Hey everyone!
Sorry about the long delay on an update on this. I emailed back an forth with Matt, sent him some fabric samples from the affected areas, and it seemed to be a one off fabric issue. The supplier isn’t used anymore so it should 100% be a non-issue anymore.
I still wholeheartedly recommend the DIY’s to anyone that has decent spatial cognition and space to make them. The process is fun and rewarding, and the designs are top notch. On anything below consistent Class III or harder whitewater, I’ll be bringing my Skeena along in the future, (once I make it again this winter)
SI just got back from Alaska where we did 7.5 days of bushwhacking to a creek that, to our knowledge has only been run once before, eventually down to the Fortymile river system. All the DIYs on the trip did great! One Telkwa, one Skeena, and one V3. I wouldn’t hesitate to take these boats on another similar trip, and I’m looking forward to making our next expedition and all DIY trip.
Here’s a quick snap that really caught the vibe of the trip… stopping for coffee after a cold, rainy day of butt scraping down the upper creek:
