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Hi David,
I think it’s worth trying – it’s one of those things I’ve been meaning to try for ages but haven’t got around to, myself. What I’m not sure about is the longevity of a glued joint on the inside of the tube fabric, and what’s the best adhesive to use. Some people have reported that a glue called HH-66 works well, but I can’t find it where I live.
If you give this a try, please let us know how it goes!
Hi Markus,
It sounds like the air is escaping through the zipper – a few small bubbles could add up to 1-2 breaths per hour, no? This could probably be resolved by cleaning the zipper and reapplying lubricant. If the zipper isn’t leaking and the seams are all sealed and the fabric isn’t damaged and there’s no dirt in the Boston valve or top-up valve, the packraft should hold air overnight.
Cheers!
Great idea, Bruce! It’s amazing you were able to remove the foam and reseal where it had been. Thanks for sharing!
Yep, you just have to cut the black tube and insert some flexible tubing (or rigid tubing pieces that you can then attach flexible tubing to). You can get clear PVC tubing at most hardware stores, and that should work well enough for float bags. Cheers!
The iron I’ve been using lately is the leather iron from Alibaba.com. It requires some modification, but it’s better than the Black Baron because it’s narrower (more info here: https://www.diypackraft.com/construction/tools/ ). I see they’re also selling them on Amazon now too: https://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Wings-Hobby-Temperature-LS-YD-01-004/dp/B01IQL3VBE/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=RC+Airplane+Electric+Iron+Temperature+control+Iron+RC+Aircraft+Covering+Tools+Iron+for+Balsawood+Model&qid=1555636184&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull
If you haven’t returned it, you might be able to modify the Hangar 9 iron without removing the electronics… I don’t have experience with that iron though, so I’m not sure how easy that would be. If you give it a try, please let us know!
By the looks of it, it’s probably not still airtight, so I would heat seal some scrap yellow fabric over the damaged areas, and then add some Seam Grip or Aquaseal along the edge between the patch and the black fabric, if necessary.
Thanks for the great story of your maiden voyage!
How do you like the red press-fit valve and Schnozzle combination? Does it take too long to deflate with the single valve?
In the newer kits I’ve replaced the beach ball-style seat valve with a top-up valve, and that fixes the unexpected deflation issue. If you switch to a red valve, please tell us how you like it.
Cheers!
Fantastic! Well done, Gustav, and thanks for sharing! I’ll post this on the blog (with credit to you, of course), as I’m sure other people will be interested and they might not see it here.
I haven’t tried this but I find it relatively easy to re-enter a packraft by draping my arms over the side, placing my hands flat on the floor, and then boosting myself up with one big dolphin kick while I push down with my hands – then I sort of flop into the packraft.
Because the air pressure in a packraft is low compared to an inflatable kayak, the side tubes might be a bit too flimsy to be a good pulling point for a handle, but I’m not sure – if you give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
Hi Ben, I’ve used my V3 for bikerafting with my 29″ full suspension bike and it worked well, even in mild rapids. For camping, I’d definitely add a zipper to the boat so you can store gear in the tubes, as the bike takes up pretty much all of the forward deck storage space. I can still fit a day-pack in the cockpit (sort of between my legs), but anything more than that I’d store inside the tubes.
I think a Voyageur would be a bit overkill for one person bikerafting, unless you’re going on very long trips or tackling bigger rapids.
Here are a few pictures:
Hey, good question – I just posted an answer in the FAQ because I’m sure other people wonder the same thing and it’ll be easier to find there. Here it is: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/what-size-work-surface-do-i-need-to-assemble-my-diy-packraft-kit/
Cheers!
