Inflatable Catamaran: On The Water Patching And Improved Stability
If you're looking at inflatable catamarans for sale, you need a boat that's both reliable and stable. From fixing leaks and tears on the water to improving the stability of your boat, a few simple tricks can make a big difference.
Reinforcing and Extending
Inflatable catamarans are designed to be portable and exceptionally buoyant. However, the more you prepare for your time on the water and how you choose to store your inflatable catamaran can be critical.
Reinforcements: the most common areas that fail on an inflatable catamaran are the steams, bow, and stern. Before you purchase an inflatable catamaran, you should always give it the soap bubble test. This involves mixing equal quantities of dish soap and warm water in a small bucket. Once the soap is dissolved and visibly bubbly, use a rag or sponge to apply the mixture along the seams, bow, stern area. If you notice the soap bubbles begin to move in a particular area, then you've likely detected a small leak. You can mend these rips and tears by drying off the areas and applying a rubber sealant product. It's important to repeat this process before every trip with your inflatable catamaran.
Storage: most inflatable catamarans are built with sturdy PVC plastics. Although PVC plastics are incredibly tough, they can also react to heat, UV rays, and moisture. To extend the life of your inflatable catamaran, you should always store it in a dry, ventilated area that's protected from direct sunlight. You should also always deflate your catamaran before you store it. Storing your catamaran deflated will reduce the pressure exerted on the seams and gaskets.
Subtle Stability
Inflatable catamarans can be notoriously difficult to steer in rough weather. However, by rethinking your weight distribution and positioning, you can dramatically improve your stability on the water.
Sweet Spot: inflatable catamarans are like giant inflatable kayaks with training wheels. The key to improving your stability in rough weather is to keep your weight in the sweet spot. You can find the sweet spot by aligning your gear so that it's balanced and parallel to your catamaran supports. If you can keep your gear, cargo, and passengers equally balance laterally and vertically in this sweet spot, your catamaran should be more stable when the weather turns rough.
Big Turns: inflatable catamarans aren't the most nimble vessels. You should always allow for more sweeping turns to decrease the draft and chop exerted on your inflatable catamaran.
Keep these things in mind as you look for an inflatable catamaran.
Share
