PVC vs Hypalon in the Tropics?

[leopard5cabin]

I would recommend a Whaly 435R They are sold in Ft Lauderdaje and they are bulletproof. My one is 14.5 ft with a 50hp engine.


Tiffany Cilladi
Yacht Tenders & Toys
Nautical Ventures South
50 S. Bryan Road
Dania Beach, FL 33004
W: 954-926-5250
E: TJ@nauticalventures.com

[leopard5cabin]

When you buy a Leopard 58 you are most likely going to buy a tender. There are so many choices. I am personally am not a fan of inflatable tenders. Our yacht is in charter in USVI, a place that has hurricanes and hurricanes leave a lot of debris in the water that can destroy an inflatable tender. After much research I decided to buy a Whaly 435R with a 50hp engine, all for just under $15,000.

Contact Tiffany Cilladi at Nautical Adventures.com if you want a Whaly 435R. She was a pleasure to deal with. They are located at 50 S. Bryan Road, Dania Beach Florida 33004
Phone: (954) 926-5250.
Email TJ@nauticaladventures.com

We modified chocks from this company: Universal. I will take pictures of modification on another post. The new chocks can be removed in about three minutes. I have a new design that will be even better.

For now going to leave the original chocks installed so we can tow our towable iFloats:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqbaUVL9HlU

The Whaly 435R tender is indestructible and it seats ten. It does not exceed weight limit on the Leopard 58 tender-swim platform:

Whaly 435R – 433 lbs
Yamaha F50- 247 lbs (dry weight without fuel/oil)
Console – 20 lbs
Bench – 15 lbs
Nav Arch – TBD
Bow Rail – TBD

TOTAL: 715 lbs without Nav Arch and Bow Rail

www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfEMez6MJ_0

[Hasbeen]

I had a hypalon dingy in the high tropics for 8 years. I painted it with the recommended hypalon paint at 3 years & 6 years. It was still in good condition when sold.


I had a 23 Ft shark cat, surveyed for 12 passengers as part of the fleet at an island resort in the tropics.The hood was hypalon, & 15 years old.


I had to resew all the seams at 8 years, as the terylene thread used in the manufacture had deteriorated, but the cloth was still in great condition. This boat lived permanently in the tropical sun.

[ejjawhite]

Originally Posted by WSMFP

I'm also interested. West Marine occasionally has a sale on their PVC 310 RIB series that drops the price down to about $1,000.

Boatstogo.com is where I bought my 9’6” Azzurro Mare with full set of chaos for about $1100. Very well made PVC. Check it out...

[Jimmyhenry]

We have a Highfield 3.1. We cruise Sth Pacific. UV here is probably the world worst. We keep the dinghy on deck under a decent boat cover. Zero issues. I particularly like the Highfield as they are very well built and the hull seems to be particularly well designed. The 15 Yamaha planes it easily 4 up. The floor also makes it very sturdy. A bit heavier than the Southern Pacific we had previously. Incidentally that dinghy (which my son took over) is now 20 years old and only this year needed to be re-tubed at a cost one half of getting a new boat.
Pete

[argonauta1]

We started with a Zodiac PVC. We were in the tropics (BVI). It fell abprt at the seams afer one year. We replaced it with a hypalon Caribe which lasted over ten years all in the tropics. 'Nuff said.

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Its new dinghy time for me. One of the options Im considering is a Highfield CL 310. The PVC version is substantially less expensive, 10lbs lighter, and has welded seams.

The common mantra is that Hypalon is the way to go in the tropics. I only have experience with Hypalon inflatables and it is incredible material, but what are your real world experiences with Valmex PVC (the brand used by Highfield)?

https://www.highfieldboats.com/classic-310/

Hypalon won’t need chaps. Check the service ratings. AB had a problem with aluminum-fabric separation. Maybe OK now.

We’ve started seeing OC Tenders from New Zealand here in the Caribbean. Carbon fiber with heavy surround pad. No air leaks to worry about. They plane and run well even with people and cargo. A ten footer is about 110 pounds and can run a 15 HP. This may be your last dinghy. Not cheap.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

Hypalon won’t need chaps. Check the service ratings. AB had a problem with aluminum-fabric separation. Maybe OK now.

We’ve started seeing OC Tenders from New Zealand here in the Caribbean. Carbon fiber with heavy surround pad. No air leaks to worry about. They plane and run well even with people and cargo. A ten footer is about 110 pounds and can run a 15 HP. This may be your last dinghy. Not cheap.

Yes, I have/had hypalon dinks in the tropics before. The chaps are not needed for UV, but they do help with wear & tear.

The OC tenders look like a great solution, but at several times the cost of a RIB, I wont likely go that route.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by leopard5cabin

I would recommend a Whaly 435R They are sold in Ft Lauderdaje and they are bulletproof. My one is 14.5 ft with a 50hp engine.


Tiffany Cilladi
Yacht Tenders & Toys
Nautical Ventures South
50 S. Bryan Road
Dania Beach, FL 33004
W: 954-926-5250
E: TJ@nauticalventures.com

The Whaly's look bullet proof but wow they are heavy!

[Davo1404]

Highfield dinghys are very popular here in Queensland Australia. The secret to longevity of any inflatable that lives in the tropics is a cover.
We had our 16 year old alloy hulled re tubed by a Sydney company. The tubes were not sun damaged, but were leaking from dings & repairs. The builder insisted that we cover it & to be very careful what products we applied to the tubes to protect them from the sun. His advice was that a lot of products that claim to be sun protection for inflatables, actually do more harm.
His next advice was when building the cover was that they stitched the Velcro to strips of pvc, the same as the hull tubes. Then glued it to the tubes, same glue as used on the hull. The cover is made from the top of range Sun umbrella.
8 months in North Queensland sun & we are very pleased.

[Shaneesprit]

I use an Avon Hypalon as far as I know.
Now as a rough age I would say it’s at least 25 - 30 years old! Avon were always the best, no plans on changing it either.
although I would like modern row locks and they are the only thing I miss from the modern dingy which I brought and then sold, that was also Hypalon.
PVC is for toys isn’t it?

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Its new dinghy time for me. One of the options Im considering is a Highfield CL 310. The PVC version is substantially less expensive, 10lbs lighter, and has welded seams.

The common mantra is that Hypalon is the way to go in the tropics. I only have experience with Hypalon inflatables and it is incredible material, but what are your real world experiences with Valmex PVC (the brand used by Highfield)?

https://www.highfieldboats.com/classic-310/

PVC doesn't do too well in the tropics, thats why most are covered.
In my experience Hypalon stands up well.
I have an Achilles 10 years old now...no drama

[daydreamer]

I just cut up our AB hypalon rib. After 15 years in the Florida and Caribbean sun, the fabric on the tops of the tubes was too thin to be safe. All seems were still perfect. The fabric was just wore out -- like the knees of old jeans.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by leopard5cabin

I watched the video and one vid does not tell everything but I am not impressed by the hull shape and it's reaction to waves.

There are some really excellent tenders out there but this isn't one of them.

And I wonder what is the motivation behind making a non-inflatable boat with fake tubes?

[belizesailor]

Im also considering building a Ripple 3.2 tender (lightweight (92 lbs!), foam cored glass, catamaran)...and avoiding the question all together.

https://www.spiriteddesigns.com.au/ripple_tenders1