You are right about your comment. Zodiac boats were once all Hypalon. Recreational boats and Military/Commercial boats. Below is a pic of a 1961 Hypalon Zodiac that was in for service not too long ago... No leaks, no seam separation. Customer just wanted it inspected & pressure tested for leaks.

Today, there are actually three fabrics in the mainstream market:

-Hypalon, (which DuPont will stop making by the end of 2009)

-PVC

-Polyurethane

Zodiac currently uses all three. Mercury uses all three.

Hypalon, will no longer be produced and there will be a number of generic CSMs on the market (ChlorSulfonated Material). Hypalon by DuPont (Chlorsulfonated Polyethylene [CSPE], is being discontinued and the Trademark "Hypalon" may go away altogether.

Most "Hypalon" boats on the market today, are generic CSM, not real DuPont CSME. If it is Pennel & Flipo ORCA 210 fabric, for example, it is not real DuPont Hypalon [CSPE]. It is generic CSM. Doesn't mean it is bad, just means it isn't "Hypalon". Orca 210 is Pennel's lightest grade of generic "Hypalon" CSM fabric.

Stephan