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Uncle Fred replied to the topic Intrigued by ultralight roll top packraft. Tell me why it's a bad idea in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 weeks, 3 days ago
That sounds like a great idea for it. Let us know how it feels.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 weeks, 4 days ago
Update on the Boston valve to pump adapter.
I’ve modified the original adapter design by @krafter to fit the 2025 Flextail Max Pump 3.
This pump offers 5KPa pressure. Flextail has a larger, 12KPa boat pump, but it’s only available second-hand as of October 2025.
Updated design. The mount for this pump consists of a tiny lip, necessitating a…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic Intrigued by ultralight roll top packraft. Tell me why it's a bad idea in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 weeks, 4 days ago
There’s a couple of these drybag designs floating about. This looks ideal for playboating, or adventure river crossings.
With the ubiquity of electric pumps these days, I’m not sure if the tradeoff of a rolltop that might be a bit more vulnerable deflation makes much sense.
Personally, I prefer just having one-do everything heavy-duty boat I can…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 3 months ago
Didn’t see Matt’s leg straps post. Cool! Glad I could help.
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Uncle Fred commented on the post, New Spray Deck Option 3 months ago
Just checked in after a few months. This is great news! I wish I could easily retrofit my existing boats, haha.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 5 months ago
Simple new project for today. Used 250GSM fabric to make a phone pouch for an Anfibio inflatable lifejacket.
Sits inside the chest area, velcro closure with webbing pull handles.
Above is a new roll of that UHMWPE thread I like.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 5 months ago
Nice. Have you tried to see if your adapter will friction fit tight enough to leave it until it’s full? How pressured can you get the boat?
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Uncle Fred commented on the post, Inflation Bag Boston Valve Adapter 1 year, 5 months ago
That’s really cool. I need to come up with an adapter that functions the same way for my pump but also supports the top-up valve.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 5 months ago
Yup, that adapter that tapers right? lol
Maybe I need to take the rubber off. I find that it stays in for a little bit, but once the pressure becomes higher, it pops out. I still have to fill it for another 30 seconds by breathing into it.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 5 months ago
Hey Krafter, have you seen the screw-on adapter shown here? Merging your design with the Boston Valve screw-on on threads would allow hands-free operation.
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Uncle Fred posted a new activity comment 1 year, 6 months ago
When I built my raft, I thought I’d use the zipper access to store things. It’s been far more useful as a way to access the interior area and turn the boat inside out.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 6 months ago
Here is one of my modified spray skirts, as requested.
(Above) Side profile.
(Above) Front profile.
(Above) Rear profile.
I had an issue where my more forward seating position made the spray skirt too tight around the waist. To address this, the torso funnel was cut off and four additional 150GSM fabric panels were cut from the fill…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic DIY Accessories in the forum DIY Packrafts 1 year, 6 months ago
I think the solution might have been staring us in the face.
Why not maintain your original design, but add an adapter designed to slot over your existing one? We could then cut out an adapter attachment similar to what the Boston valve uses.
If designed with a lip, you’d just need to epoxy one ring to each adapter.
This would have the added…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
Yes, adding some fabric things like a rolled-up sleeping mat seems to create a kind of surface that conforms to your feet fairly well once the air is pushed out through the valve.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
The pumps are easily worth it. It’s so much better than inflating a boat manually. Plus they are great for filling air mattresses, inflatable life jackets, and helping campfires. I’m honestly surprised they aren’t just standard kit with these boats.
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
Yes, the valve used for the seat.
It would be interesting if your design could be modified in a way that would be workable for both the Boston Valve and these seat valves.
Carrying multiple adapters isn’t practical when using these boats for something like portage backpacking. Too easy to lose small accessories.
I bet a similar design without…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
The pictures were helpful. Yes, I’ll look into that.
Question. Have you tried to see if this adapter works with the smaller inflation valves Matt sells? Currently, I have one of the white adapters that came with the Flextail pump epoxy’d on permanently. It fits loosely over the valve’s head but is sufficient to get these smaller objects filled…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
Yes, I’ve tried the smaller design just inflated. It was Alpacka’s offering that made me confident an inflated footrest would work. I filled the bag as full as possible without using a mechanical pump. The issue is that your feet don’t apply even pressure on the footrest when paddling. It only felt solid once you added an object and pushed out all…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 6 months ago
Krafter, have you made any of these adapters and tested them? I want this!
To answer Matt’s question: For my version which is the max pump, no. The pump is not powerful enough to push air through the check valve.
An attachment like this would be a huge godsend. Krafter, If you’ve printed out any of these, I’d happily pay for one as I don’t have…[Read more]
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Uncle Fred replied to the topic in the forum DIY Accessories 1 year, 7 months ago
Hello Matt.
Okay. I’ll post something on the skirts when I have time.
Nice! A four-point leg strap system would be a great option for builders.
On the issue of flex, I don’t notice anything unless I’m facing directly into the wind with light choppy waves. The bow tends to bounce on these. I don’t recall this feeling any different from my early…[Read more]
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