Re: [Paddlewise] Deck/hull seam

ralph diaz wrote:
> 
> Erik Sprenne wrote:
> > My friends' canoe had
> > fiberglassed-in air chambers in both the bow and stern (totally air-tight)
> > for floatation,  <and had expansion problems>
> 
> Good timely advice that works well for folding kayaks that are being
> cartopped.  Especially on the West Coast where you can quickly go from
> sea level to very high elevations in the matter of a few hours.
> 
> I reported this quite a few years ago in the newsletter in a note from a
> California reader who had his sponson seams pop.  

WW canoe paddlers have been aware of these issues for a long time. A
triangular air bag 60" long by 30" at its widest can change dramatically
with heat or altitude. I've never popped one, but I've had one
over-inflate alarmingly. It's a mild aggravation paddling cold water in
the summer, because you need to blow them up fairly tight to cartop,
then re-inflate as soon as they get wet, then deflate slightly when you
stop for lunch in the sun, then re-inflate back on the water. Hopefully,
you remembered to re-close the valve at lunch. Then deflate a bit so
that they don't pop while the car is sitting in the sun. Makes for a
cheery round of "Blow, blow, blow your boat..."

I  believe my Bell Wildfire canoe has rubber expansion valves built into
its air chambers for this reason.

Steve
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