Matt (Admin)

Congratulations on the excellent work! What a cool place to explore, too!

It sounds like you’re 99% finished but you’re discouraged and you’re getting ready to give up, but leaks are a very fixable problem, so don’t despair!

That said, I’m even more confused now… Can you tell me what packraft model it is and which set of instructions you’re following? I don’t think I recommend using adhesives for any structural bonds…[Read more]

Welcome! Here’s some information about whitewater paddling in DIY Packrafts: https://www.diypackraft.com/faq/whitewater-capabilities-of-diy-packrafts/

I’m not sure if you saw the second “Note” on the heat sealing page, but what you’re describing could be normal. All of the seams in the packrafts are designed to avoid that kind of peeling force – they’re either shear forces only, as in the areas where the tubes attach to the perimeter of the floor, or the area that would feel a peeling force is…[Read more]

Hi RhettB, I’m sorry I’m not doing any bulk fabric sales at this time. Maybe when global supply chains are back to normal and I have plenty of stock I will, but that won’t be in the foreseeable future. Some people have had success modifying inflatable camping mattresses to fit the packrafts floor – that’s the approach I would take, as it would…[Read more]

Can you elaborate on what you mean when you say locating the leaks and sealing them hasn’t helped? It sounds like either there are more leaks to find and seal or your method of sealing them didn’t work.

Well done! And what a gorgeous location! Thanks for posting 🙂

Ah, okay 🙂

It sounds like you’ve already got it solved, but one thing I noticed with mine is that the heating element can slide outwards, and if it’s not pushed all the way into its hole then it doesn’t transfer heat as well as when it’s fully inserted. Also, if the element is a bit loose in the hole, maybe adding some thermal paste (a heat…[Read more]

It seems like you’re spending a significant amount of time and money trying to get the measured temperature to match some value, but from your posts I can’t tell if you’ve tried welding any scraps of fabric to see if there’s actually a problem there that needs solving.

If so, carry on – I just don’t want to leave other readers with the impression…[Read more]

It’s not possible because the design uses floor fabric that is coated with TPU on both sides and the 250 GSM fabric is coated on only one side.

Great – thanks!

This is great – thanks! If it’s okay with you, I’ll copy these pictures to the instructions page and give you a shoutout there so more people will see it.

The freezer might work – I haven’t actually tried it, but Gear Aid does recommend storing opened tubes in the freezer.

I usually toss the screw-on brush after the first use, and then I re-use the metal-handled brush even if it’s totally hardened, but in that case I use it more like a spatula. Sometimes I just use my finger to spread the sealant…[Read more]

I meant, did you read the section below the video with the heading “Ironing around the pointy bow”?

Just to make sure, did you see the “Ironing around the pointy bow” section on the instructions page?

It’s okay to have a few small wrinkles towards the edges of the seam strip there, so don’t stress about it.

Sure, send me an email if you’d like to order a replacement piece.

Great work, Mike, and thanks for the tips! Cheers

Wonderful! Thanks for sharing the details of your rowing rig – very cool!

Hi Cate, someone else did the same thing and was able to fix it by cutting off a bit of the valve stem (or the flange) and using the iron to melt it like hot glue and press it into the hole (kind of like welding metal). Give that a try first.