There are two main types of material used in the manufacture of inflatable boat tubes, hypalon and pvc. 1. hypalon:- this is a rubber/neoprene material; 2. pvc:- used in most production manufactured boats. test to check. there are several tests to check if you are unsure which fabric your inflatable rib or dinghy is made from. a.. Come enjoy my frustration of a pvc boat that has come undone due to heat.pvc is much more difficult to repair compared to hypalon. hypalon does better when exposed to heat and chemicals.in colder. Is my boat hypalon or pvc? this document describes how to tell if a boat is pvc hypalon or urethane. hypalon and neopreme are repaired in much the same way. pvc and urethane are repaired in much the same way except that we use a scotch brite pad and with very little methyl ethyl keytone or acetone (nail polish remover) to buff the surface of.
Pvc inflatable boats vs hypalon inflatables. the choice of going with pvc inflatable boats over the more expensive hypalon boats will depend on your needs. as just about all inflatables are made with either of these excellent materials so your task is to find out which one is best for you.. In general pvc fabric won’t last as long as hypalon fabric if the boat will be subjected to prolonged periods of direct sunlight and no measures have been taken to protect the pvc fabric from the sun (i.e. boat cover or uv protectant).. So the only way to save my investment was to retube the whole boat in hypalon. now i'll be able to cover it and keep it clean from all that crap falling off the palm trees. bottom line is if you're using an inflatable boat in a hot climate like florida, do not get one with pvc tubes, you'd be throwing money away..
