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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 11 months ago
I’ve been working on a new packraft design for some time now, incorporating several improvements over the current V2 kits, including tougher floor material, easier construction, more sizes, and better […]
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bill started the topic Ultralight DIY Packraft in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Received my ultralight kit in the mail today.
1. it is really light
2. it is really small
I’ve got a zipper to go with it and picked up an iron today, the big hangar 9 one. Might see how that goes before getting something else. I was thinking the trim iron might work on the 40d fabric, but have no experience with this so we will see.
Is anyone…[Read more]
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bill's profile was updated 8 years, 11 months ago
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Dave replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Based on the limited information I currently have, I am not a bot. Although my gut bacteria may say otherwise.
Thanks for running this site, Matt.
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Dave became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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keeweechris started the topic What is everyone doing for cargofly inner gear bags? in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Hi all,
I’m planning to add a zip to my Yak, and wondering what everyone else is using for inner gear bags?
My head at the moment is tending towards 2 cheap lightweight pack liner drybags, and gluing a tiedown/clip to each of them to secure inside the tubes like the real ones. The bags will be way fatter than necessary, but not sure if that’s a…[Read more]
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keeweechris became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 11 months ago
Some time ago I posted a page about making your own inflation bag*, and since then several people have asked me to supply parts so they won’t have to spend time and money sourcing them elsewhere.
In response, […]
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I am especially interested in your connector that fits the fine Boston Valves. They are great valves, but an odd thread I have not been able to successfully fashion on my lathe. Worth the price of a kit, though I made my bag out of silnyl not TPU.
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Hi Bruce – the connector is unthreaded silicone hose, which is soft enough to screw into the Boston valve’s unusual threads without damaging them, and there’s no risk of cross-threading. The size fits the larger (drain) part of the valve, which makes inflation muchfaster than forcing air through the check valve part of the Boston valve. Once the packraft is full, I pop off the inflation bag, screw in the check valve, and top off the air pressure through the check valve by mouth. The whole process takes under three minutes.
I’m a fan of silnylon too, but keeping with my no-sewing promise I’m sticking with TPU (though Cuben fiber/Dyneema would also work well).
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Great, I can find silicone tubing online. Did you use 20mm ID x 25mm OD size tubing? (The next size smaller is 16mm ID x 20mm OD, while other suppliers offer fractional inch measurements up to 7/8 inch but I think that’s too small.
Bruce-
I used 7/8″ and it seems to work well!
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Great, I can find silicone tubing online. Did you use 20mm ID x 25mm OD size tubing? (The next size smaller is 16mm ID x 20mm OD, while other suppliers offer fractional inch measurements up to 7/8 inch but I think that’s too small.
Bruce
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blessing max became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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jharro became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 8 years, 11 months ago
I’ve just finished writing up instructions for the new seat kits, and they’re posted here!
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Dave changed their profile picture 8 years, 11 months ago
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Awesome! Thanks for posting, Dave! It looks great 😀
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Dave replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Very happy to show off the newly completed packraft, as you can see using the new green fabric! I tested it out yesterday and it worked very well. It’s impressive how lightweight yet rugged these craft are.
I still plan to install a top-up valve, and multiple tie downs for a packtach system.
My only issue now is in trying to fix a slow leak.…[Read more]
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Bjorn Nicolaisen became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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Torgil Benigh replied to the topic New users say "Hi" here to prove you are not a Spam Bot in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Hello! I’m Torgil from Sweden, just registered to the forum but I’ve been lurking this fantastic site pretty much since it went up.
I’m planning to do a build this coming winter so I thought I’d register so I can tap the resources here.
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Torgil Benigh became a registered member 8 years, 11 months ago
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Jamie replied to the topic Valve hack in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Bottle top valve installed in a seat. Some bottle tops (like this one from a Badoit sparkling water bottle) have a slightly lower profile. The valve is absolutely airtight without the screw top on, but deflates easily when the flap is pushed in with a finger tip. Works better than I thought. No going back now – I prefer this to the Boston valves…[Read more]
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Dave replied to the topic tpu side in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Hopefully I didn’t cause too much alarm with my question. In my tests the minor stuff didn’t seem to leak, but a couple of the more majorly damaged areas did. When I say “leak”, the area appeared damp on the outside after a couple of minutes and then a bead slowly formed.
Probably I should explain how I did my tests. I took some scrap material…[Read more]
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Ben replied to the topic tpu side in the forum DIY Packrafts 8 years, 11 months ago
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the reply.
I think Dave meant (correct me if I’m wrong Dave) that only the TPU coating was damaged i.e. the fabric and underlying PU coating were in tact.
I’m using a temperature controlled iron, so I don’t have any issues with melting the fabric itself. Only the TPU coating melts when I place my iron on it, and this is…[Read more]
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Hey Matt
Sorry to hear you have had people stealing your designs for their own profit, that sucks! I can only imagine how much time and effort it must take to plan and test your designs – the V2 packraft I’ve made from your kit has handled beautifully without any leaks since I first made it. I was hoping to purchase plans or a kit for the 2-person voyager in order to make it in time for training for and competing in Godzone, an adventure race I am doing next year in NZ. When do you think kits for the 2-person will be online?
Thanks for your hard work
Thanks, Joe – the 2-person kits will be available at the same time as the regular V3 kits. Cheers!
Hi Todd, I would start by reading the Fabrics, Tools, and Valves sections of the FAQ, above, and maybe check out the Forum as well, as there are some pictures of rafts people have made. Also check out the inflatable catamaran raft at http://www.cubenmaker.com. For seam sealing technique, check out the videos in the How-To sections above. Cheers!
Great! I hope to have it ready in the next week or two, but I can’t guarantee it.
Hi Tim – it will be approximately 4 pounds. Cheers!
Thanks, Brian – that means a lot to me! Best regards
Hi Mark – I will be designing a V3 version of the Ultralight packraft, but it will be slightly different because it will not use double-sided TPU fabric, so it will take a bit longer.