PVC or Hypalon.

[Panope]

I am considering a roll-up dingy that will be used in the Pacific Northwest. This inflatable will be secondary to my primary, hard dingy. The inflatable will be stored below deck in a bag. I will not be a full-time cruiser.

Sunlight degradation is NOT a factor.

What fabric choice is better for puncture/abrasion resistance?

What fabric choice is better for making field repairs?

Steve

[MarkSF]

Hypalon is better in every respect, apart from cost and maybe weight.

You need the correct 2-part adhesive for either of them.

[robert sailor]

If its only a back up its hard to argue the financial side as PVC is so cheap compared to Hypalon. In your area and considering the use I'd go with a better built PVC.

[MarkSF]

Same here, just bought a PVC rib, which cost the same as a smaller roll-up would have done in hypalon.

[fstbttms]

Not even a question- Hypalon.

[svBeBe]

Hypalon...10 years and still good

Bill

[Dulcesuenos]

Sunlight is a factor. Once your pvc is exposed to uv rays one time the degradation starts. A pvc dinghy could be stored for years never seeing the sun but once it does the material and glue etc begins its weakening process. The material may actually last a long time but everything bonded to it begins to separate. We had a 30+ year old hypalon dink that still looked new and had no issues. We had a 6 year old pvc zodiac and it was stored in an air conditioned room at the house, used 2 weeks a year and the floor still failed at 5 years. Regluing it professionally only lasted 1.5 years.

[Zanshin]

I've found that, in the Caribbean, it isn't the Hypalon or PVC that degrades first - it is the glue that goes. I had a rolled-up spare small dinghy that literally fell apart when I tried to use it for the first time; it had gone through lots of hot-cold cycles (in the dark, unused) and the inferior quality glue had gone "gooey" over time.
So even though you've gotten sufficient opinions on the material, I'd also recommend getting a good-quality and reputable manufacturer for which dinghy material you choose.

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by Zanshin

I've found that, in the Caribbean, it isn't the Hypalon or PVC that degrades first - it is the glue that goes. I had a rolled-up spare small dinghy that literally fell apart when I tried to use it for the first time; it had gone through lots of hot-cold cycles (in the dark, unused) and the inferior quality glue had gone "gooey" over time.
So even though you've gotten sufficient opinions on the material, I'd also recommend getting a good-quality and reputable manufacturer for which dinghy material you choose.

What type of material was it? I was told that what causes the glue to fail is the fact that the material starts to break down enough and leaches off enough of its compounds that even regluing fails sooner on pvc.

[Zanshin]

I can't recall, but I believe it was Hypalon (I inherited it with the boat). Doesn't either PVC or Hypalon allow "welding" the materials together with pressure and heat rather than glueing - that would probably give the best mechanical & chemical seal.

[jonasaberg]

Hypalon is just plainly better. If you can afford the purchase you will have a product that last.

PVC will start to leak. I had a PVC Zodiac that started to loose pressure. I got it second hand with a yacht, and it was around 8 years old and did not keep the pressure. Soaped it and found 25-30 holes. Just pumped it often for the first two seasons. The following season I soaped it and found 50 + tiny holes.

Tried to fix it with West Systems sealant, the one you pour into the pontoons and then inflate. The goo oozed out of all the small holes but sealed fine.
Then the next year the boat ruptured on the seam passing the transom ... and I gave up.

Got myself a hypalon Achilles which I will hope to last.

[Panope]

Originally Posted by jonasaberg

Hypalon is just plainly better. If you can afford the purchase you will have a product that last.

PVC will start to leak. I had a PVC Zodiac that started to loose pressure. I got it second hand with a yacht, and it was around 8 years old and did not keep the pressure. Soaped it and found 25-30 holes. Just pumped it often for the first two seasons. The following season I soaped it and found 50 + tiny holes.

Tried to fix it with West Systems sealant, the one you pour into the pontoons and then inflate. The goo oozed out of all the small holes but sealed fine.
Then the next year the boat ruptured on the seam passing the transom ... and I gave up.

Got myself a hypalon Achilles which I will hope to last.

Thanks to everyone for the replies.

Jonasaberg, Do you know if your failed, 8 year old Zodiac was stored in direct sunlight?

[SvenG]

While I usually would never say anything good about Worst Marine I'll make an exception for our PVC RU-260 inflatable, at least the actual dinghy if not the oars. As far as we can recall, we bought it in 2004 and the dinghy itself is still in near-perfect shape. We do roll it up between uses and we wipe it down before stowing it in the bag. We typically do not tow it as it slows us down and makes us vulnerable if we suddenly run into freak winds.

The internal baffle that separates the two chambers is probably going to go pretty soon, for the last year inflating one chamber pressurizes the other as if the baffle was a chewing gum bubble, but so far it does not leak.

The dinghy does not leak either air or water. Three of the slats have broken. One oarlock broke (we row a lot) and the replacements corrected an obvious design defect.

One oar was stolen and when we bought a replacement it cost a fortune and didn't even have the lock-down slider the holds the oar to the tube when not in use. The replacement oar also had an iron spring for the two-part detent lock and it rusted away in no-time. The original oar has some anodized material that has yet to corrode.

So, either not all PVC is created equal or care does indeed keep it in good shape.

As of right now we have the dinghy in Candeleros Bay (Mx) after having brought it up the US coast to San Fransisco and then back down around Cabo San Lucas so the UV has been plentiful.

We are now looking for a replacement, smaller dinghy that is easier to stow and that's how I came across this thread



-Sven

[S/V Alchemy]

Even in a cloudy place, I would not buy PVC again. But that's just me. I've seen what even high-latitude, occasional sun does to various materials.

[goboatingnow]

Isn't hypalon no longer being made , I beleive the process damaged the environment or something

Dave