Highfield 310 issue

[Mlm2]

We have the 310 model in PVC. The darker grey accent material on the tops of the tubes have become very tacky. I thought it was a type of non skid bit it seems too tacky for that, almost like fly paper.
I tried to put a couple coats of 303 protectant on but doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions?

 

[Mambo42]

We have the same issue, over time the sun will just cause this 'change'. In certain areas it feels like there is some sort of glue on top of the tubes. Last winter we cleaned it well, then had a special cover made, which now goes over the tubes. In regular intervals we have velcro on the cover and on the tubes, so the cover sticks to the dinghy.
Thus the tubes are no longer in the sun and we don't need to touch the tacky tubes anymore. The other carpet on the tubes is a matt that we use for our dogs to sit on, that does not belong to the cover of the dinghy.
Since the dogs make the cover dirty we throw it into the washing machine every now and then.

 

[jgwinks]

That's the plasticizer oozing out of the PVC due to UV exposure. It's what makes the PVC flexible, without it it would be rigid like PVC pipe. And the longer it goes on the more rigid the material gets until it starts cracking. The only fix is to keep it covered or paint it. Petit makes a paint just for that purpose, and I would recommend painting any PVC dinghy as soon as the warranty is up. Don't wait till it oozes, some damage has been done by then. It's just a matter of time before any of them start oozing. Hypalon boats don't have that problem but are much more expensive.

 

[Shrew]

My guess is the dinghy is 5-10 years old and has spent a large portion of its life outside exposed to UV.

This is the functional limit of of PVC tubes. The cost of hypalon is more expensive, but needs to be replaced much less often. Look at your ROI for hypalon in regards to initial cost, vs duty cycle in years.

 

[TJM]

Be careful what type of cleaners you use also. They will break down the plastics. We had a dock neighbor that used Acetone to make his dinghy tubes look like new. It was disposed of in months.