DuPont quit making hypalon, there are other companies who make a similar product, but with a thinner layer on the top. This layer degrades over time, revealing the scrim, when (in our case) then did get uv damage, and the dinghy would not then hold air. There used to be some kind of rubber pain you could paint it with, but it cracks when you disinflate the dinghy. Some friends tried the flexible paint like for truck tarps, but were not satisfied with it.

Ann