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Naviglia Yachts · brands on board · tubes
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Hypalon-neoprene · Pennel & Flipo, since 1924 · 1.3 mm from the 4.80 to the 7.60
The tubes are the part of a RIB that takes the sun, the salt and the knocks against the quay every single day. That is why NAVY tubes are made of ORCA fabric by Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene, glued by hand and pressure-tested one by one. Here we tell you what it is, why we chose it and how you will find it on all six models.
PLATE 02
In a few words
ORCA is the brand of rubber-coated fabrics for inflatable tubes made by Pennel & Flipo, a company founded in Roubaix, France, in 1924. The fabric is a high-tenacity polyester core sealed between layers of rubber: CSM on the outside, the compound the market calls Hypalon, and neoprene on the inside. On the NAVY from the 4.80 to the 7.60 we fit it in 1.3 mm; on the NAVY 9.50 Cabinato the tubes are, again, ORCA fabric by Pennel & Flipo. It is not a label: it is the material that keeps you afloat.
In brief
PLATE 03 — The tube, layer by layer · real photographs
Outer layer · chlorosulphonated polyethylene (CSM)
It is the layer you see and touch. It holds its colour, does not chalk, and stands up to weather, hydrocarbons and chafing: it is the compound the manufacturer recommends for boats that live outdoors, in sun and salt.
Interlayer · polychloroprene (CR)
Between the outer rubber and the weave there is a layer of neoprene: its job is to bond the rubber to the fabric, so the two never come apart with the years and the heat.
High-tenacity fabric · over 500 daN per 5 cm
It is the skeleton of the tube: a high-tenacity polyester fabric that carries the tensile load, over 500 daN for every 5 cm strip. It is what holds the shape when the tube is inflated and the boat pounds into the waves.
Inner layers · airtight and watertight
The last layer faces the inside of the tube: neoprene, for a perfect seal against air and water and a secure bond at the seams. It is the airtightness the manufacturer covers with its 5-year contractual guarantee.
29 colours in the NAVY sample book · 3 as standard
The outer layer is made to hold its colour in the sun. And the same fabric, in the same colour, can be bought by the metre years later: an ORCA tube gets repaired, not thrown away.
From the NAVY 4.80 to the NAVY 7.60 · ORCA on the 9.50 too
Four layers in little more than a millimetre: from the 4.80 to the 7.60 the fabric is 1.3 mm, and the same ORCA Hypalon-neoprene also covers the tubes of the NAVY 9.50 Cabinato. You can feel it under your fingers: come and touch it.
PLATE 04 — Chapter 01 · Who ORCA is
Pennel & Flipo · Roubaix, 1924 · rubber-coated fabrics for tubes
In 1924 Jean Pennel and Joseph Flipo set up a business in Roubaix, in the north of France, coating textiles with rubber. A hundred years later the company still does exactly that, and does it for the sea: ORCA is the brand of its Hypalon-neoprene fabrics for RIB tubes, on the market since 2011 with its new range for boating. Everything comes out of a single plant, declared as such in the Bureau Veritas certificates too: about 1.5 million square metres of fabric a year, over 500 references, 110 people worldwide and offices in six countries, Italy included.
That same plant produces CSM/CR fabric every day for RIB brands all over the world: among the customers ORCA itself names are Yamaha and Honda, two of the three outboard makes we fit on the NAVY. We chose it for a simpler reason: from the 4.80 to the 9.50 it is the skin of every NAVY, and the difference between a tube that has been looked after and a faded one shows after a few summers of sun, not in the showroom.
In brief
Detail — 01 · The white fabric and the grey band of the handles · real photograph
PLATE 05 — Chapter 02 · Why we chose it
Sun · salt · hydrocarbons · chafing · years
You buy a RIB for the sea, but it spends most of its life standing still: on a mooring, on the trailer, in the yard, with the July sun on it for hours. The tubes are the first part to pay for that life. We chose ORCA fabric for five things that show with the years: it takes ultraviolet light without fading or chalking; it takes the chafing against quays and fenders; it takes fuel, oil and corrosive substances; it takes extreme temperatures, from scorching sun to cold water, and stays supple; and it holds the air, because the inner neoprene layers are made for exactly that.
