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But of course-
Posted by Michael Strahan on Feb 24 2005
John,
I'm somewhat familiar with the differences between PVC, urethane, Hypalon and neoprene, as well as the various base cloths, seams, etc. that are normally used with these materials, along with some of the construction processes. Though I'm very concerned about boat fabric (I've posted on it many times), the intent of this thread was to allow folks such as yourself to offer their insights. The title of the thread was sort of a tongue-in-cheek statement that anyone using an inflatable in Alaska is all but the mildest circumstances should be concerned about the material their boat is made of. I'm somewhat concerned with some of the posts I've seen that relegate boat fabric to the category of minor considerations when selecting a boat. I disagree with that perspective.
Anyway, I've already said a lot on this and I wanted to open some further discussion by inviting folks to post specifically on materials. I appreciate your insights on this!
BTW, I agree with most of your comments on urethane, and I lament the fact that Wing doesn't have much of a presence here in Alaska. Yet. They build some very good boats. You are correct regarding the stiffness of this material and it's lack of flexibility when folding, but of course there is a significant performance advantage of this material over the rubber fabrics (Hypalon and neoprene) on the water that. In my view, this advantage more than makes up for the storage and transport issues. I'll shut up now and let someone else talk.
Best regards,
-Mike
Previous: who cares? maybe you should! jklingel Feb 23 2005
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