Saving the Life of a Hypalon Dinghy

[TassieBloke]

Originally Posted by nixontankgirl

I did actually think about getting a kayak for a while but for my use its a bit impractical...... I am thinking that I may have to get a second hand aluminum dinghy, they are availabe for a few hundred dollars) but I think if you are in the water it is next to impossible to get in to the dinghy. My worst nightmare is that my dinghy totally fails in the next couple of months and that I may be forced to buy someones nightmare.
New PVC dinghys are less than half the price of a hypalon equivalent but I really dont think they stand up to life in the tropics...... I am hoping someone is going to share a brain wave.....hahahaha

Not entirely impossible to get into. When I was diving in Tassie, we used a aluminium tinny with a removable section cut out of the gunwale midships down to the deck, and about 400mm wide, which was slotted both sides to slide back in when underway. It allowed easy access for lifting the weightbelt, carrybag etc. To get this done at a local fabrication shop would not cost you that much, however I need to add that under the deck was flotation, so the tinny couldn't sink as it was built to survey.

For your use, you could have an external handle fitted near the waterline, so if you went overboard, you could slide it up out of the way and be able to get back in.

Hope this helps. If it's not clear what I mean, I can sketch something up for you.

Tim

[colemj]

Originally Posted by Bash

Something to think about: you repaired the boat with Sikaflex because it was all you had aboard. That's just wrong. If you're going run inflatable boats, you need to keep proper repair materials on hand. This is doubly true for older boats.

That advice probably sounds good to someone daysailing in Sausalito, but the OP is out cruising in the South Pacific. "Proper" hypalon glue has a very short shelf life and is almost impossible to find outside of mainstream chandleries. When you do find it, there is almost a 100% probability that it is way past the expiration date and has gone bad.

I applaud efforts to solve problems using ingenuity and available materials, and find nothing "wrong" about them.

Mark

[s/v 'Faith']

Gotta love Hypalon!

Here is a shot of my Avon Redcrest Circa 1977!



She looks pretty good, and it is rare to have an inflatable that qualifies for 'antique' status in the state of FL!



Works great!



Does not look too bad either.

[boatman61]

Fill it with a foam... last you till its time to scrap it...

[Bash]

Originally Posted by colemj

That advice probably sounds good to someone daysailing in Sausalito, but the OP is out cruising in the South Pacific. "Proper" hypalon glue has a very short shelf life and is almost impossible to find outside of mainstream chandleries. When you do find it, there is almost a 100% probability that it is way past the expiration date and has gone bad.

A good contact cement (I use Barge All-Purpose Cement) will not only be available in hardware stores but can be obtained at such businesses as cobbler shops. It will not have as short a shelf life as sikaflex.

My hypalon dink was built in 1995, has spent considerable time in the Sea of Cortez, spends its life year-round on the davits exposed to sun and weather, and despite having been patched numerous times, holds air as well as the day it was first sold. A big part of that is having the proper materials on hand to repair it when necessary. The other part is hitting it with a UV-protectant polish now and again so the fabric doesn't rot over time.

[Eric M]

There was recently an article in Cruising World on the topic of dinghy repair.

How to Repair Your Dinghy | Cruising World

The reference someone made to river raft companies is also good, I have always purchased patch kits from

NRS Pennel Orca® Material - 1100d at NRSweb.com

You get a much larger quantity of glue and patch material for the same $$ as the repair kits from Marine sources.

Good Luck!

--Eric

[donradcliffe]

I watched a guy in New York try to fiberglass his inflatable--the result was a total disaster.

I don't think they make liferafts out of hypalon--too expensive, and they don't have to hold up for long in the sun.

I used to use shoe goo on the small holes.

They make some nice aluminum RIBs in NZ and OZ--I like my Swift.

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I don't think they make liferafts out of hypalon--too expensive, and they don't have to hold up for long in the sun.

Not any more! I've heard the manufactures of hypalon are in china now.

[Noname]

As a previous reply stated, there is a good inexpensive repair for the dink. Inland Marine sells a pure liquid rubber that is painted on the hypalon. They have a kit with the rubber, a paint, and an internal sealant. It takes a little time, but for $120 the dink will hold air again and look pretty good. Practical Sailor also wrote about dinghy products within the past year I believe. You need to follow Inland Marine's instructions explicitly. I did my 15 year old Avon 10.5 footer last year. You will most likely need 2 quarts of the liquid EDPM rubber.

[nixontankgirl]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

I watched a guy in New York try to fiberglass his inflatable--the result was a total disaster.

I don't think they make liferafts out of hypalon--too expensive, and they don't have to hold up for long in the sun.

