• gregkn replied to the topic DIY inflatable mattress in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

  • gregkn replied to the topic DIY inflatable mattress in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    Hi Alpo,

    Thanks for the answer. It is not at all late. It is a winter project, moving very slowly. The main use of the inflatable mattress, won’t be as a mattress 😉. It will join two inflatable pontoons of a small inflatable catamaran, I intend to make. Just cut the tpu nylon for the pontoons. I want to make something similar and use it…[Read more]

  • Alpo replied to the topic DIY inflatable mattress in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    Howdy,

    This is a bit late but yes, I think your measures are good, just note that:
    – The width will vary a bit due to baffles bulging. It will be quite a narrow mattress but you know if that’s ok for you.
    – end ‘chambers’ will be a bit smaller than the rest if you don’t give them 5cm extra fabric due to the missing baffle fabric

    mattress

  • Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years 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 […]

  • steve s became a registered member 2 years ago

  • Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years ago

    New Year, New Packrafts?Happy new year! 2022 was a difficult year in many ways, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped keep DIY Packraft afloat by placing pre-orders […]

    • I would be interested in other DIY ironed projects.
      Ultralight camping pillow?
      Sleeping pad?

      Maybe DIY paddle kits?

    • Matt knows what I want. Fabric by the yard purchases. Well, that and I could see a few other things that really should be here to flesh out Matt’s offerings:

      1. Anfibio’s lifejacket. This inflatable jacket is perfectly fine for all but the worse whitewater. It pairs great with a pack raft.

      2. Anfibio’s packraft packsuit. Anfibio has great packraft gear that just doesn’t ship to North America due to “insurance reasons.” As a business, they may be open to partnering with you. This is a win-win. We could get our hands on this gear, and Anfibio and Matt would profit.

      3. MRS packraft large and small Skegs plus an official way to make them slot in and removable.

      4. Matt could sell the Flextail pump.

      5. High-stance inflatable backrest. Basically, this would fill in the rear area to create a very firm and upright inflatable backrest. This allows for a forward and aggressive stance. I’ve created one on my own boat, and it makes the seating position far more comfortable and helps in the transfer of energy in the stroke.

      6. Spray skirt upgrade. The spray skirt as available could potentially use an upgrade. The combing ring is, in my option, not robust enough to handle large whitewater. Second, there isn’t a lot of flexibility if a user adjusts their sitting location forward. If you do this, it creates a significant pressure point added at the base of the skirt. Check out Anfibio’s sprayskirt design where they add an additional angled fabric between the deck and the chest. I think this would greatly improve the design. The sprayskirt should also have suspenders.

      7. Footbag with Tizip.

      8. Bow bag with roll top or Tie-zip.

      9. Leg straps

      10. Inflatable sail with a clear interior. If Matt permits fabric sales, I’ll probably make one of these this year.

      11. A few odds and ends could be offered for a really complete storefront including:
      UWHPE rope
      Titanium rope knife
      1″ and 3/4″ buckles, D-rings, square rings.
      1″ and 3/4″ polypropylene webbing in black, blue, yellow, and red.
      Kit building items like packraft blocks, Talcrum powder, Fisker shears, Seam Grip, and straight edges.
      IP68-rated radio (A good option might be the ELIDA-branded one from Alliexpress. I’ve used it over an eight-day backcountry portage trip with great success. It’s the only radio I can find at this price point with USB-C, easy to-read display, a week-long battery, and fully waterproof.

    • Definitely a more stealth color. By that I mean a nature color like green, brown, Camo etc. The high visibility colors is what is keeping me from buying at the moment.

      • 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 🙂

    • 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

    • I concur with Fred’s suggestion on a spray deck upgrade. The combing is poor in the current design, and makes the skirt nearly unusable. I am considering cutting the deck off my raft entirely.

      How about an inflatable floor to make the boats self-bailing? It doesn’t seem that difficult – just an extension of the seat with a couple more baffles, and voila.

      • The best thing you can do is to replace the provided blue tube with a large one off Amazon. You can find it by searching for “Nylon Tubing 1/2 inch ID Pneumatic Hose Tube Pipe” and selecting “3/8″ ID, 0.47″OD, 10 feet” If you’re in Canada, it will take some time to get this tube as it’s from the states. When adding it, shift it around a bunch while feeding it into the combing ring, this will allow you to fit in as much of the tube as possible. The more tube you can get in there, the better. This is a huge improvement. You’ll also want to glue velcros along the deck and sew velcros into your skirt. I use ten strips. It’s not an issue with pulling the skirt off, but these help getting the skirt on a lot.

    • The self bailing boats and bow bag kits sound very intriguing to me!

      Thanks for all you do here Matt, I’m so psyched with my new Atlin.

  • koda replied to the topic Workspace Suggestions in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    Ok I’ll have a look. Thank you. I’ll try and report back.

  • koda started the topic Workspace Suggestions in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    Hi There,

    I’m preparing to build my Skeena and was wondering about tables, materials, and sizes people use. Would using a floor space work better? Also, whether or not its worth covering the table with something to protect the table from anything to do with the process.

    Jay

  • Johanna became a registered member 2 years ago

  • Matt (Admin) replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    Hi Christian, here’s a video showing how I modified my paddle (it sounds like Uncle Fred did something similar): https://www.diypackraft.com/2019/09/19/convert-a-kayak-paddle-to-a-packraft-paddle/

    Also, here’s a post about how another person made his own paddle from carbon fiber tubes and sheets, in case you want to try making one from scratch: ht…[Read more]

  • Christian001 replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    That would be absolutely great! Also would love to see more details on your paddle modification.

  • Alpo became a registered member 2 years ago

  • Matt (Admin) wrote a new post 2 years ago

    Yes indeed – after almost an entire year, all of the DIY Packraft kits are back in stock.

    It will take me some time to fulfill the pre-orders, but my goal is to ship them all out before the end of the year. […]

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  • Damo's profile was updated 2 years ago

  • Damo replied to the topic DIY Packraft Photos in the forum DIY Packrafts 2 years ago

    I finally found time from work and good weather to take the completed raft for a maiden voyage.  Compared to my Anfibio Delta MX rafts this thing is faster to paddle on the flat water, yes it would benefit from a skeg, so that will happen in the future.  The cockpit feels smaller (widthwise) than the Anfibio, but the side tubes are also bigger a…[Read more]

  • Fips became a registered member 2 years ago

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