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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Life Expectancy of PVC Inflatable Boat

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Dan Greer
1st Mate

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USA
36 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/05/2013 : 13:07:23

About 5 years ago I bought a Sea Eagle 8.10 YT inflatable.

We took it to the Baja and used it for about 3 weeks. It was a very nice boat. Totally satisfactory in every way.

We brought it home to Phoenix, washed it off, rolled it up and stored it in our garage.

Now, 5 years later, we unroll the boat to find that the glue joints connecting the transom to the floatation tubes and the glue joints fastening the oarlocks to the tubes have failed. The tubes themselves seem to be in good shape.

I contacted Sea Eagle. They expressed astonishment that such a thing could happen to one of their boats, and heartfelt sympathy that the warranty had expired. They suggested that I buy some PVC cement at West Marine and glue it back together.

I thought that might be a job best left to professionals, so I contacted The Dinghy Doctor in San Diego. Jo from The Dinghy Doctor replied that my problem was probably due to "gassing off of the PVC glue." Further, Jo said that PVC boats have a life expectancy of 5-7 years, so my boat would not be worth repairing.

I was surprised. I had expected a much longer life from this substantial investment, especially considering that it had lived 95% of its life indoors.

What kind of useful lives have others had from their PVC dinks? Anyone had any experience re-gluing the transom into their dink?

Thanks for any help.

Dan Greer
1989 C-25 SR WK
Phoenix, AZ

Edited by - on

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
4024 Posts

Response Posted - 02/05/2013 : 13:48:49

I have a Mercury PVC inflatable that's around 8-9 yrs old and the joints are all good but I don't live in Arizona where the summer temps are well over 100 deg. My dad lives in Scottsdale and Ive been there in the summer

Unless you have an air conditioned garage, I have a feeling the heat got to it possibly.

Edited by - islander on 02/05/2013 13:56:13

Voyager
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
5378 Posts

Response Posted - 02/05/2013 : 15:29:51

If the material still has integrity (not shredding), I'd try gluing the seams back together myself. If however the material appears brittle and fatigued, write it off. Not worth taking a chance on the water with gear, guests, etc. It's a pity to have spent the money only to have been able to use it for such a brief period.

Edited by - Voyager on 02/05/2013 15:31:41

Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts

Response Posted - 02/05/2013 : 16:14:13

I had an 8' PVC Dinghy that I used about a week every year for about 7 years with no problem. Some of the rubber edging/bumper had come loose but nothing too bad. Stored it indoors (garaged) in its bag when not in use. The eighth year when I unrolled it the seam between the transom and the tubes had given way and the bumper was almost entirely loose. I used the PVC glue to glue it back together and filled it with air. Two of the three chambers would not hold air even after I added the substance WM sells to patch holes from inside. 7 years would seem like the life expectancy in my case.

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 02/05/2013 : 21:06:18

I have a Seahawk II PVC inflatable raft that I bought last summer. I keep it in the bag, and have not yet used it. It's very nice quality, with polyester mesh sandwiched between the PVC plies to keep it from stretching under air pressure.

I had not thought about the age limitation, but it's well-known that PVC is stiff and brittle unless plasticized (usually with dibutyl phthalate, which is very controversial, and banned in baby toys). The DBP always gasses off over time. Gassing off from the vinyl dashboard in your car is what causes that hazy film on the windshield of your car that you need to wipe off every several months, especially during hot weather.

Long-winded way of saying thanks for calling this to our attention. I had not realized that this effect would limit the lifetime of any PVC dinghy, due to degradation of both the adhesive and the PVC film. I would expect the issue to be worse in hot climates.

I only paid $110 for my Seahawk II inflatable. A 5-7 year lifetime would be a good bargain at this price. But I guess another lesson is if you are going to invest $1000 or more in a motorized dinghy, spend the extra money to get one made from Hypalon.

Edited by - TakeFive on 02/05/2013 21:08:18

redviking
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1771 Posts

Response Posted - 02/05/2013 : 22:33:56

You probably don't want to hear this, but uh, the glue is worth more than that boat. Sea eagles are very cheap and not worth even the few bucks they want for them. My last zodiac lasted over 10 years, the last 4-5 of them being used daily as we anchored out a lot.

You get what you pay for.

Sten

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