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First packraft is 99% done, just need to take care of a few minor air seeps and finishing touches like tiedowns.
Ran into an issue with the seam grip near the end of the assembly process after partially turning the raft inside out to seal the forward seam, it seems like the seam grip didn’t adhere in some areas and also it fractured along the line where the edges of the tubes butt together at the reinforcing strips.
Any thoughts or experience with this?
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Closing the loop here, I got some of the SeamGrip +WP and it seems to work much better. It also has a stronger smell. I had kind of wondered about the +SIL version because it didn’t have much smell and I had seen references to SeamGrip being strong smelling. Thought maybe I just wasn’t that sensitive to it.
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Ok, thanks for checking. I have identified 3 small areas that have small leaks so wanted to make sure before I used the original stuff. Found some of what I believe is the original type you were using and have it on order. Does this look right?
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I’m not seeing any current products on the Gear Aid website that state they work with Polyurethane. I thought I was safe going with Gear Aide Seam Grip and didn’t realize there were 5 or 6 different versions.
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The “Seam Grip +WP” is the same product that used to be called “Seam Grip” and you’re right – I just checked and “polyurethane” doesn’t appear anywhere on the new tube or packaging.
Most of the content on this site was written before they changed their product names and messed everything up, so I’m going back to add “+WP” everywhere Seam Grip is mentioned to (hopefully) make this clear to everyon, but some shops still have stock of plain old “Seam Grip,” so we’ll see if this causes even more confusion.
I looked at some Seam Grip+SIL reviews online and it seems like you’re not the first person to make this mistake… I think an email to Gear Aid expressing your displeasure would not be uncalled for.
I used to not apply anything at all to the inside of the seams, so don’t worry too much about it. In your situation I would apply some Seam Grip+WP to the outside of the tube-to-tube-to-floor joints (those are the most likely places to leak), and you can decide if you want to apply it to the outside of all of the seams or just wait and see if it’s needed. I typically apply it to the outside of the seam strips on the underside of the packraft to protect them from abrasion, and if you let it cure clear it actually looks pretty good, so in your situation I might just go ahead and coat all of the seams on the outside so you don’t have to worry about leaks developing in the future.
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Oh bummer. I have the whole raft completed except tiedowns! I’ll have to do what I can through the T-zip.
Looking around now I’m finding a several different versions of SeamGrip.
SeamGrip+SIL (silicone coated fabrics)
SeamGrip +WP (nylon, canvas, vinyl, rubber)
SeamGrip, white & blue tube (coated and uncoated polyurethane)
AuquaSeal+FD (neoprene, nylon, vinyl and rubber)
And a whole bunch of others…
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I used Gear Aid Seam Grip. I just noticed when I checked the link where I bought it that it also has “+SIL” Not sure if that matters?
A few of the seams I powdered after they were cured 24+hrs. Others I just left alone. All had cured a week plus before I had this issue.
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Hmm, yeah, that’s a problem. The “+SIL” stuff is “silicone tent sealant”, and will only stick to silicone coated fabrics, not polyurethane. It used to be called “SilNet,” but I guess they changed the name to “Seam Grip+SIL” for some reason. I will add a note to the instructions warning people not to confuse the two. Unfortunately I think you’ll have to try to remove it if you can.
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