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It kind of depends on whether or not you think you might want to add a spray deck sometime in the future – if not, strap plates directly under the bike frame tubes would probably work best – but they would likely interfere with the placement of a deck, so if you think you might want one in the future, I would use the loops. Hopefully that makes sense.
I’ve been using Type 2 attachment points at the rear of my cockpits to tie in the seats, and that has worked really well. I orient the hinge line perpendicular to the packraft’s center line so the attachment point can swing freely forward and back.
I’ve been using the Type 3 attachment points for perimeter grab lines and for attaching my backpack to the packraft, and they work very well. I use a simple fabric loop or D-ring for the rear perimeter lines (as shown in the instructions) and I install female plastic buckles on the four forward ones so I can quickly clip in my backpack (I’ve attached the male buckles to the backpack). For the perimeter lines, it’s best to orient the loops so they swing horizontally, parallel to the lines, otherwise the force gets concentrated on one side of the loop and eventually there’s some visible separation between the fabric and TPU in the loop (I haven’t seen one fail though).
(This page shows the Type 1-4 attachment points I’m referring to: https://www.diypackraft.com/construction/how-to/making-tie-downs/ )
Thanks for posting – the pink ukulele makes a great hood ornament!
Thanks also for the feedback about the seat. This is a common refrain, so I’m in the process of redesigning it to make it easier for people to assemble without leaks.
Thanks for the pictures and the details about your experience putting the kits together – it looks like you did a great job!
I have certainly tried to improve the construction methods and instructions since version 2, so it’s good to know I’m on the right track. Cheers!
Hi – one thing to keep in mind is that these areas are invisible on the inflated packraft, so don’t be reluctant to spread the Seam Grip or Aquaseal onto the tube fabric there, as any discoloration will not be noticeable. A thin layer spread wide should do the trick, especially if you have a zipper in your boat and are able to apply it to the inside. If there are folds or gaps in the seams, apply a thicker coating or multiple coats there to ensure you fill the voids.
When constructing a packraft I coat the inside of all those tube/tube/floor/reinforcing strip areas with Seam Grip spread out about 5 cm or 2″ from the seam on all directions (as well as coating the entire length of the inside of the seam strip), and since I started doing that I haven’t had any leaks.
As Kjetil mentioned, you can use an accelerator to speed up the curing time of the McNett/Gear Aid polyurethane products (Aquaseal, Seam Grip, Aquasure). Here, the accelerator is called Cotol-240.
I hope that helps!
There’s no step in the DIY Packraft kits where that’s required, but in theory you could use a hot air welder.
Thanks for showing us, Christian! Your packrafts look great and it is good to know about the hot air soldering station – your seams look excellent!
Sorry for the confusion – I guess I need to make this clearer somewhere (or maybe several somewheres).
The lighter fabrics (e.g. tube fabrics, seam strips, inflation bag fabric) are coated with TPU on one side only, and the woven fabric is exposed on the other side.
The heaver fabrics that are used the in packraft floors are coated with TPU on both sides, so the orientation doesn’t really matter. The newer floor fabric presently used in the kits (the 450 GSM fabric) still has TPU on both sides, but one side has a glossy finish and the other has a matte finish, and I think that that difference in appearance is causing some people to assume only one side has a TPU coating.
When ironing the fabrics together, you can only press your iron against a surface that isn’t coated in TPU, so in any situation where you’re welding something to a piece of floor fabric, there’s only one way to do it (by pressing your iron on the woven fabric side of the other piece of fabric).
Does that make sense?
Welcome to the forum! You might find this post useful: https://www.diypackraft.com/2017/09/08/lightweight-fishing-float-tube/
Holes in the floor will lower the waterline somewhat. The amount will depend on a few factors, such as packraft model/size, paddler weight, and weight of gear carried. The best way to find out is to make a small hole in the packraft’s floor (where you plan to place one of the drain holes), load up the packraft with your typical gear, and then sit in the packraft until the water level inside the cockpit equilibrates with the water outside. That will be the maximum water level you can expect in flat water. (If you’re not ready to commit to making holes in the floor you can use a hose to siphon water into the cockpit from outside.)
Depending on how well your self-bailing floor displaces water, it might add some additional flotation after it’s installed, so the relative water level in the cockpit might drop a bit.
In my opinion, self-bailing packrafts are best suited to whitewater paddling in warm climates. The main advantage of a self-bailing cockpit is that water drains out naturally when waves crash over the tubes and fill it with water… it’s not really meant to keep the paddler dry. As you paddle through waves, water can slosh around in the cockpit and even surge up through the holes in the floor, above the flat water static equilibrium level, leaving you with a wet butt even if no water splashes in over the tubes. For this reason, if staying dry is one of your goals, I wouldn’t recommend a self-bailer. If you just want to add ballast to change the handling characteristics, water-filled drybags might be a better option (or use the old solo canoe paddling trick of placing some rocks on the floor near the bow).
Since the start of the pandemic, I have noticed it is taking much longer for Aliexpress parcels to arrive from China… hopefully this will improve as countries recover.
I’m not sure if this ships from the UK or China, but this appears to be the same type of leather iron, here on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aeroplane-Electric-Temperature-Balsawood-LS-YD-01-004/dp/B01IQL41B8/ref=pd_lpo_21_t_1/260-3554036-9543362?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01IQL41B8&pd_rd_r=1af90f39-b92c-4762-a253-169ea47e59eb&pd_rd_w=HG0QT&pd_rd_wg=41tBJ&pf_rd_p=7b8e3b03-1439-4489-abd4-4a138cf4eca6&pf_rd_r=K5J3PYN3S3VY3D011TVH&psc=1&refRID=K5J3PYN3S3VY3D011TVH
