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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 10 months, 3 weeks ago
Replacement Spray Deck Stiffener
The DIY Packraft spray decks use flexible plastic tubing to stiffen the rim that the elastic spray skirt fits over (the coaming), and several […] -
Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Creases between Tubes 3 and 2 in the forum DIY Packrafts 10 months, 3 weeks ago
If you pull the tube 2 fabric forward and align the edge with the 5 cm line beside the slit (letting the tube fabric overhang the slit) then it looks like it will lie flat. You don’t have to force the existing corner to sit on the slit – you can trim the forward edge of tube 2 later so it lines up with the slit.
Does that help? I’m not 100% sure…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 11 months ago
New Heat Sealing Video
As part of my effort to continuously improve the DIY Packraft instructions, I’ve made a new, more comprehensive video about heat sealing. It’s […]-
Great Video. I’m just about to start assembling my second packraft and I know my sealing technique needs improvements. After using he first packraft a few times I found the edge of the seams would develop little bubbles of delamination between the TPU layers which I spot hit with the iron. I think not having to move the iron back and forth along the seams during the sealing will help me get a better initial weld.
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 11 months, 1 week ago
Hi Christian, I sympathize with that fear! It took me some time before I felt comfortable paddling in the Ultralight packrafts. The newer Ultralight fabric is very similar to the older fabric – to achieve the packraft’s very light weight we must use a very lightweight fabric or reduce the size and capabilities of the boat.
As a confidence…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Inflation air 'multiplier' in the forum DIY Packrafts 11 months, 1 week ago
It’s great to know that if I lose my primary inflation method then I can use a pen or a bit of tubing to inflate my packraft relatively quickly to get home!
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 11 months, 1 week ago
I don’t think my previous response got posted… I wrote something like:
Great work! Thanks for posting the photos and your thoughts.
I’d be really interested in reading more about your experience with the Ulralight. I haven’t received much feedback about that model, and if I can post it as a Customer Build Report (under the Gallery menu) then I…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Inflation air 'multiplier' in the forum DIY Packrafts 11 months, 2 weeks ago
That is fascinating! I have seen this phenomenon used before, but I never considered this size/application. Very cool! I wonder if aiming a drinking straw at the valve opening and blowing through it would also work.
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Packrafting Safety 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Personally, I am only skilled enough for class 2 whitewater, but skilled paddlers have used DIY packrafts in class 4 rivers. More on this here: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/whitewater-capabilities-of-diy-packrafts/
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year ago
New Type of Airtight Zipper
I have just received a new shipment of airtight/waterproof zippers from TIZIP, and this time I ordered some MasterSeal 10 zippers in addition to the […]-
Do you have any instructions for using the Masterseal instead of the Superseal. I have two Masterseals lying around from another project. I don’t need one of them and would like to use it for my Telkwa, maybe as seen in a customer build in the center of the rear seam.
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I haven’t made specific instructions yet, but you can either install it the same way as a SuperSeal or you can iron it directly to the tube fabric from the “inside” side of the tube. You will be on your own if you want to install it in a seam, at least for the time being, as I haven’t done that yet myself.
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Sorry, I don’t know anything about that. Maybe ask Kipara?
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These zippers cannot be shortened like a regular zipper, they have to be ordered in the desired length from the factory.
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This is great. I could see these zippers being very nice for bow bags and ultralight builds. I was hoping Matt could offer a few master seals in a couple of different lengths.
