MIRAGE ITREK 9 ULTRALIGHT question...

does it have only one air chamber?

Lake management in PA and NJ asked if our inflatos had multiple air chambers.

nice design. have a tear. enjoy the water in a different way than you planned

I think they are quite impervious to damage from hitting bottom snags, but the activity of fishing involves sharp things that should favor it11 multi chambers. For single chamber I think the danger is more with a valve leak or aging seams. A solution could be to check for softness if you are departing from a safe zone to offshore or whatever. Probably most noticeable from a wobbly or sinking seat. For truly ageing seams, maybe carry a rescue beacon type of thing.

I have 4 single chamber paddleboards that haven't leaked and seem bulletproof, at least for non-fishing. I have had 3 triple chamber craft, and 2 now lay in landfill or under a homeless person after unrepairable air leaks. My i12s floor (seams) went soft well offshore, but the fat side chambers allowed me to sail home. But I had a real cheapo precursor to the i11s type design whose main center chamber went soft due to a valve problem. The small sidebulbs kept me afloat, but I could make no headway at all. Water poured into the sagging middle and umpteen gallons sloshed around. It was just a redundant life vest.

I think for most uses the single chamber works fine, and the multi chamber gives a false sense of security. The simpler seams with one chamber should increase reliability. Add weight savings and ease of single air fillings at a single pressure setting making setup much less tiresome. The scenario where sidebulbs materially help would be if you punctured one, then could limp home OK. That is, a puncture that would have nuked entire it9. But I don't face siderail puncture threats except when boarding from a barnacle encrusted wall, where rescue is easy anyway.

Kinda like the trend away from 4 engine airliners, as the B747 and A380 head for the dustbin of history. It seemed crazy to cross oceans with 2 engine airliners, but now with reliable engines that is the affordable norm. Well, the itrek 9 may be like a single engine airliner, so be sure to wear a life vest too.