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Sounds good. I think you’ll find that a properly welded seam is stronger than the fabric panels, so sewing the seams would be redundant. You can see this demonstrated in my original fabric comparison video, where I show how the fabric tears before the welds give out. Cheers

Thanks Matt.  Thats exactly what I was thinking.  If you were able to just spread the pieces out a little and draw around them I could certainly play with that.  Ill see how robust the two I currently have are before deciding if sewing has any benefit.  Thanks

Hi everybody from the French Alps. I’ve just ordered a sample of the fabrics and will probably start a V3 build this summer.

Max

Hi Conrad, unfortunately there’s no simple way for me to add an allowance to the pieces, but if you want I could make a kit with the lines drawn in pen instead of cutting them out, and then you could add an allowance yourself. It might be time-consuming for you though.

Hi,

I’m Mike, and after roughly a year of deliberation I have purchased a 2-person kit to accommodate my big frame.  Really looking forward to putting this together, also equally nervous of futzing it up.

Cheers,

Hi Matt, Im part way through my second V3 and going better.  I may be looking at getting a third – family paddling together etc.  My question is can you supply the kit with a 5mm seam allowance to sew together before sealing?  Just a few ideas Im mulling over?  Thanks Matt.  Ill post pics once I’ve completed number 2.

Hi! Just ordered a Voyageur kit that once built will be going with me to Alaska. Super excited to get started!

Hi Pham,

I’ve looked into various welding techniques a bit, but not really in regards to strength of bond. Heat sealing creates a bond of more than adequate strength for the way I design things – when reinforced properly, the fabrics fail before the heat welds do – so I haven’t needed to explore other options.

For the typical DIYer,…[Read more]

I’m sticking this topic to the front page because it got buried – please post tips here instead of starting a new topic.

Hi Rodney – Bruce wrote a post partially about that here: https://www.diypackraft.com/forums/topic/heat-sealing-tools/#post-4265

Cheers

Hi.  I’m Nate.  I started following the site as I am interested in creating an inflatable surfmat.  Unfortunately, there is not too much info out there on the subject.  I have definitely been learning a lot on the site here.  Thanks!

Excellent! I love the look of the yellow tubes and black trim.

Thi sis my V 3 build. finally found all the leaks and realised my mistakes in building so after Ive tested this in water and had  apply I intend to  add inflated floor with  sort of keel and a spray skirt of some kind.  THEN I get to do it all again on a v3 in blue for my partner…

Hi everyone. I’m building a v3 and I would like to say that so far I haven’t melted off all of my fingertips.

Neil