Urgent - Welded PVC or Glued Hypalon

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Mike Banks

I would never own another PVC inflatable. I have had two of them--both crap. One was a Zodiac, the other I forget.

Now I use a moulded polythene type--does not scratch the vesel, is lighter than an inflatabl;e, qualifies a a life-raft for SOLAS purposes and is virtually unsinkable since it is foam-filled. Cost about the same as a PVC job. It trailers nicely too.

Having said all that--I would in your case cancel that order and get the Hypalon version instead. Usually Hypalon has a ten year guarantee. PVC is lucky to last anything like as long as that.

One of my PVC death-traps came apart during cyclone preparations in a crocodile infested mangrove lined creek. The seams just decided to come apart--and the boat had been stored in the cool below decks. It was not the sun that damaged it. I was lucky.

PVC? Don't even think about it. Get Hypalon, or better still, get a Polycraft.

Wow ! I save that kind of anger and hyperbole for Justin Trudeau.

PS. A 3.0metre Polycraft is not lighter than my Highfield 3.1metre aluminum RIB . Yours weighs 75kilograms, My Highfield aluminum RIB weighs 43kilograms

[Scotty Kiwi]

PVC Aquapro, NZ manufacture, purchased 1996, still going OK but with quite a few patches and repairs, some home repairs, some repairs done by the liferaft servicing professionals. Pontoons did come away and were fixed. It's near the end of its life now though, as there are wear marks in the places where I sit.

[Scotty Kiwi]

Opps my point was, while Hypalon from a good manufacturer is apparently better, PVC from a good manufacturer can absolutely do the job.

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

Wow ! I save that kind of anger and hyperbole for Justin Trudeau.

LOL . . . What do you save for The Donald?

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Sailorbob8599

LOL . . . What do you save for The Donald?

He is not worthy of my ire.... and being only semi-literate he would, of course be unable to look up "ire".

[Sailorbob8599]

I don't have an inflatable of any kind but, as an interested reader of the thread under discussion it seems to me more people are saying they do not fare well when used in the tropics. Would that be a valid comment?
Living on the 49th, I've seen an awful lot of very old inflatables that seem to be holding up reasonably well. as for me, I prefer wood. 'cos it tends to float even when destroyed. The very worst way it could fail would be to catch fire & I doubt that would happen when in use..

[JPA Cate]

Bob, almost all our use has been in the tropics. We had got to weekly patching with our 15 yr. old Zodiac before we sold it. The DSB gave us a little over its 10 years. The Gemini's light weight hypalon did not hold up like the heavier weight in the other two dinghies. Now, we have presumably high quality pvc, and the experiment is in progress. Anything we get over 5 yrs. will be a bonus. We are almost completely full time cruisers.

Ann

[PeterLIA]

Highfield now use Mehler Mainstream Plus PVC fabric which is MUCH better than "standard" PVC. It has another coating on the outside that helps with UV protection adding years to its life.
So I would have no hesitation in recommending it if Hypalon is outside your budget.
Of coarse it is wise to cover the dingy whenever not in use for extended periods and therefore increase life expectancy further again.

[svrevelations]

Thank you all, I decided to go with the PVC version.

[waterman46]

My experience, If you intend to use your dink for a long time then it should be hypalon from one of the major established manufacturers. PVC is good for watertoys.

[Nadezhda]

Hypalon Avon. There are examples over 50 years old.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Nadezhda

Hypalon Avon. There are examples over 50 years old.

True and we have an Avon Redcrest somewhere in the roof. However, can you still buy an Avon with that sort of quality?

Pete

[TheThunderbird]

PVC is not the problem.

Glue is. If welded, it works well. But, can it be fully welded all around!?

My Bombard of glued pvc opened up on 2nd year. It feared miserably.

[KD8NPB]

Zodiac is the only manufacturer with welded floors and welded transoms, and ONLY on the 2003-2015 Cadets, and the Fastroller Acti-V models.

Adhesive does have a limited lifespan. The remedy is to simply remove and reglue in the base material is still viable. It is no different than having to re-bed hardware on your main boat every 10 years...adhesives and sealants don't last forever.

Plastics are susceptible to what is called plasticizer migration. Over time, oils that make the material flexible slowly come to the surface. IT IS VITAL TO WASH THE BOAT REGULARLY. Exposure to grease/oil/hydrocarbons/pollutants will accelerate the rate of plasticizer migration. Same goes for dirt. A dirty dinghy will not last as long as a clean one.

Highfield's welding process is only a few of the air holding seams. The bonding to the hull and transom is still hand glued, likely with random-quality PVC adhesive.

Zodiac uses Bostik S.A. adhesive on the majority of their lineup. The laboratory is Ayguesvives (near Toulouse) does occasional quality audits of supplied goods.

PVC, Mehler is good stuff, but Zodiac STRONGAN is better... It is actually made by Mehler, to tighter/better specifications than Mehler's own material. Specifically though, it has a better panama weave scrim layer which gives it superior tensile strength. The coating is also guaranteed to thicker, more consistent, and more UV resistant (Zodiac does quality audits on material with accelerated weather testing in an Atla Ci-35A weatherometer).

[Sailorbob8599]

Originally Posted by KD8NPB

Zodiac is the only manufacturer with welded floors and welded transoms, and ONLY on the 2003-2015 Cadets, and the Fastroller Acti-V models.

Adhesive does have a limited lifespan. The remedy is to simply remove and reglue in the base material is still viable. It is no different than having to re-bed hardware on your main boat every 10 years...adhesives and sealants don't last forever.

Plastics are susceptible to what is called plasticizer migration. Over time, oils that make the material flexible slowly come to the surface. IT IS VITAL TO WASH THE BOAT REGULARLY. Exposure to grease/oil/hydrocarbons/pollutants will accelerate the rate of plasticizer migration. Same goes for dirt. A dirty dinghy will not last as long as a clean one.

Highfield's welding process is only a few of the air holding seams. The bonding to the hull and transom is still hand glued, likely with random-quality PVC adhesive.

Zodiac uses Bostik S.A. adhesive on the majority of their lineup. The laboratory is Ayguesvives (near Toulouse) does occasional quality audits of supplied goods.

PVC, Mehler is good stuff, but Zodiac STRONGAN is better... It is actually made by Mehler, to tighter/better specifications than Mehler's own material. Specifically though, it has a better panama weave scrim layer which gives it superior tensile strength. The coating is also guaranteed to thicker, more consistent, and more UV resistant (Zodiac does quality audits on material with accelerated weather testing in an Atla Ci-35A weatherometer).

All good and valid comments. Maybe the answer to those who would rather not get into re-gluing or welding is to either sell, or trade your unit in for a new one every five years. Look on it as 'renting' cost and you still have something to sell at the end of five years to someone who cannot afford a brand new one. If the lifespan is about ten years, then at the fifth year it is worth maybe 50% of new? Would anyone on this forum be prepared to buy a used dinghy for that price? Just asking!