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year ago
Packrafting SafetySpring is here in the northern hemisphere and many of us are getting excited about packrafting trips we have planned for this paddling season, so […]
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Personally, I am only skilled enough for class 2 whitewater, but skilled paddlers have used DIY packrafts in class 4 rivers. More on this here: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/whitewater-capabilities-of-diy-packrafts/
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, New Year, New Packrafts? 1 year ago
Yes, no problem – here’s a picture of the digital camouflage print: https://www.diypackraft.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/DIY-Packraft-4.jpg
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, New Year, New Packrafts? 1 year ago
I still have enough camouflage fabric to make a few kits, so if you would like one, just order a different color and in the Order Notes box ask me to make it camouflage instead 🙂
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Matt (Admin) replied to the topic Ultrlight Raft experience in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 1 month ago
I’m not sure what kind of scenarios you’re envisioning, so I’ll start with a caution for anyone who reads this: I strongly advise against paddling any packraft (or any other boat) in woody rivers, not because sticks might puncture them but because of the risk of drowning while being pinned underwater by a sweeper or strainer. If a person can see…[Read more]
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Matt (Admin) commented on the post, Heat Sealing Forms For Sale 1 year, 1 month ago
If you cut off a thin slice and sand the edge smooth then yes, but if it’s too long it will not work in corners and if it’s not smooth then you won’t get even pressure under the iron… I think a scrap of lumber would be easier to make serviceable.
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year, 1 month ago
Drybag Kits Now Available
I recently added roll-top drybag kits to the DIY Packraft shop. I designed the drybags with a diameter of about 23 cm (9″) so they will fit […] -
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year, 2 months ago
Heat Sealing Forms For Sale
In response to a request from a customer, I’ve started selling pairs of wooden heat sealing forms in the DIY Packraft shop. These tools aren’t […]-
Seems like a large round log of firewood might have a similar radius. Could that work instead?
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If you cut off a thin slice and sand the edge smooth then yes, but if it’s too long it will not work in corners and if it’s not smooth then you won’t get even pressure under the iron… I think a scrap of lumber would be easier to make serviceable.
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year, 2 months ago
Bikerafting Gear & Tips
Recently Guy Stuart of the Bikepacker’s Foundry was asked to give a presentation about bikerafting to a paddling club – apparently the presentation […] -
Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year, 2 months ago
Customer Tips & Build Reports
Recently I’ve had a few customers send me some construction tips and build reports that you might find useful. Build Report: Barbara B’s […] -
Matt (Admin) commented on the post, New Video: Iron Temperature & Timing 1 year, 4 months ago
I think there are too many variables to make setting a timer a practical approach, but my technique now is to hold the iron in one spot and count to six (or five, or seven, etc. – depends on the fabric and the room temperature) and then roll that spot and move on… would it help if I made a video explaining this?
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Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 1 year, 4 months ago
New Payment Methods
The payment processor I use (Stripe) supports several payment methods in addition to credit cards, so I recently added them as payment options on […] - Load More
is there a way to tell between the two batches? I got a kit six months ago and haven’t put it together yet. Should I just to put it together with Pex out of an abundance of caution?
I don’t think there’s an easy way to tell, but the stiffener is something that you insert and remove each time you use the packraft, so you don’t really need to worry about it beforehand – if it’s not stiff enough to keep the skirt on when you get to that point then you can replace it.
Thanks for addressing this issue, Matt. I found that with 1/2″ PEX-b for combing, the spray skirt stays fairly well attached to the spray deck through class III. However, it’s still far from dry in that boat. As my body rotates while paddling through whitewater, the waist shock-cord tends to drop down my waist until it sits quite low. Water then pools on the skirt and slowly drips through my shirt and into the cockpit. After running my local 2 mile stretch of whitewater, I had 50-70lbs of water in the boat. So while it won’t negate the need for a drysuit in cold conditions, it does at least prevent having to get out & dump the boat after every rapid. I think my next adjustment will be adding shoulder straps to the skirt to keep it higher on my waist. After that, I may look at aquasealing the holes along the deck where the tube-fabric-joining strips prevent a seal, as you suggest in the tutorial.
I found the same issue with the skirt. You can correct this by adding adjustable straps to your skirt. These will prevent the skirt from gradually shifting down. I also found I needed to add additional fabric panels to offer more ‘give’ to the skirt, allowing me to shift around in the boat a bit more without putting tension on the skirt.