Some tears are inevitable, but others can be averted. Here are some tips on how to avoid the need for common raft repairs.
Every September when our raft rental fleet takes to the field we expect that some will come back in need of repair. Others will be repaired by the renter in the field. Most repairs are easy fixes. Almost all of them result from an error the operator could have avoided.
Causes of Raft Damage
If I had to name the top contender for raft damage, it would be a poke, gash or tear. These most often occur from hitting a rock or coming in contact with a tree branch. The next most common cause is from antler sets with sharp bones and burs that haven’t been properly stowed. Bears occasionally maul rafts when they are left both unattended and bloody from your harvest. These can sometime be irreparable, and they are always avoidable.
How to Avoid It
Every raft operator should be aware of some simple ways to avoid the most common raft repairs.
Pokes, Gashes and Tears
Shallow streams can present drag hazards, and that can be brutally abrasive on raft bottoms. Take gravel as an example. A loaded raft being dragged downstream makes eventual contact with stream bed structures like gravel. The design material can withstand this reasonably well. But, imagine what happens when a rafter steps into the raft with gritty boots and unwittingly creates a major floor hazard.
Be Mindful of the Subfloor
Our rafts have a subfloor sealed to the raft tubes and inside the hull is an inflatable floor insert. If one pebble finds its way down between the inflatable floor and the subfloor, and the raft makes repeated contact to that spot, it will result in a hole in the subfloor the shape and size of that pebble(s). An Aqua Seal patch on the bottom is the best repair option.
Set Antlers Correctly
Antler sets carelessly tossed or placed on the raft is all too common among renters. Prepare the skull cap to dull sharp edges and avoid resting prickly burs on raft tubes during transport. This is a raft repair that can be avoided purely by being mindful.
Slow Down to See What’s Coming
Speed can sometimes result in careless strikes against tree branches and rocks. These are common repair threats. Tears and gashes result from an impaled sharp object. Depending on the angle and motion of the raft when dislodging that object, a gash or tear is likely is to occur. Flex Tape is a must have item to add to your field repair kit. Any tear longer than a couple inches might benefit from an inside patch to close the wound before you add a glue patch on the outside.
Bears and Rafts
In the past five years approximately 2% of raft renters have had bears chew or tear their rafts requiring more in-depth raft repairs. That’s about 2 in 100 renters. In both cases the rafts I repaired had sour blood odors. Hunters should wash their rafts every day that meat was transported, to remove bloody drainage from the nylon cargo platforms, the raft tubes and floor. Copious bloody water can collect under the inflatable floor and will sour if left for days. That must be cleaned up for your safety and for preservation of the raft.
Below Larry Demonstrates A Raft Repair After a Bear Attack
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Larry Bartlett is the Owner of Pristine Ventures, packraft and game bag designer, hunting book author, trip advisor and logistics planner, and Alaska hunting expert.