Activity - DIY Packraft

joe replied 8 years, 6 months ago

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
- Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 6 months ago
  
  Thanks, Joe – the 2-person kits will be available at the same time as the regular V3 kits. Cheers!
Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 6 months ago

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!
Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 6 months ago

Great! I hope to have it ready in the next week or two, but I can’t guarantee it.
Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 5 months ago

Hi Tim – it will be approximately 4 pounds. Cheers!
Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 5 months ago

Thanks, Brian – that means a lot to me! Best regards
Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 5 months ago

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.

Bruce replied 8 years, 6 months ago

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.
- Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 6 months ago
  
  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).
  - Bruce replied 8 years, 6 months ago
    
    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
    - Matt (Admin) replied 8 years, 6 months ago
      
      I used 7/8″ and it seems to work well!
  - Bruce replied 8 years, 6 months ago
    
    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