[font "Arial"][black]Hello folks. [/black][/font]
[font "Arial"][black]First a little about me. I mainly fish rivers and streams here in MD. Smallmouth are the prey of choice, but I wouldn’t turn down a catfish or greenie(LM Bass) that came a’ callin’. Anyway, I have a Creek Co. U-2000 that I bought in April. I have only used it a half a dozen times. The front edge of the seat is starting to separate from the cover, and it seems to be taking the inside seam with it. Anybody have any suggestions on how to reinforce this area? All help gratefully accepted.[/black][/font]
[font "Arial"][black] [/black][/font][black][size 2]Doug[/size][/black]
[cool][#0000ff]Welcome to our playroom. Sorry about the problem with the 2000. Creek Company usually turns out a good product. Sounds like a defect in workmanship. I couldn't find anything on their warranty. Most tube manufacturers have at least a one year warranty. If you bought it within a year, you should be able to get a replacement.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]If you need to handle the problem yourself, begin by rounding up someone with a heavy duty sewing machine and some heavy nylon thread. Otherwise, you will need to use a heavy sewing needle and that same nylon thread.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Over the years I have had to make some repairs to seam separations at different locations around different tubes. If you do it right, the repair is more durable than the original stitching. And, it is usually not visible so you don't need to worry about making it pretty.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The first step is to deflate your craft and to remove the air chamber. Next, turn the cover inside out. Locate the place where the seat fabric is pulling free from the main cover. Now, if you have access to a commercial sewing machine, simply reinsert the seat back in between the two parts of the main cover and run a couple of lines of stitches. If you have to do it by hand, use a simple round and round stitch, using plenty of stitches to secure it. Be sure to extend the reinforcement beyond the point of the failure, to help prevent it from happening in the future. You might also want to squeeze in some waterproof epoxy or urethane cement between the layers before stitching, to add strength to the repair. You will need to clean off the needle during the process and do a complete cleaning when finished, to remove the epoxy or glue. Let the cement cure completely before airing your craft up again.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]While you have the cover inside out, check for other signs of seam failure and do some preventative measure repairs. That can save having to do it again in the future. If you got a craft that did not get the proper assembly and care, you could have other potential problems.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Good luck. Let us know how you do.[/#0000ff]
[signature]