I used to use shoe goo on the small holes.

They make some nice aluminum RIBs in NZ and OZ--I like my Swift.

I did see a dinghy that had been completely encapsulated in GRP. What can I say? It was floating at the time.....it probably weighed a couple hundred kg's and I actually think for the time involved and the resin its cheaper to get something else. Someone told me you could 'glass' a patch on...??....I tend to agree with you though, I just threw it out there to see what the response would be....

[nixontankgirl]

Originally Posted by Seaduction

As a previous reply stated, there is a good inexpensive repair for the dink. Inland Marine sells a pure liquid rubber that is painted on the hypalon. They have a kit with the rubber, a paint, and an internal sealant. It takes a little time, but for $120 the dink will hold air again and look pretty good. Practical Sailor also wrote about dinghy products within the past year I believe. You need to follow Inland Marine's instructions explicitly. I did my 15 year old Avon 10.5 footer last year. You will most likely need 2 quarts of the liquid EDPM rubber.

Oh yep! Thanks for that. I am in Fiji at the moment so I am a little restricted on what is available. I did wonder about putting 'tyre weld' inside the dinghy, the stuff you use as a get home repair on your car.......But I dont think they have it here.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by nixontankgirl

Oh yep! Thanks for that. I am in Fiji at the moment so I am a little restricted on what is available. I did wonder about putting 'tyre weld' inside the dinghy, the stuff you use as a get home repair on your car.......But I dont think they have it here.

G'Day NTG,

Ann and I were in a similar position with a 16 y.o. Hypalon Zodiac a few years back. Once the outer Hypalon has worn through and exposed the fabric scrim layer inside, sun rot weakens the scrim to the point that painting is useless, no matter how super the paint is. We used various patching materials scrounged from other defunct dinghies, bladder type water tanks, even some PVC based Herculite fabric (stuff used for pool covers, patio stuff and so on). We tried a lot of different glues. As mentioned, the typical Bostic stuff sold for Hypalon repair (and used in the manufacture of dinghies) has a very short shelf life and is expensive. Either Sikaflex 291 or 3M 5200 works quite well, though holding large patches in place long enough for curing is touchy. Using techniques like this we got another couple of years out of "ZOD the magnificent"!

At any rate, I bet that you can find someone else's dead inflatable somewhere in Fiji and dissect it for patch material. IF you are gonna use Sika for adhesive, PVC material will work ok (if it isn't too dead itself).

IF you can obtain 2-part polyurethane foam in Fiji, filling the tubes with such has been successful, but it can be a bit exciting to work with. And of course, you can't deflate the tubes then!

Finally, getting new tubes put on does work. We had our nearly new Gemini RIB stolen in Hobart a few years ago. The sods drove it up the Derwent to their lair, removed the 12 Y.O. beater Suziki o/b, poured petrol into the hull and lit it off. The police eventually found the charred corpse and we got her back. The powder-coated alloy hull was scorched but intact, and after a lot of work cleaning it up we returned it to the Gemini folks in Southport. They put new tubes on for just one half the price of a new dink. Prior to that, an independent dinghy repair chap had said that he could fabricate new tubes as well, but never got a price from him.

So, there's hope for you... good luck with the job, and we hope that your bum stays dry!

Cheers,

Jim

[foggysail]

My belief is that dinghies last longer when covered. My Avon310 hard bottom is now 24 years old; left uncovered for the first 3 years, always covered after that. Had a couple of minor repairs made this last spring/summer. The guy delivered it back to my boat filled with air. I did NOT add any additional air to it since then. The boat is now out of the water as of the end of October.

Foggy

[downunder]

Originally Posted by foggysail

My belief is that dinghies last longer when covered. My Avon310 hard bottom is now 24 years old; left uncovered for the first 3 years, always covered after that. Had a couple of minor repairs made this last spring/summer. The guy delivered it back to my boat filled with air. I did NOT add any additional air to it since then. The boat is now out of the water as of the end of October.

Foggy

Is the same principle used by Allumimin RIB NIAD inflatables (designed in NZ).

They are most popular make amongst the commercial charter businesses on Queenslands Great barrier Reef waters.

The use ann outer covering with an inner bladder.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by downunder

Is the same principle used by Allumimin RIB NIAD inflatables (designed in NZ).

They are most popular make amongst the commercial charter businesses on Queenslands Great barrier Reef waters.

The use ann outer covering with an inner bladder.

Yep, Niads are hell for stout and will last a very long time. However, they are also bloody heavy due to their construction technique. That weight differential was a deal breaker for us.

Oh, they are very dear, too!

Ain't no free lunches around yachts.

Cheers,

Jim