DIY raft with sewn-in baffles

[daanivd]

Hi all, I recently made a small raft on which I will mount my camera to take wildlife photos. I will also be making a tent over it so I am more hidden. When using the raft I will be in the water in the u-shaped part of the raft, the camera will be mounted on the larger front portion of the raft. The raft is approximately 120cm (4ft) long and 85cm (almost 3ft) wide.
The raft has 9 sewn in baffles (ripstop nylon 40d) that are about 10cm (4″) tall. All the seams were sealed using Seam Grip. The bottom and top half of the raft has been heat-sealed together. For the valve I used a Leafield D7 valve which simply screws in, it seems to work fine. I did glue (using the seam grip stuff) in a reinforcement patch where the valve is sitting on the underside so it has the TPU coating on both sides.

I still have some small leaks that I am fixing but overall I am really happy with it! When inflated it is really sturdy. I will make lightweight frames using carbon tubes to mount the camera and tent structure. Overall the whole thing shouldn’t weigh more that 1.5-2kgs.

Here are some photos:
 

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