Hypalon

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Originally Posted by Statistical

If you are in the tropics buy Hypalon. PVC isn't going to last more than 5 years and honestly quite a few don't last half that. Hypalon with chaps and proper care can last a decade.

whatttt PVC last 5 year wher in warehouse magazin.
we change PVC ding from 2 month to 2 years max. hypalon last maybe 5 year(i never sea but some legend say can last 5 year in charter ,but low market.
iam super happy if last 2 year .after 2 years i giveaway and pull new from magazine who care for 300€ and we charged use 100€ per week x 25.
bigest profit coming from dingy ws yacht today

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also one trick for protection pvc,hypalon more expensive dingy.
when dingy is brand new paint them with italian paint for dingy. very expensive paint ,but all expensive dingy for superyacht is painted in factory

[JPA Cate]

Thank you for that, more. I had not heard that before. It makes sense. Hypalon paint has been around a long time, and the paint certainly would protect the hypalon from UV.

Ann

[Mickeyrouse]

I am on my second Achilles-hypalon dinghy. I intend to take of it. Hypalon is a creation of DuPont. Its sole plant making hypalon was just down the road from us here in Beaumont, Texas. Dupont ceased production of hypalon in 2010. It is now produced at various chemical plants in Asia, presumably under license. DuPont is/was renowned for their quality control. I find it hard to think that QC is as rigidly applied in marginal chemical plants under distant scrutiny as it was stateside.
We of course have no way of knowing that, or just what the quality is of hypalon in dinghies now. We can only hope, of course, and be thankful our dinghies (pre-2012 or so) have the DuPont mojo.

[rxcsailnet]

My Caribe was Hypalon and it lasted 22 years, until this past February, when the surface started to really chalk, and it needed to be pumped up. 6 years in the Cheapeake, 6 years in NW Europe, and 10 years in Florida. All of them hanging off the stern of the big boat, except for a few years under cover in the Chesapeake.

It owed me nothing, and I bought a Hypalon Highfield, which should last me till I swallow the anchor. I will have either chaps or a cover made for the Highfield. The Caribe was given to a local guy who said that he had some ideas about how to rejuvenate it. I don't have the time to do that any more.

Hypalon over PVC. No Question.

[mark0978]

Where do you get repair kits for Hypalon in Mexico? I've not been able to find them and have had to resort to Tear-Aid to patch things. This should not be a long term fix but the lack of any viable kits or fabric makes Hypalon a difficult thing to repair.

Mine is ancient and still working but needs inflating far too often.....

[Franziska]

Find a dead a Hypalon dinghy, cut the patches out of it, clean them well with a brush and soapy water.
Cut some Xtra patches.

Usually it's not so difficult to find an old broken dinghy rotting away on a beach.

Glue them on with Gougeon G-flex epoxy.
You want the inside of the cut out patches facing outside, because it has had no UV exposure.

By the way there is also flexible paint made specifically to protect and rejuvenate old inflatables.

[George_SD]

You can get repair kits in chandlery stores or from dinghy repair shops - they have plenty of cut-offs.

If I'm repairing a big hole - i first do a patch from the inside, dry it, then do a patch on the outside. I find this approach to be more difficult to execute, but also more trustworthy.

[Jim Cate]

You want the inside of the cut out patches facing outside, because it has had no UV exposure.

When I've used such material for patching I have done it with the "good" side of the patch inward because it's surface is not degraded and the adhesive will hold better.. I don't care what the outside looks like!

Jim

[JPA Cate]

^^^^^^

Yeah, it's always nice when the air stays on the inside.

Ann

[Franziska]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

When I've used such material for patching I have done it with the "good" side of the patch inward because it's surface is not degraded and the adhesive will hold better.. I don't care what the outside looks like!

Jim

Jim,

I hear you, but if you clean the patch really well and then glue with G-flex epoxy I do not see adhésion issues. The gap filling characteristics of the G-flex an relative insensitivity to air moisture during glueing is also helping greatly.
My logic of flipping the cutout patches is not about the looks.
I put the "good ex interior" side outside because of the fact that it had zero UV damage and will likely stand up longer against UV and wear than the already damaged "old exterior side".

Of course chaps or paint outside to protect an old boat are helpful too.

[Jim Cate]

^^^^

At this stage of the dinghies life I don't think that any UV damage to one side of the patch will materially (!) affect the usefulness of the patch. I've never had a patch leak THROUGH the patch material doing it my way... can't say the same about the glue lines!

I've not used G-Flex as an adhesive as yet. Sounds pretty useful, and perhaps not as persnickety as SC2000 to use. No Hypalon in our fleet right now, but will consider the epoxy should the need arise to patch one in the future.

Jim

[BenBowSirocco]

With all the new hard dinghy options- why not just skip the fabric and leaks all together?

20 years is impressive- but I think that level of quality may be past us at this point.. And chaps are a PITA.



Mantus and GoDu are offering hard dinghies that have many of the same attributes as a RIB and both are similarily priced.



Buy it once and be done with it.