PVC or Hypalon?

How to Identify if You Have PVC or Hypalon Fabric

You can easily repair minor punctures* on your boat, be it either Hypalon or in Strongan (PVC) fabric. To ID the type of fabric your boat is made with check the vertical seams on the buoyancy tube. Since 1985 most of Zodiac® recreational boats are made from PVC fabric.

* 1 cm - for larger repairs, consult your Dealer

HAND-GLUED SEAMS = HYPALON FABRIC
Hypalon fabric gif
Hypalon fabric
Traditional assembly method for hypalon fabric. The 2 panels are glued, one covering (overlapping) the other. You will only see part of the fabric that covers the other section.

THERMOBONDED SEAMS = PVC FABRIC
PVC fabric gif
Strongan (PVC) fabric
Thermobond welding technique: two main layers of fabric are butted edge-to-edge, welded, then sandwiched between an exterior reinforcement band and an interior airtight band. What you see is the exterior band, with 2 borders.