Puncture Protection Around Wharves

Hi Team,

I'm a proud own 14T owner. Yesterday I needed to pick up my partner from a wharf. The wharf had a couple of broken oyster shells near the waterline. Having already had a puncture from oyster shells we were careful and she embarked without a problem.

SWMBO, came up with a suggestion that we carry a thick piece of vinyl sheeting to hang off the side to provide protection from sharp objects at wharves. When not in use it would be rolled up and carried in the rear cargo area?

I was thinking about using two half sheets of camping matting joined lengthways and held in place with a couple of carabiners clipped to the lifting handings.

What other methods have you used to avoid punctures?

Cheers

Mick

I would think that the osyter shell would cut through both. Not sure about the thickness of the matt you are using. Good Luck

Kevlar sheet?

You can try some Gorilla tape. It's PVC and available at Lowes. Might need a couple layers & probably only practical for reinforcing specific areas you know are prone to rubbing on oysters etc. Advantage is it will fold with the boat & can be removed/replaced.

Another idea is kevlar tape. Seen it on ebay relatively cheap. No experience with it myself though. Maybe a layer of kevlar affixed with the PVC tape?

This might create a lot of drag and weight on a yak designed to be light and easy to use and store. Not sure what the tape would look like after being folded up and stored for a week or two... Just wondering.

Yeah, maybe the tape & kevlar is more in the "thinking out loud" category. On the other hand if it doesn't work you can remove it .

I don't think there's an elegant solution to this problem. If you're only concerned with rubbing on a dock then the blanket is as good a solution as any. Bring along pool noodle bumpers you can deploy over the side? Maybe something like PVC safety netting if the mesh is small enough?

If you're worried about running into oysters while you're peddling/paddling then you need to modify/protect the hull somehow. That's always going to add weight & drag. There's always a trade-off when trying to make inflatables perform like rotomold boats.

BTW: This may be blasphemy in this forum, but I wouldn't consider an i14 particularly light or portable anyway. Certainly no more than a rotomold boat if you had the vehicle & storage to accomodate it.

Thanks for the advice.

I'll try out the matting option as I have materials on hand and will post pics once done.

P.S. As for the weight and handling have never had a problem moving or loading by myself. Always use the wheels and a homemade 'rack and roll' bar to load onto the roof racks.

Gave up transporting it rolled up as it won't fit in the boot takes up the whole back seat in my Honda Civic.

And no I wouldn't exchange it for an Oasis. My mate has one and the i14 is so much more stable, particularly for sailing. Now if someone wants to offer me a Tandem Island and a trailer, I wouldn't say no!!!

Mick