Raft question

[Mark Schafer]

A few years ago I bought Rick Marcum’s raft it has been to the White the PM and a few points in between I keep it in the garage with the pressure down some I have washed it a few times but that’s it, should I be doing anything else to it like some kind of cleaner or protectant.
I was considering taking the frame off to give it a real cleaning and to flip it over and check the bottom, what do you other raft owners do to yours

[Zach Matthews]

Mark –

In my experience, rafts do best when stored inflated but not drum tight. You want to avoid having the raft rest for a lengthy period on a creased seam where the deflated boat can put all its weight against a fold. I used to deflate and break down my raft after use, and I fixed pinhole leaks for a long time before I finally learned to just leave it inflated.

Obviously you also want to keep the boat in a temperature-stable environment if you’re going to have air in it; I learned that the hard way when I blew out my bladder this summer on the beach.

I would also stay away from protectant products. Stuff like Armor All and 303 Protectant can actually leach the plasticizers out of plastic product, making them brittle. Obviously keep the raft out of the sun. If you need to scrub it off, I’d use a bristle brush and regular dish soap then *wax* the boat with Turtle Wax for a non-leaching protective coating.

As for the raft frame, I would make sure to keep it lubed. Semi-solid axle or wheel grease is good for inner parts like those pressure buttons and for rivet points. Also, dope your zippers. I’ve had several of mine lock up over the years.

Zach

[Mark Schafer]

Thanks Zach,
This is a 3 person star raft so no zippers or push buttons, but I have checked all the Allen screws a few times.
I have wondered about how much pressure to take out of the bladders the front section that holds the bow casting deck is the most worry some as the strap binds the front tube.
I’ll check into the turtle wax I just feel I should be doing some sort of maintenance I’ve spent more time on the trailer.

[Glenn Hawkins]

http://www.nrs.com/inflatables/raft_care.asp

[Zach Matthews]

It’s interesting that 303 Protectant is specifically recommended by NRS. I’ve had very bad experiences with this stuff: it definitely eats fly line. But not all plastics are created equal. I still feel like a wax product is the safest thing to do.

Zach

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