01-05-2003, 12:36 PM
[cool] Hey J.R., sounds like you broke the code. Murphy's law being what it is, you still have to exercise basic caution. As many police officers find out the hard way, protective armor over the most vital areas doesn't totally preclude potential damage. Some fish are smart. Others are lucky...making you unlucky. They always seem to be able to find that little unprotected spot you never thought would be vulerable.
I have also used extra pieces of inner tube...between the cover and the air bladder, with good success. The only downside is that it adds weight. Not a problem if you aren't trudging your craft long distances to the water, but not something you would want to include on a hike into a remote launch site.
I have been using naugahyde exterior "aprons" for quite a few years. I go to a fabric store and buy a couple of yards for very little outlay. Then I wrap it around the area I want to protect and mark it up...allowing for extra around the edges to sew in tie cords. You also have to plan to make a couple of "tucks" wherever it wraps around, or you get protruding wrinkles. My wife helps both with the measuring and the cutting.
When I get the aprons sewn (with heavy commercial nylon thread), I remeasure the cords and attach quick clips to the ends at the right lengths. I attach the quick clips to the D rings when I am fishing for spiny fishes, and leave the apron off when troutin'...or some other less dangerous fishing.
These aprons are lightweight and I have never had a spine penetrate one. If you rinse them and don't store them in heat or sunlight, they hold up for one to two years. There's gotta be other materials out there that are inexpensive and work just as well. I just haven't experimented much, since I started using the naugahyde.
I have never tried inserting the naugahyde between the cover and the bladder, but I suspect it would work just as well, and would be out of the way. I will probably experiment with that on my next craft.
But, if you are into ecology (Greenpeace, tree huggers, PETA, etc), just be mindful of how many "naugas" must die to protect your craft. (NAUGA HIDE)
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I have also used extra pieces of inner tube...between the cover and the air bladder, with good success. The only downside is that it adds weight. Not a problem if you aren't trudging your craft long distances to the water, but not something you would want to include on a hike into a remote launch site.
I have been using naugahyde exterior "aprons" for quite a few years. I go to a fabric store and buy a couple of yards for very little outlay. Then I wrap it around the area I want to protect and mark it up...allowing for extra around the edges to sew in tie cords. You also have to plan to make a couple of "tucks" wherever it wraps around, or you get protruding wrinkles. My wife helps both with the measuring and the cutting.
When I get the aprons sewn (with heavy commercial nylon thread), I remeasure the cords and attach quick clips to the ends at the right lengths. I attach the quick clips to the D rings when I am fishing for spiny fishes, and leave the apron off when troutin'...or some other less dangerous fishing.
These aprons are lightweight and I have never had a spine penetrate one. If you rinse them and don't store them in heat or sunlight, they hold up for one to two years. There's gotta be other materials out there that are inexpensive and work just as well. I just haven't experimented much, since I started using the naugahyde.
I have never tried inserting the naugahyde between the cover and the bladder, but I suspect it would work just as well, and would be out of the way. I will probably experiment with that on my next craft.
But, if you are into ecology (Greenpeace, tree huggers, PETA, etc), just be mindful of how many "naugas" must die to protect your craft. (NAUGA HIDE)
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