02-15-2004, 12:38 PM
[cool][blue][size 1]Hey, Dryrod, I have not installed anything to guard against punctures at the business end of my craft. As the proud owner of a SFC, you know that the front of the air chambers are already partially protected by the heavy plastic cover. [/size][/blue]
[blue][size 1]That helps, but there is still a few inches between the end of the black plastic and the beginning of the pocket where the air chamber is covered only with the nylon outer shell. That area is still vulnerable to fish spines, errant hooks, etc.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]My plan has been to insert a couple of pieces of either naugahyde or rubber inner tube rubber up inside the front portion of each eair chamber, between the chamber and the cover, to provide protection without having something else to dodge on the outside.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Haven't done this yet, but probably should before our first trip down to the Sea of Cortez. All the fish down there have teeth and/or sharp spines. Both TubeBabe and I have had to make unscheduled returns to the beach down there because of having a fishie stick a pinhole in our tubes with a spine. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]In fact, fishing down there was really the inspiration for our earliest models of naugahyde snap-on aprons, for our old round boats. We had suffered "deflation" before, usually from some small bluegill falling off the hook and bouncing off the tube. But, a trip to the Sea of Cortez is almost guaranteed to put your craft at risk. We just made up the aprons and used them on all trips. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Oh yeah, the ones that cover the outside also help keep the front of your craft cleaner too. If you get slime, blood, bait or fish attractant on them, the surface is more easily washable than if those things get ground down into the fabric of your float tube cover. And, if they get really well-used, you can replace them for a couple of bucks worth of new naugahyde.[/size][/#0000ff]
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[blue][size 1]That helps, but there is still a few inches between the end of the black plastic and the beginning of the pocket where the air chamber is covered only with the nylon outer shell. That area is still vulnerable to fish spines, errant hooks, etc.[/size][/blue]
[#0000ff][size 1]My plan has been to insert a couple of pieces of either naugahyde or rubber inner tube rubber up inside the front portion of each eair chamber, between the chamber and the cover, to provide protection without having something else to dodge on the outside.[/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Haven't done this yet, but probably should before our first trip down to the Sea of Cortez. All the fish down there have teeth and/or sharp spines. Both TubeBabe and I have had to make unscheduled returns to the beach down there because of having a fishie stick a pinhole in our tubes with a spine. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]In fact, fishing down there was really the inspiration for our earliest models of naugahyde snap-on aprons, for our old round boats. We had suffered "deflation" before, usually from some small bluegill falling off the hook and bouncing off the tube. But, a trip to the Sea of Cortez is almost guaranteed to put your craft at risk. We just made up the aprons and used them on all trips. [/size][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][size 1]Oh yeah, the ones that cover the outside also help keep the front of your craft cleaner too. If you get slime, blood, bait or fish attractant on them, the surface is more easily washable than if those things get ground down into the fabric of your float tube cover. And, if they get really well-used, you can replace them for a couple of bucks worth of new naugahyde.[/size][/#0000ff]
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