Where to buy Hypalon inflatable air floor dinghy in UK?

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cliffdale

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I'm after a hypalon air deck dinghy. Must have the inflatable v under floor. The dinghy is going to be used in hotter climes so i'm avoiding PVC type that are likely to go sticky in the sun.

Size around 2.7m to 3m

Spent ages googling for a source. Ebay have them but they are in USA.

Appreciate a pointer to a uk supplier!

Thanks

Cliff
 
Don't think any are made these days so you will need to look for a late model Avon - rare beasties!

Your fears about modern PVC are ungrounded. Your requirements are not unusual - how do you think everybody else who sails in hot climates manages with PVC? My old Plastimo (bottom of the range) spent 9 years in Corfu in daily use with no sign of stickiness.

Buy a regular PVC one and a cover if you intend keeping it inflated on deck all the time. If you pack it away and only inflate it when you need it you do not need a cover.
 
Fully agree. My PVC Quicksilver 2.6 has been in the Med for almost ten years now, for the vast majority of that time towed astern of us. When we unpacked it a few days ago we both remarked that it looked almost like new. No sign of any stickiness. Modern PVC is at least the equivalent of Hypalon.
 
These folk often have used inflatables:

http://www.ronhalemarine.co.uk/superbasket/category/10/Used_Inflatables_&_RIBs

Their stock looks minimal at the moment but they would be the ones to ask.

I bought a used Avon 2.8 Air (as mentioned by Tranona) from them a while ago and it was in almost unused nick. Not cheap though, but I think the later new price was in the region of £1500.

In fact, as I have never even got the boat wet, and it lives in my back bedroom, if you were stuck, I might be persuaded to sell it.
 
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I might be able to help with a used Caribe I32, if you're interested in a used one. It's 3.2m with inflatable keel, but has a fibreglass removable floor.
 
Tranova and vYv-

Thanks for your replies. I'm pleased to hear that PVC is not a problem in the sun. I read on this site and others that they have become sticky due to the strong sunshine.
I did a quick search but couldnt find where I read it.

I don't mind paying more for something that will last longer. I have an Avon R250 bought around 1990. Its rolled and stuffed in my locker after each use. Never had a puncture in it and still holds air!
But then, some will say you can have 3 new ones over that period for the same price!

NPF1

Need a dinghy that will roll up when not in use, thanks for the offer.

Cliff
 
Best UK prices for inflatables & ribs are Barnet Marine in Hatfield - prices are very negotiable and as another poster said Zodiac definitely do a hypalon airdeck
I bought a 3.2m Zodiac airdeck from them two years ago and they were several hundred £ than any other dealer I could find.
http://www.ribs.co.uk/
 
cliffdale said:
Tranova and vYv-

Thanks for your replies. I'm pleased to hear that PVC is not a problem in the sun. I read on this site and others that they have become sticky due to the strong sunshine.
I did a quick search but couldnt find where I read it.
Click to expand...

There has been a problem with the Airdeck itself, common to many makes, e.g. Mine suffered but a friend with a Hypalon Avon had it, along with several other makes. The old Airdecks had a quilted appearance and went sticky after four years or so. Mine was replaced under guarantee. The new type is smooth with a couple of non-slip patches glued on. Mine is now several years old, OK up to now.
 
I've got a 2008 vintage Avon 2.8m airdeck. I would not recommend it. the design is good but all the thick bits ie: rubbing strake, rowlocks etc are falling off. They are OK on a rib, but no good on a boat that spends a lot of time folded. Also the much vaunted Hypalon fabric cannot cope with seaweed and has delaminated! Avon/Zodiac couldn't care a flying feck.
 
Someone said the newer Hypalon is no longer made in the USA (DuPont ?). I looked this up and it seems to be true.

The new stuff is a lighter shade than the indestructible stuff we know and love, it seems harder and less flexible. I don't know where it is made but I could hazard a guess. It seems possible that all brands now use this product
 
michael_w said:
I've got a 2008 vintage Avon 2.8m airdeck. I would not recommend it. the design is good but all the thick bits ie: rubbing strake, rowlocks etc are falling off. They are OK on a rib, but no good on a boat that spends a lot of time folded. Also the much vaunted Hypalon fabric cannot cope with seaweed and has delaminated! Avon/Zodiac couldn't care a flying feck.
Click to expand...

That's interesting. Our Quicksilver is PVC, all welded and in good condition. The only glue used in the whole of the construction is some tiny gussets that prevent spray from the outboard splashing into the boat. They are screwed to the transom but glued to the tubes. We noticed this year that the glue is failing.
 
geoid96 said:
If price is no problem, Lodestar manufacture hypalon airdecks.
http://www.lodestarinflatables.com/Hypalon.html
Roche Marine are quoting £1,800.00 for the 2.9m version!
Click to expand...

Are you sure the airdeck itself is Hypalon? Avon Hypalon dinghies have PVC airdecks. Having seen the construction of them, with hundreds of threads connecting the top and bottom, I think it might be an achievent to make them with Hypalon.
 
We bought an Avon dinghy and I asked at the Boat Show and the dealer I bought it from if everything was Hypalon, anwers yes. In Venezuela the floor went sticky, when I emailed Avon they said the floor was an extra. I emailed back and said how can a floor be an extra and pointed out what I had been told, Avon sent a new floor free, Jane then made a Sunbrella cover for the floor. I don't know if any dinghy has a Hypalon floor.
 
See my earlier post. All the sticky ones I have seen have been the quilted material, on AFAIR five different makes of dinghy. Looking round at the most recent show I attended I saw none like this, they were all like my replacement, smooth material with non slip patches stuck on.
 
>become sticky due to the strong sunshine.

True, to be precise it's UV damage it doesn't happen much in the UK, it's not bad in the Med but it's very damaging in the Caribbean. Please would those have PVC dinghies let us know if they have had the dinghy in just the UK or in the Med for four years or more which was the period it took my Avon floor to go sticky.
 
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