The manufacturer states that a Hypalon tube can last up to 25 years if well maintained, and in 2016 it documented a RIB with ORCA fabric tubes from 1991 still in good order. We do not promise anyone twenty-five years: we promise that the material underneath is that one. The rest is down to the work in the yard and the care you give it.
Detail — 02 · The NAVY 7.60 lettering on the tube in golden light · real photograph
PLATE 06
Hypalon-neoprene or PVC · the manufacturer's words
The difference lies in the material: PVC is a thermoplastic, Hypalon-neoprene is a synthetic rubber. It is the manufacturer itself that lines up the advantages and drawbacks of each, and we report them all, the awkward ones included: Hypalon-neoprene fabric weighs more and costs more to buy. The rest of the column leans one way only, and those are the items that count after five summers: sun, repairs, resale value.
| What counts | ORCA Hypalon-neoprene | PVC |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A synthetic rubber, coated onto fabric | A thermoplastic |
| Sun and ultraviolet | Takes it without fading or chalking | Sensitive: it ages in the sun |
| Heavy use and lifespan | Up to 25 years if well maintained | Not recommended for intensive use |
| Repairs | Easy, with cold gluing | More difficult |
| Weight | Heavier | Lighter |
| Purchase price | Higher | Lower |
| Resale value | Higher | Lower |
Comparison published by the manufacturer in its own frequently asked questions · reported in full, in both columns
On the NAVY the choice was made upstream: there is no NAVY with PVC tubes, in any size and at any price. If you own a PVC RIB and want to understand what changes when you step up to a NAVY, the guide below explains it calmly; or come and compare the two fabrics with your hands.
“Original tubes made with ORCA fabric produced in 1991: like new twenty-five years later.”
PLATE 07 — The numbers of the fabric, only the certain ones
29
ORCA fabric colours
in the NAVY sample book
Three as standard, the others on request.
1.3mm
of fabric in the tubes
from the 4.80 to the 7.60
The 9.50 Cabin has ORCA Hypalon-neoprene tubes too.
500daN
of tensile strength
per 5 cm of fabric
Catalogue figure, from the 4.80 to the 7.60.
5years
of manufacturer's guarantee
on airtightness
On the fabric, from the date of manufacture.
PLATE 08
On the six NAVY · price-list data
The fabric brand is the same across the range, and so is the thickness from the 4.80 to the 7.60; what changes is the tube diameter, which grows with the boat: from 48 cm on the NAVY 4.80 to 52 cm on the NAVY 6.00 and the NAVY 7.60. The table states exactly what you will find on each model: these are the figures of the price list and the data sheets, the same ones you will read in your quote. Where a figure is not yet on the data sheet, we say so.
| Model | Tube fabric | Thickness | Tube diameter |
|---|---|---|---|
| NAVY 4.80 | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | 1.3 mm | 48 cm |
| NAVY 5.50 | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | 1.3 mm | 50 cm |
| NAVY 6.00 | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | 1.3 mm | 52 cm |
| NAVY 6.60 | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | 1.3 mm | with the quote |
| NAVY 7.60 | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | 1.3 mm | 52 cm |
| NAVY 9.50 Cabinato | ORCA Pennel & Flipo, Hypalon-neoprene (CSM/CR) | with the quote | with the quote |
Honest advice, from the counter
PLATE 09
The colours of ORCA fabric · NAVY sample book
The manufacturer lists 38 colours and 6 surface finishes: smooth, matt, fabric impression, pearl, honeycomb and carbon effect. For the NAVY sample book we chose 29 of them: White Stone, Deep Night and Navy Blue come as standard, the others are ordered together with the boat. Special finishes we look at together, sample in hand. The tiles below are the catalogue samples with their codes; the real colour is chosen in the showroom, in daylight, next to the white or black fibreglass and the teak you have in mind.
