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Inflatable Boat Fabrics; Who Cares?
Posted by Michael Strahan on Feb 22 2005
Hi folks,
I thought I'd start a new thread focused on fabrics that inflatable boats are made out of, with the purpose of helping folks looking at buying a new inflatable or renting one. I'll be the first to admit that this may appear to be the most boring topic you'll read, however I believe it should be of paramount importance because of the risks involved in taking cheaply-made boats into the wilds of Alaska where you will not be picked up for days or weeks.
How important is this really? Would you buy a parachute made of inferior materials? Would you set sail with cheapo sails built by the lowest bidder? Would you go ice climbing with bargain-basement ropes? Of course not! Should you tackle a remote, wild river in Alaska without taking a look at the materials and workmanship of the boat you're using? No Way!
I'm hoping we can write something useful that will live a long time in the archives and be a reference to others who are in the market. So, whether we all agree or not, whether we usually post here or not, here's to hoping we can come up with some good information folks can use.
I don't want to form a structure for this discussion, but I'll toss out some questions / ideas to stimulate discussion. Let's see where this takes us.
1. What are the pros and cons of the various fabric types?
2. How important is the actual manufacturer of the boat fabric?
3. How can you spot an inferior material / boat?
4. What are the differences between fabric types in terms of performance and durability?
5. Is there a "best" material?
6. What should someone know about denier and base cloth fabrics?
I hope folks will feel free to add their thoughts to this, no matter what their experience level, and I'm especially welcoming educated consumers and professionals to post here.
Regards
-Mike
Next: Inflatable Boat Construction Michael Strahan Feb 26 2005
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