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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Packraft Kit Availability Update 4 years, 3 months ago
Unfortunately I probably won’t be offering bulk fabric sales other than the fabric that is already available in the shop – at least for a while – because it makes it really difficult to plan ahead and control the inventory when I get sporadic orders for large quantities of fabric and it takes so long to have new fabric made. (All the people who…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 4 years, 3 months ago
The past several months have sure tested my patience, but barring further delays, the new DIY Packraft fabric shipment will arrive in 2-3 weeks (early to mid-February). Then I will start making packraft kits […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Seam Grip Adhesion? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 3 months ago
Yep, that’s the stuff.
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Seam Grip Adhesion? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 3 months ago
The “Seam Grip +WP” is the same product that used to be called “Seam Grip” and you’re right – I just checked and “polyurethane” doesn’t appear anywhere on the new tube or packaging.
Most of the content on this site was written before they changed their product names and messed everything up, so I’m going back to add “+WP” everywhere Seam Grip is…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Seam Grip Adhesion? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 3 months ago
Hmm, yeah, that’s a problem. The “+SIL” stuff is “silicone tent sealant”, and will only stick to silicone coated fabrics, not polyurethane. It used to be called “SilNet,” but I guess they changed the name to “Seam Grip+SIL” for some reason. I will add a note to the instructions warning people not to confuse the two. Unfortunately I think you’ll…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Seam Grip Adhesion? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 3 months ago
Interesting… what brand is it? I haven’t seen this with Seam Grip before (or any of the other McNett/Gear Aid polyurethane products), but I have seen it with all the other seam sealants I’ve tried, which is why I recommend the Gear Aid stuff.
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 4 years, 3 months ago
The American Packrafting Association is hosting an online whitewater packrafting skills clinic called, “Boat, Don’t Float” presented by Mark Oats.
I’m not associated with Mark or the APA, but it looks like a […]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Not Sealing Seams? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 3 months ago
I used to only seal around the places where the seam strips intersect with the floor, but in spite of my best efforts I always ended up with at least one leak that I had to track down, and finally I decided that for me (and most people) it is worthwhile to apply seam sealer to the inside of all the seam strips.
Because you have a zipper, it won’t…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Get Email Updates 4 years, 4 months ago
Awesome! It’s looking like early February now.
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic HELP – Too hot iron – back side of double sided TPU floor melted in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
When figuring out the temperature and timing, I find it helps to hold the iron in one place and count out five seconds, then remove the iron and roll (or press) the spot as it cools. Then check underneath for melt-through before ripping the weld apart to see if it’s bonded fully. If five seconds isn’t right, try six (or four, etc.). If no amount…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic HELP – Too hot iron – back side of double sided TPU floor melted in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
Hi Blair, it sounds fine to me. If it is 1000D then you should be able to get a good weld without permanently altering the appearance of the fabric – just move a bit faster. It takes some practice to get the timing right. Cheers
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic First seams – how to tell if it’s good? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
I see them now – it looks like your iron might be a bit too hot, but it’s hard to tell in the pictures. I don’t normally see the woven fabric get shiny like that. (What I see doesn’t look like a problem though.) The fabric shouldn’t melt at all, just the TPU. Lowering the temperature a bit will also reduce the chance of it melting through to the…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic First seams – how to tell if it’s good? in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
Hi – your pictures didn’t seem to work (I just see an “image not found” icon), but from what you’ve written it sounds like it’s probably fine. I designed the seams to be way more than wide enough, so even if they’re not perfectly sealed they will be strong enough, within reason. Cheers!
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic UL T-Zip placement in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
Haha, no worries!
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, My Month-Long Packrafting Trip 4 years, 4 months ago
Yep, I paddled below Woss as well (you can see my entry and exit points on the maps on write-up page). There’s almost no traffic on the roads parallel to the river, so any loop in the area would be good for bikerafting.
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, My Month-Long Packrafting Trip 4 years, 4 months ago
Loved it! It’s a beautiful river. I paddled in from Vernon Lake via the Sebelhall River, which was nice, aside from the log jams. There’s a bridge over the Sebelhall, so maybe that’s where you started too. I did paddle a beautiful little canyon lower down, but walked around the boulders/ledge leading into it because with the low water level it…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, My Month-Long Packrafting Trip 4 years, 4 months ago
Thanks! I do indeed live in Smithers!
That river is probably one of just a few in Canada where that law doesn’t apply – the river is part of a First Nations treaty settlement area, and in the treaty’s fine print it does clearly say that the river is included in the private property. I wasn’t aware of it beforehand (it’s not marked on any of…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 4 months ago
Fantastic! Thanks for posting!
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 5 months ago
Thanks for the tips, and excellent idea to use the double D-rings!
I’ve gotten to the point where my new packrafts will hold air indefinitely, but I’ve built way more of them than you and my first couple of attempts leaked way worse than yours, so it sounds like you’ve done a great job. You could try to track down where the air is coming from…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic HELP – Too hot iron – back side of double sided TPU floor melted in the forum DIY Packrafts 4 years, 5 months ago
Hi – it doesn’t look too bad; I would probably just spread a bit of Aquaseal over that area, or seal a scrap of tube fabric over it if you don’t mind the look of a bit of yellow there (it’ll be on the bottom of the packraft, so not visible when in use).
It could be the temperature is too high, but it looks good elsewhere, so maybe just avoid…[Read more]
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Thanks for the update Matt! What weight fabrics will be available for purchase? I’m thinking about making an inflatable of my own design, but want to use your fabric.
Unfortunately I probably won’t be offering bulk fabric sales other than the fabric that is already available in the shop – at least for a while – because it makes it really difficult to plan ahead and control the inventory when I get sporadic orders for large quantities of fabric and it takes so long to have new fabric made. (All the people who are waiting for an out of stock packraft kit can thank the person who ordered 100 m of fabric one day…) Helping people with their various projects also takes up a lot of time that I should be spending on packraft stuff.
I understand bulk fabric isn’t a priority for you which is unfortunate. To clarify, I was not asking for, and people shouldn’t expect, any non-kit-project help from you other than selling the fabric.
You can set limits for the bulk quantities that people can buy (say 5m) which would help with your planning. I don’t think the person customers are thanking for waiting on out of stock kits is the 100m order guy.
Touché.
Thank you for the update! I’ve been checking constantly to see if the kits are back in stock as I want to get going on a Skeena in February :-). Will you have it in the red fabric? And I take it the seams and seat will be black?
I’ve also been searching everywhere for a leather iron. No luck on Alibaba, Amazon, local hobby shops, etc. What is the idea iron width to look for? Would also be happy to buy one second-hand from anyone who has completed their built and would be willing to sell theirs.
Yep, red and black will be available! Ideally, you’d want an iron about 27 mm wide, give or take a few mm. I haven’t looked online lately, but you could post in the buy/sell page here in the forum and maybe someone will respond: https://www.diypackraft.com/forums/forum/diy-packrafts/
I’ve been checking back in too for updates. Thanks for updating.
Hi Mike – sure, I’ll send you an email.
The average for a first time builder seems to be about 35 hours. (The answer to this question and many others are posted in the FAQ.)
No, the ultralight material is too flimsy to make boats like that.