The brass dot marks the three standard colours · the others are ordered with the boat · catalogue previews, not physical samples
PLATE 10 — Chapter 03 · In the yard
Cutting · two-part adhesives · double or triple seams · pressure test
The fabric arrives in rolls; the tube is made by the yard. It is cut by hand or by computer-guided cutting, then the parts are joined with two-part adhesives. At the critical seams, where the tube works hardest, the overlaps are double or triple, made by hand. Every finished tube passes a pressure test and a visual inspection before it goes onto the fibreglass hull: not on a sample basis, one by one.
Then the tube marries the boat: the raised NAVY lettering, the rubbing strake that runs along the side and takes the knocks instead of the fabric, the handles on the band. On every NAVY up to the 7.60 the fabric is 1.3 mm: this is the price-list figure, the same one you will find in your quote. A seam has to be seen up close, in raking light: come and look at one.
Detail — 03 · The seam band, glued by hand · Naviglia vision
PLATE 11 — The tube at water level · real footage
A slow circle around the bow of the NAVY 7.60 at anchor, filmed for real: the pale tube with its two grey bands, the rubbing strake, the chain going down. It is the stretch of fabric that is always half in the water and half in the sun, the most exposed on the whole boat: that is where a tube is judged after a few seasons, not on delivery day.
PLATE 12
Manufacturer's guarantee · repairs · certifications
Below, in three separate boxes, you will find the contractual guarantee the manufacturer gives on the fabric, how a Hypalon-neoprene tube is repaired, and the pointer to the Naviglia warranty on the boat. They are different things and we keep them apart on purpose, so you always know who answers for what.
The ORCA guarantee on the fabric
Repaired cold
The Naviglia warranty on the boat
The manufacturer's papers
PLATE 13
Pennel & Flipo · the story in eight dates
These are the dates the company itself tells about its history. We report them because a tube fabric is not born in a day: it comes from a hundred years spent making rubber stay bonded to a textile, first for industry, then for the sea.
The fabric for real · real photographs
Three details photographed on the NAVY in the showroom: the raised lettering, the meeting of tube and upholstery, the handle on the band. They are the things that never make it onto a data sheet and that you remember once you have seen them in person.
The raised lettering
The model name is raised lettering applied to the tube, not a print: under the letters you can read the weave of the anthracite fabric. The light grey rubbing strake runs along the side and takes the knocks against the quay instead of the tube: it is the first thing to wear, and it is made for that.
Tube and upholstery
The matt fabric of the tube next to the quilted tan sundeck: it is the warmest pairing in the range. You choose the tube colour among the 29 in the sample book and the upholstery separately; here you see how the two materials talk to each other, and it is something a photograph only half conveys.
Handles and stern
On the NAVY 6.00 the handles sit on the band of the tube, within reach of anyone climbing back aboard from the water. At the stern, the bathing platforms with the built-in ladder to climb back aboard from the water. They are details you understand once you step aboard, and they change the way you use the boat at anchor.
PLATE 15 — The other brands on board
For what pushes the boat and what steers the course we choose, as with the fabric, those who have done it all their lives: the three outboard makes we fit on the NAVY, and the electronics at the helm. The engine make is your choice, and we quote it together with the boat, so you have the final figure in front of you.
Outboards · four-stroke
Mercury on the NAVY 02
Outboards · four-stroke
Honda on the NAVY 03
Outboards · four-stroke
Yamaha on the NAVY
Marine electronics
Garmin at the helm 05
We design and fit out the NAVY ourselves
How we build a NAVYAll the brands on boardHonda · Yamaha · Mercury · ORCA · GarminEqual weight for all of them, the choice is yours
PLATE 16
To understand more · the guides
Three ten-minute reads that answer the questions you ask us on the phone when the subject is tubes: what really changes between Hypalon-neoprene and PVC, how the hull underneath is made, and how much a RIB costs once it is in the water, item by item.
Guide
Sun, salt, years: what changes between the two fabrics, in the manufacturer's words.
Read the guide
Guide
Under the tube there is the hull: the V, the strakes, the extra-thick laminate.
Read the guide
Guide
Hull, engine, VAT, trailer, berth: the full sum, item by item.
Read the guideQuestions about the tubes
The questions you ask us when the subject is tubes, with the answer we give in person. One at a time: open one and the other closes.
Hypalon was the trade name of CSM rubber, chlorosulphonated polyethylene, introduced in the 1950s: today the industry uses it as the common name for fabric with a CSM outer layer. We say Hypalon-neoprene because ORCA fabric is made of both: CSM on the outside, which takes sun, salt and hydrocarbons; neoprene on the inside, which holds the air and bonds the rubber to the polyester weave.
From the NAVY 4.80 to the NAVY 7.60 the ORCA fabric is 1.3 mm. On the NAVY 9.50 Cabinato the tubes are ORCA fabric by Pennel & Flipo and we state the thickness in your quote, together with the rest of the fit-out.
The manufacturer states that a Hypalon tube can last up to 25 years if well maintained, and in 2016 it documented a RIB with ORCA fabric tubes from 1991 still in good condition. The real lifespan depends on how the boat is kept: rinsing off the salt, not leaving the tubes deflated in the sun, covering the boat in winter storage. We promise the material; the care is yours.
Yes. A Hypalon-neoprene tube is repaired cold, with neoprene glue and hardener, and the fabric can be bought by the metre in the same colour years later too. In Italy there is a network of ORCA partner repairers with ten locations, two of them in Lazio. Before any repair, talk to us: we will tell you where to go and what to ask for.
The manufacturer gives a 5-year contractual guarantee from the date of manufacture on the airtightness of ORCA 820, 828, 866 and 859 fabrics, in addition to the statutory guarantee, with normal use and maintenance; cosmetic defects are excluded and the remedy is replacement of the material. It is a guarantee from the fabric manufacturer: for the Naviglia warranty on the boat there is a dedicated page.
In the NAVY sample book there are 29 ORCA fabric colours. Three come as standard, Deep Night, White Stone and Navy Blue; the others are ordered together with the boat. The manufacturer lists 38 colours and 6 surface finishes in all: special finishes we assess together, sample in hand. The real colour is chosen in the showroom, not on a screen.
Because PVC is a thermoplastic and Hypalon-neoprene is a rubber: the manufacturer itself lists sensitivity to sun, harder repairs and lower resale value among the drawbacks of PVC, and weight and purchase price among the drawbacks of Hypalon. On a boat that sits in the sun for years we would rather pay more for the fabric than have to replace it. There is no NAVY with PVC tubes.
Yes, and it is what we recommend to everyone: the samples of the 29 colours can be touched, the weave can be seen up close, the glued seam can be examined in raking light. Book your visit, or a sea trial: the tube, under your fingers and on the waves, is another thing entirely.
PLATE 18 — In person · real photograph
The tube, under your fingers, is another thing entirely. A fabric is understood with the hands: the grain of the rubber, the seam band, the raised lettering. Come and see the NAVY in person, then take them out to sea. You ask your questions while you look, not afterwards.
FIG. 11 — Backlit profile of the NAVY 7.60, sunburst behind the roll bar, Honda outboard astern.
PLATE 19 — ORCA fabric, in person
You have read what ORCA fabric is, who makes it, how we work it and what covers it. The part that is missing cannot be written: the tube under your fingers, the true colours of the samples, the boat on the waves. Tell us which NAVY you have in mind and come and see it; we prepare your quote item by item. What size do you have in mind?
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Naviglia Yachts — Aprilia (LT), Italy · 380 173 0961