Raising an inflatable seat?

[StacyR]

My pontoon is frameless and has a very comfortable inflatable seat. It relies on the tautness of the bladders to keep your butt from dragging. Normally it's fine, except when the temperature changes suddenly. I was out fishing a pond last night when we had a storm come up just as the sun went down. The temperature dropped like 15 degrees and with the sun no longer shining on the fabric, the tubes and seat both shrank to the point where water seeped into the wet storage area behind the seat and my butt got wet.

I was wondering if there was a way to raise or stiffen the seat? The seat bladder slides into a pocket sewn into the (non-inflated) floor.

Fortunately catching some bull gills on my hand-tied jigs made it worthwhile.
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[flygoddess]

Some kind of cross bar just behind the seat? Also, people do NOT inflate there tubes or toons as much as they should. Email Creek Company and ask then how many lbs they can handle. Then get a gauge. It is worth it!
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[StacyR]

I know the recommended pressure is 2.5 PSI. I had been guessing, but finally decided to get a gauge because it was hard to tell if I was inflating the bladders (especially the seats) to the proper pressure. I ordered one of the Airhead gauges and hopefully it will be here tomorrow. It has adapters for all the valves on the pontoon.

Of course, since it's impossible to order just one thing, I also picked up a Scotty anchor lock and float tube adapter. Hopefully it will keep me from getting blown all over the lake.
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[pontoonman]

You need to know the max pressure and use a guage as FG has indicated. Lower inflation pressure BEFORE if transporting in hot sun or increase pressure BEFORE for riding cold water- there can be 30%+ difference from the 1.5 psi storage pressure in my garage during Winter for my ODC 420L. Good Boston valve guage if you have that kind: [url "http://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-Pressure-Gauge-for-Inflatables/dp/B00EVIJLJ8/ref=sr_1_4?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1403624378&sr=1-4&keywords=air+gauge"]http://www.amazon.com/AIRHEAD-Pressure-G...words=air+gauge[/url]

Another option if you can reach your valves from sitting on water position, is to use a mouth tube to inflate up to make up for shrinkage. Mouth tube can easily get you to 1.5 psi and then to about 2 psi with maximum short puffs, if that would be enough for your toon.

Altering the stiffness of the seat can be done with foam cushion or plastic patio chair (cut off legs), but that may affect comfort and riding position.

PM


[quote StacyR]My pontoon is frameless and has a very comfortable inflatable seat. It relies on the tautness of the bladders to keep your butt from dragging. Normally it's fine, except when the temperature changes suddenly. I was out fishing a pond last night when we had a storm come up just as the sun went down. The temperature dropped like 15 degrees and with the sun no longer shining on the fabric, the tubes and seat both shrank to the point where water seeped into the wet storage area behind the seat and my butt got wet.

I was wondering if there was a way to raise or stiffen the seat? The seat bladder slides into a pocket sewn into the (non-inflated) floor.

Fortunately catching some bull gills on my hand-tied jigs made it worthwhile.[/quote]
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[StacyR]

Yup, that's the gauge I got.

Unfortunately I can't reach the valve while using the toon because it's located top dead center in the middle of the bow. Not a very reachable spot, and one of the few features I dislike about the boat. I love the ease and convenience a frameless offers, but the next one I get will have the valve(s) located somewhere I can reach while on the water.
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[flygoddess]

Urethane or bladderless are not as effected by temp and Alt. change as well.
The ol' "you get what you pay for" story[]
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[pontoonman]

Hi, FG.
Our old Physics prof, had us do many a calculation with Charles' law and the pressure should go up with high temperature. The increase should show up on a guage unless there is a pressure relief valve on the bladderless. Bladderless may not be affected or damaged because of the sturdy construction, though. If the bladderless reaches a fixed volume where it doesn't expand anymore, there will be a smaller effect with altitude. But even a steel scuba tank or the tires on your car should show that effect with temperature, at least that's the theory. Just a disclaimer that I don't know how you are running your bladderless, so you may not see anything the way you are doing it...

Hope this helps.

PM

[quote flygoddess]Urethane or bladderless are not as effected by temp and Alt. change as well.
The ol' "you get what you pay for" story[][/quote]
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[flygoddess]

I posted "AS" effected. Everything is effected. Vinyl will be way more noticeable than Urethane or bladderless due to material used. Having used all three I have noticed this.
And yes I have a Pressure Relief valve built into my Bladderless.
Construction has a lot to do with it as well. Sewn seams as apposed to glued or welded.
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[StacyR]

They wouldn't be as affected by air expansion due to heating because of the tougher constructions and the properties of the material, but they would still be as affected by volume loss due to temperature drops. Simple physics. Colder air has less volume than warmer air. Temperature drops = less volume in the tubes = tubes deflate.
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[flygoddess]

Lets put it this way, a basket ball or a balloon.[]
Putting a Renegade up against a Voyager in same changes and you will see the difference in material.
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