Instructions – Skeena & Telkwa Kits

The procedures for assembling the Telkwa and Skeena kits are the same. To avoid confusion, differences in the fabric shapes are noted where necessary.

Kit Checklist:

Note: Do not use a knife to open your kit, as you may damage the fabric.

Before beginning construction, identify the parts of your kit and place the pieces someplace where they won’t get lost. Please unpack your kit carefully, as small pieces (like valves) can be overlooked when wrapped in fabric and/or packing materials.

Each kit includes:

• A letter including your password to the instruction pages and videos. Do not discard!
• Pre-scored 250 GSM fabric in the color of your choice for making the packraft’s tubes (numbered 1-4, L & R for left and right), with the forward direction indicated by an arrow. This fabric also has three scored rectangles (A, B, and C) for making the seat baffles
• Pre-scored black 250 GSM fabric for making the inflatable seat top and bottom and ten attachment points
• Pre-scored heavy black fabric for making the packraft’s floor, with alignment dots and a forward arrow indicated in silver pen. This piece also contains ten pre-scored attachment point reinforcement parts. Note: This fabric is coated with heat sealable TPU on both sides – one side with a glossy finish, the other side matte.
• One heat sealable Boston valve (black, three parts)
• Two top-up valves (flexible black valve stems and black+white valves)
• Five pre-scored seam strips (black fabric, approximately 2 m or 6′ long)
• Inflation bag fabric (lightweight red or black ripstop fabric, approximately 1 x 1.5 m, or 3′ x 5′)
• Inflation bag adapter tube – black rubber tube, 7/8″ (2 cm) diameter & approximately 5 cm (2″) long
• Scrap fabric for heat sealing practice, making reinforcing strips, repairs, small accessories, etc. (left over after cutting out the packraft pieces)
• Non-stick baking paper for mess-free heat sealing
• Airtight zipper + lubrication (optional). (Zippers are packed inside the folded floor fabric.)

Before You Begin

In addition to the items included in your kit, you will need:

• A heat sealing iron
• Two small (1 oz / 28 gram) tubes of Seam Grip+WP or Aquaseal or Aquasure (don’t use “Seam Grip+SIL” silicone sealant)
• A bowl or other round object that you can iron over
• A couple scraps of lumber or other heat resistant flat objects, one a few inches (~10 cm) long and one about 1 m or 1 yard long (exact dimensions aren’t important)
• Masking tape
• Scissors
• A few small clamps or binder clips or paper clips
• A ruler or straightedge
• A permanent marker (silver Sharpie pens work well on black fabric)
• The ability to stream video instructions
  

Important: If you take good care of your packraft it can have a long lifespan and withstand hundreds of cycles of packing and unpacking; however, this repeated stress will cause the seams to separate if they’re not properly welded in the first place. Proper heat sealing technique is the foundation every DIY Packraft is built on, so it’s essential to familiarize yourself with this page and practice heat sealing before you begin assembling your packraft:

• Practice Proper Heat Sealing Technique
  

DIY Packraft Skeena & Telkwa Kit Instructions

Please familiarize yourself with the instructions before you begin – you’ll be much less likely to make a mistake if you understand what you’re doing and why.

Note: Be sure to review the pictures and written notes on the instructions pages – not just the videos. I can’t re-edit a video each time someone asks a question, so the text is where I add clarification and emphasis in response to feedback from builders. If you only watch the videos, you may make mistakes that are warned about in the text.

Note: Due to an issue with a copycat website, access to the following pages is limited to those who have purchased a kit. Your password for these pages is included in the letter packed with your kit (it is not the same as your Forum password). Please do not reproduce the instructions or share your password. The techniques are similar to those used in the V2 DIY Packraft instructions, which are not password protected, but the packraft design, assembly methods, and instructions have been improved.

Before assembling the packraft itself, you may want to build confidence by completing your inflation bag and seat/backrest first:

• Inflation Bag Assembly
• Backrest (for kits shipped after 2020)
• Seat (for kits shipped after 2020)
• Integrated Seat & Backrest (only for kits shipped before 2021)

Below are links to the instructions for assembling the packraft. Please note the time estimates indicated at the top of each page and plan accordingly. If you are working faster than these times, you’re probably not creating strong welds, so please don’t hurry!

Tip: When watching the videos in the links below, you can press the arrow keys on your keyboard to scrub back and forth. Also, if you click on the gear icon in the video player you can change the playback speed.

Practice Proper Heat Sealing Technique

Inflation Bag

Seat

Backrest

Integrated Seat & Backrest (only for kits shipped before 2021)

Step 1 – Separate & Identify Fabric Pieces

Step 2 – Seal Tubes 3R & 3L to Floor

Step 3 – Add Tube Pieces 2R & 2L

Step 4 – Tube Pieces 1R & 1L

Step 5 – Front Center Seam

Step 6 – Apply Seam Sealer to Forward Seams

• Optional – Install an Airtight Zipper

Step 7 – Tube 4R & 4L

Step 8 – Install the Inflation Valve

Step 9 – Rear Center Seam

Step 10 – Inflate & Test for Leaks

Step 11 – Tie-Downs & Attachment Points

• Optional – Install a Top-Up Valve
• Optional – Apply Sealant to Outside of Seams

Questions? Leave a comment below!