We have received numerous inquiries about our new hull material. We appreciate the interest and have compiled answers to the main questions below. Please let us know if you have additional questions on the hull or anything else.
- What is it? The fabric has been used previously in the industry, mainly for inflatable boats. The principal component is Elvaloy - a polymer that provides both toughness and flexibility.
- What are the characteristics? It it designed to have superior abrasion, tear, puncture and UV resistance to past fabrics. It does not break down over time and is resistant to changes due to prolonged exposure to heat, UV and salt water. Your boat’s hull will continue to maintain its shape, flexibility, air tightness and color – and better protect you from sharp surfaces.
- How much does it weigh? Essentially the same as our current hull material, given manufacturer’s tolerances (38.3 oz/sq yd or 1300 gr/m2).
- How does it perform vs. previous fabrics?In a Taber Abrasion H18 Test the new material performed 83% better than the old fabric (on the face, 196% better for the back side).
- New Material (Face/Back) – 1917/2000 cycles to failure
- Old Material (Face/Back) – 1050/675 cycles to failure
- Why the change? This is the fabric we wanted on our personal Folbots for the waters around Charleston, SC to deal with razor sharp oysters. If we wanted it we also wanted to offer it to all customers.
- Can I still get the black, hypalon hull? We will be phasing into the new material but will supply hypalon as supplies last. We will continue to support our lifetime guarantee for existing Folbots with hypalon hulls.
- How does it impact the cost of the boat? The new hull material does not change the price of the boat.
- What color is it? How do I clean it? The material is light gray in color which looks great and adds to visibility on the water. Light scrubbing with water cleans it well. Cleaners for inflatable boats are available but tough dirt can be cleaned with Soft Scrub.
- Can I pack it up wet? We are still testing this and will advise.
- Is it available now? Yes, we are in the process of updating the pictures on the web site but it is available now.
In general, we are very excited about the new material and hope you are too. Please let us know about any questions.
Nice. This is the kind of info the geeks on the forum love to see.
Looks like this new stuff will vastly out-perform the old Hypalon. Especially nice that it’s no heavier nor more expensive.
It’ll be interesting to see how things develop on the subject of hull reinforcement strips. What to use and how to glue them on? And even more basic, will we need reinforcement strips? Will the new fabric be so strong that it won’t need extra protection? Time (and abuse) will tell.
I think I want to have the Hypalon hull material for the new Gremlin I just ordered. Thenk You.
Personally, I think black looks waaaayy better. White looks funny, like a toy boat. Note Feathercraft and Klepper and all others are black. Cheap inflatable toys are white.
Being in the Florida Panhandle and fishing the oyster bars for reds and trout, I am glad to see this improved material.
What is the cost to retrofit an older Folbot?
Hi Frank – Email us at info@folbot.com
A new skin is 1/2 the cost of the current kayak price you see online.
My experience with the Elvaloy hull so far is very unsatisfactory. I managed to abrade a major hole in the hull of a brand new Cooper simply by assembling it on a concrete sidewalk. No way is this stuff as good as hypalon. Then there’s the unfortunate fact that apparently, no glue will stick to the fabric and now I have to send in my hull (at my cost) and pay Folbot for a patch. Not impresed with Elvaloy at all!
I’m sorry to hear about your experience. If it helps, Folbot has been extremely generous and fair with me over the years. their warranty and customer service are unparralled. I’m sure they will make it right.
Googling Elvaloy, it sounds pretty impressive. And it does say you can glue it. They use it on inflatable boats for running white water, and other things. Paste this into your address bar and check it out: http://theboatpeople.com/rubber-vs.-pvc-the-raft-kayak-great-debate/
I’m not sure what happened to yours. Maybe a bad batch. As far as I know, no one else has reported a problem with elvaloy.
Thanks but have already done the ‘google-fu’ on Elvaloy and read all the websites. Folbot tells me they need to use a 3 part epoxy that runs $100 a pint. Not something you can just go find on the shelf, has to be special ordered from Clifton Adhesives. Seaman’s website for their Elvaloy boat hull fabric specifies 3 different glues, only one of which is suitable for fabric to fabric repairs, and requires something like a full week to cure properly. So far this new material is a big fail on durability and maintainability in my opinion, but maybe I just got a bad batch.