My dinghies melting!

[Nostrodamus]

Greece has been pretty hot of late, in fact a little too hot.
The dinghy was on the foredeck and I noticed it started to look like Sid James face and was deflating.
When I looked closer various parts had dropped off and there were leaks around the end cones in the tubes.
I have done my best to repair it but it just looks like the glue dried out allowing it to deflate and for bits to drop off.
The local chandler in Greece said the sun was a big problem and it happens a lot.
The manufacturer agreed the sun kills dinghies and suggested at six years old mine was getting on a bit.
Has anyone else come unstuck with their dinghy and how long should a PVC one last in the sun?
Recommendations for a good dinghy make?

 

[TonyMS]

Our Suzamar melted in the same way 5 years ago. Our new, lightweight Lodestar has been given a tailor-made (by my wife) cover, and so far all is well.

So, keep the new dinghy covered.

Tony

 

[Sandy]

At least it has not exploded.

Why do you store it on the foredeck?

 

[SeamanStaines]

The answer is of course simple. In life I am sure we have all learnt 'Buy cheap, buy twice' and in the case of dinghies many times. The fundamental problem is that cheap dinghies are made of PVC which cannot cope with UV. If you spend the money and buy Hypalon it simply does not have the problem. Our Tinker (now twenty five years old) is Hypalon and simply does not deteriorate the same way (it just fades a bit in the sun). I know they are now harder to find and significantly more expensive but you get what you pay for.

 

[rotrax]

All true but by all accounts Hypalon-a Du Pont product-is no longer manufactured.

Hence PVC is now just about universal. No doubt a little Hypalon is still around but will run out soon.

A cover appears to be a sensible answer.

 

[RichardS]

All true but by all accounts Hypalon-a Du Pont product-is no longer manufactured.

Hence PVC is now just about universal. No doubt a little Hypalon is still around but will run out soon.

A cover appears to be a sensible answer.

Hypalon is no longer manufactured by DuPont but the same material is being made by other companies. My Highfield tender is made from Orca which is exactly the same as Hypalon. It is expensive - about 2.5x the price of PVC but I reckon it's worth it.

Richard

 

[oldvarnish]

My Highfield tender is made from Orca which is exactly the same as Hypalon.

I had a quick look at the Highfield website- it says their smaller range are made from Valmex PVC. Is yours one of the larger? I'm quite interested in them. Look like decent bits of kit.

 

[RichardS]

Greece has been pretty hot of late, in fact a little too hot.

Have you checked the sea temperature? Our recent cruise became a bit of an ordeal for some family members because the heat was relentless, day and night.

The sea temperature in Croatia was reaching 28 degrees when we left and, as the heat wave continues, I wouldn't be surprised if it reaches 29 degrees. These temperatures are warmer than the Caribbean and 3 or 4 degrees hotter than usual.

The sea temps are great but presumably helping to the keep the inside temps higher at night. Unfortunately if you sleep on deck the mozzies will get you!

Richard

 

[RichardS]

I had a quick look at the Highfield website- it says their smaller range are made from Valmex PVC. Is yours one of the larger? I'm quite interested in them. Look like decent bits of kit.

Mine's an Ultralite 260 - http://highfieldboats.com/ultralite-260/ - and it is a great tender and I can carry it on my own. Although the PVC version is featured if you look at the options list Hypalon is listed, even though it's not DuPont Hypalon. I assume that all their tenders have the same option but I haven't looked through them all.

I got mine through Seaswift and was very pleased with the service.

Richard

 

[vyv_cox]

My Quicksilver PVC dinghy is 12 years old, has been in the Med for most of its life, usually towed behind us. I sold it at 10 years to a friend, who keeps it inflated on deck. No deterioration to speak of although the old type airdeck failed at five years and was replaced FOC. I replaced it with a SunSport, which seems to be the same dinghy under a different name. Only two years old so cannot comment on life but all seems well so far.

Certainly is hot. Temperature below with the awning up and a mains fan running is 32C. Much hotter in the cockpit. Forecast for today was air temp 32C.

 

[30boat]

My Avon is Hypalon and I can't get rid of it.It's only 43 years old after all and every summer it has to endure the Algarve sun.Despite having been patched in several places due to a rat attack it stays inflated for days on end. It's a monster of a dinghy but rows beatifuly and I can even use my 2,5 hp outboard on it.

 

[Neil]

I had a quick look at the Highfield website- it says their smaller range are made from Valmex PVC. Is yours one of the larger? I'm quite interested in them. Look like decent bits of kit.

I noticed that 3D tenders now do a Hypalon dinghy, and it's not too much heavier than the lightweight range, though almost twice the price. Also, it's not black - I think mine would have exploded before melting in the greek sun

 

[Heckler]

My Quicksilver PVC dinghy is 12 years old, has been in the Med for most of its life, usually towed behind us. I sold it at 10 years to a friend, who keeps it inflated on deck. No deterioration to speak of although the old type airdeck failed at five years and was replaced FOC. I replaced it with a SunSport, which seems to be the same dinghy under a different name. Only two years old so cannot comment on life but all seems well so far.

Certainly is hot. Temperature below with the awning up and a mains fan running is 32C. Much hotter in the cockpit. Forecast for today was air temp 32C.

up the guadiana at the mo, 32 deg yesterday in the saloon, bit cooler today, tied up to the pontoon at Alcotim, 10 euros a night. Did the zip wire ride today, magic! I like it here!
S