[Daniel]

Thanks for the insight Matt! Saftey is definitely the number one concern on any trip. I agree that in most whitewater applications, a hard shell kayak will out preform a packraft – especially in terms of durability. That being said, I don’t plan to use the raft for anything too extreme (at least dusing this stage in its development). I do however want the packraft to be capable of handling some stretches of rough rough water and unexpected obstacles that may be encountered when exploring seldom travelled waterways.

Here are my current thoughts regarding design:

Use an inflatable and self-bailing floor.

Add a second layer of material to the outer tubes from the floor connection, to the top of the tube. This would be done by lamination.

Add thigh straps.

Add tie downs for gear and attachment points for a spray skirt.

How much extra material do you think would be required to add the extra layer? 2 meters?

 

[Author]

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