Not Sealing Seams?

[Samsquanch]

I’ve completed welding all tubes/seams on either side of an UL, so only bow and stern seams remaining. It’s my second build and this time around I took more time to make sure the welds were tidy. I think they look good. I am at the stage where I should seal the seams, but I am wondering if I really need to. It will add a little weight and a little stiffness when folding. It’s also very easy to drip sealant onto the fabric or go outside the seams and spoil the look. I have a T-Zip installed, so if I do need to make a fix, access will be simpler. How important do you think it is to seal the seams? Worth a try without?

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[Samsquanch]

Thanks. To try and minimize leaks, I actually reinforced all the points where the seam strip intersects the floor with a small TPU patch. I’m feeling brave. Think I’ll try without sealing and fix through T-Zip if needed. I’ll report back.

[Matt (Admin)]

I used to only seal around the places where the seam strips intersect with the floor, but in spite of my best efforts I always ended up with at least one leak that I had to track down, and finally I decided that for me (and most people) it is worthwhile to apply seam sealer to the inside of all the seam strips.

Because you have a zipper, it won’t be a big deal if you want to try without seam sealer, although it will be more difficult to apply it inside if you do decide you want to later (but you can apply it to the outside, instead).

[Samsquanch]

UL finished. The centre seam weld at the stern was not up to the quality of the others, so I decided to use some Seam Grip there, but otherwise I avoided it altogether. Happy to report that it is holding pressure. No leaks.

[Matt (Admin)]

Excellent work, and thanks for the update!

[Author]

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