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Old 08-07-2020, 16:10   #1
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Painting the tubes?

After much angst, I bought a used alloy hull AB Hypalon dinghy. Got what seems like a great price on it. I have tried it out and it seems like a good compromise that will meet my needs.

Except... it is black. I am not planning any nocturnal special ops where I need black. While there may be some minor UV resistance advantages, the heat absorbed by this thing in the Florida mid-summer sunshine is intense. I do not yet have a pressure gauge for it, but I imagine the color accentuates pressure fluctuation. More importantly, the thing burns my butt when I sit on the tubes.

One obvious answer is light colored chaps, which have a lot of advantages. Might be awhile before I can make them however. I have thought about painting the tubes, at least the tops, where crew might sit, with white hypalon paint. Quick and easy, relatively low cost. But if it fails (peels, cracks, bubbles, etc) it will be pretty crappy looking. Might add a few pounds, but less I imagine than chaps.

Anyone done this?
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Old 08-07-2020, 16:13   #2
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Re: Painting the tubes?

Quote:
Originally Posted by sanibel sailor View Post
After much angst, I bought a used alloy hull AB Hypalon dinghy. Got what seems like a great price on it. I have tried it out and it seems like a good compromise that will meet my needs.

Except... it is black. I am not planning any nocturnal special ops where I need black. While there may be some minor UV resistance advantages, the heat absorbed by this thing in the Florida mid-summer sunshine is intense. I do not yet have a pressure gauge for it, but I imagine the color accentuates pressure fluctuation. More importantly, the thing burns my butt when I sit on the tubes.

One obvious answer is light colored chaps, which have a lot of advantages. Might be awhile before I can make them however. I have thought about painting the tubes, at least the tops, where crew might sit, with white hypalon paint. Quick and easy, relatively low cost. But if it fails (peels, cracks, bubbles, etc) it will be pretty crappy looking. Might add a few pounds, but less I imagine than chaps.

Anyone done this?
Black is a terrible color

Overheats and over pressure during the day

Under pressure at night

Cover the tubes
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Old 08-07-2020, 16:15   #3
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Re: Painting the tubes?

I think I would just try to fast track the chaps. I wonder if you can vinyl wrap inflatable tubes.
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Old 08-07-2020, 16:30   #4
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Re: Painting the tubes?

I have used MDR topside inflatable paint on hypalon inflatables very successfully with no pealing. Should get 5 years or more. Much easier than chaps and no added bulk.

I'd suggest light gray. Black is very bad. White is too hard to keep clean.
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Old 08-07-2020, 16:36   #5
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Re: Painting the tubes?

Black will get nasty hot in the sun. Paint it some lighter colour.


b.
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Old 10-07-2020, 10:45   #6
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Re: Painting the tubes?

Any recommendation for brand of paint?
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Old 10-07-2020, 11:18   #7
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Re: Painting the tubes?

MDR/Amazons is a brand.
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Old 10-07-2020, 13:33   #8
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Re: Painting the tubes?

Same question for PVC.

Anyone have good results with paint?

Looking for something less time consuming than custom chaps.
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Old 10-07-2020, 13:48   #9
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Re: Painting the tubes?

I painted my grey PVC WM dinghy with white acrylic roof paint because it got too hot in the Baja sun and was beginning to deteriorate. So far, so good, it even stopped a very slow leak somewhere on one of the tubes.
The tubes are way, way cooler now. As a previous poster commented, white is hard to keep clean. My dinghy looks pretty shitty, which I think is a positive in terms of its being a target for theft.
I drive beaters for much the same reason.
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Old 10-07-2020, 13:55   #10
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Re: Painting the tubes?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chotu View Post
Same question for PVC.

Anyone have good results with paint?

Looking for something less time consuming than custom chaps.
I've used this same paint on polyester and laminate sail cloth for UV strips. I got samples from a bunch of paint companies, exposed them on racks for 2 years, and then tested the samples. It has also been on the sails for 1 1/2 years with zero chips. Experiments for an article.

Practical Sailor tested several inflatable paints some years ago. MDR was top choice on PVC and hypalon.

https://www.practical-sailor.com/boa...after-one-year

This is after 5 years. Maryland, not the south, but it lives on the davits 365. I repainted it again at 7 years, not so much because it look bad, but because the boat was for sale. I used medium gray--You can see the light gray original peaking through, and I wish I had used the light gray (less pressure swing). The white (I have used it on other things) does not cover as well or give as much UV protection. My primary motivation was UV blocking. Two coats will give virtually 100% block, just as good as dark Sunbrella (measured).


So I would say MDR is the choice. Clean and scrub as prep, it goes on like latex house paint. Easy. A roller works well, brushes for the corners. Much easier to live with than chaps.
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