In my Dirigo, the bow is wide open and has no flotation whatsoever. I custom made a flotation bag (out of some clear vinyl, vinyl glue/cement and a couple misc. parts) that fills the entire area. It's going to give me the most flotation (versus buying smaller flotation bags or even using pool noodles or something like that), because the whole area is filled and will displace much more water. The flotation bags ended up with a size of approximately 27" at the wider end, 17" at the more narrow end and 36" long.
- Clear Vinyl from JoAnn Crafts
- HH-66 Cement from VeneerSupplies.com
- Methyl Ethyl Ketone (M.E.K.) from Home Depot
- Male (link has wrong size) and Female PVC electrical adapters from Home Depot
- A couple of disposable 1" brushes
- Latex gloves
- Sharpie
To make the float bags, I followed some general instructions from the Internet:
- I tried and failed on my first attempt (I'm kind of a DIY-idiot; actually anything non-computer related, I'm an idiot). So, I posted to Kayak Builders Bulletin Board. Specifically, Tom Yost's response was very helpful
- Tom Yost's PVC Floatation Bag pages
- Black Dog Kayaks fitting/measuring instructions
As I said, it took me 1 failed attempt at creating the float bag. So, rather than use up all of my stuff- I made a small (12" x 12") bag to test out my instructions (the Tom Yost response in #1 above). These are the pictures of this small 12" x 12" bag.
Notes & caution- flotation bags are a safety item! Be very cautious and aware of what you're doing when you make these; your life may ultimately depend on it! Secondly, HH-66 and MEK are strong chemicals. Be aware, handle them with care and use them properly.
1 comments:
I made my first float bag the other day and your blog was a huge help. The links you provided helped make my project come off without a hitch and inspired I decided to try my hand at making my own paddle float too.
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