Hi all,
I've just bought this fantastic old inflatable Metzeler Juca. I’ve posted some photos below. It’s generally in not bad condition, though has had a couple of patches, and I’ve found 2 further leaks. It was sold as such and the price I paid reflected that – I like a project!
However, I do need to find out whether the boat is made from Hapalon or PVC in order to make the repairs. I know the old ones were Hypalon but the newer ones were PVC – after 1989 I believe.
I’ve tried some of the tests which I’ve found published on a couple of websites, namely applying a small amount of methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) on a cloth where PVC would go tacky – that didn’t seem to be the case with my boat. The other test was to sand the surface where Hypalon would produce a dust but PVC would be just scratched – it did seem to produce a dust, but could that just be paint? So the tests are not very conclusive. Also, I can’t access any areas where I can see the inner surface to see if it’s the same colour which would be the case for PVC.
Can anyone suggest anything? To be honest, the material does have a fairly shiny finish and feels quite PVC like, but the tests I did above suggest Hypalon, albeit not conclusively. Can Hypalon have a shiny finish? Samples I’ve felt do feel more rubbery, but is that always the case?
I suppose I could just buy some Hypalon glue and PVC glue and see which sticks best – would it be obvious if I had the wrong glue?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! The boat is definitely worth saving.
Many thanks,
Roger
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