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

    15 years ago in Lapland (it’s a catamaran with rigid narrow skeleton):
    Terbmisjavri 2006

    I think catamaran is a good idea and especially if you can make it work with an inflatable frame. One thing to consider: the two bow waves of the hulls can merge to a higher one between the frames and add drag plus get you wet. It helps to toe in the hulls a bit, so that bows…[Read more]

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

    Exactly Alpo. Better speed and tracking is my target, and hoping to achieve that, without using any rigid parts. http://www.cubenmaker.com/?2

    & Kayacat gave a lot of ideas but with rigid skeleton, which I would like to avoid. But first I have to weld the pontoons 🙂

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

    I might have exaggerated the edge shape. you can see the effect in real life in some Thermarest Neoair photos. In your use, the large side pontoons will be more rigid than the mattress and will force the edge to be straight. So I don’t think you need to make changes to the original plan. More baffles and curved edge would just mean more work (and…[Read more]

  • 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

  • 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 […]

  • 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, 1 month ago

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

  • 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

  • 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]

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

  • Alpo became a registered member 2 years, 1 month 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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