Click here to zoom in Inflatable Boats Materials: Fabrics

Click here to zoom in Inflatable Boats Materials: Fabrics

Click here to zoom in Inflatable Boats Materials: Fabrics

Click here to zoom in Inflatable Boats Materials: Fabrics

Any discussion concerning the substance used to coat an inflatable boat is concerned solely with the ability of the coating to keep the boat watertight. Those discussions have absolutely no relevance to the strength and ability of an inf able boat to withstand impacts. The strength of an inflatable derives not from the material used in its coating but from the material used in the underlying fabric of the boat. Traditionally, inflatable boats were constructed using silk or cotton fabrics, but these materials have recently been overshadowed by the more modern alternatives of nylon and polyester. While the differences between materials used for coatings are significant, the differences between the various mater ials used for the underlying fabric are much less so.

The majority of boat owners and boating enthusiasts will be familiar with the general properties of both nylon and polyester because they can be found in the form of the cordage used on boats. Each material has different properties that e it suitable for specific and different purposes. Polyester is the material of choice for cordage used in running rigging, as polyester has minimal elasticity and is able to withstand long periods of exposure to the elements. Nylon cordage is the material of choice for cordage used in securing the anchor and in dock-lines due to its durability and enormous capacity for absorbing energy by stretching.

It is common knowledge among sailors that nylon degrades when exposed to the sun, and any new rope made of nylon will quickly become stiff and frayed after just a week or two of being exposed to the sun. When it comes to sails, nylon is ctically useless, as any sail made out of nylon would not last more than a few weeks. That is why sails are made using polyester, which is ideal due to its great strength and ability to resists degradation from exposure to ultraviolet radia tion.

Most of the inflatable boats available today are made using polyester fabric, while the remaining boats are constructed from nylon. It can be argued that the inability of polyester to stretch is important in an inflatable boat because it ves the boat the rigidity that is required for proper maneuverability. It is probably true, however, that except in situations such as whitewater rafting, where impacts are frequent, whether nylon or polyester is used to construct the infla table boat is not really an issue of importance.

A characteristic that would be important is the fabric's weight, but this is not information that is often provided when you are looking to purchase an inflatable boat anyway. This is not because manufacturers wish to keep the weight of ir boats secret from consumers, but mostly because the average salesman is simply unaware of the weight of the boats he is selling. At the end of the day, the materials used in the construction of inflatable boats do not differ from each ot her too much in terms of weight. Manufacturers are always careful to ensure that the boats are kept below the maximum weight for optimal performance on the water.

PVC or PVA are often used in the more inexpensive inflatable boats, which often come in the form of play boats. These boats do not feature reinforced fabric, although the material is embossed and dyed such that it appears to have been re orced. The effect thus achieved is completely aesthetic, and does not have any beneficial effect on the ability of the material to retain air when the boat is inflated. The seams of boats made from these materials are often heat-welded and of varying quality. Some of the inflatable kayaks made by certain manufacturers are of good enough quality that they are able to withstand a fairly significant amount of abuse and rough usage, while other inflatable boats are simply so poor ly made that they are useless in any situation outside of a shallow swimming pool.

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