Hi 'gain,

I do not get Sea Kayaker at home, but found that issue in the local library.
I asked this same question some time ago on the quajakusa forum, and am posting the question I asked and response I received . Note that this person did not glue the vinyl on his first bags, but just used a household iron to 'heat-seal' the vinyl!! He later switched to the glue.

I hope that this is helpful info.

kelly t

: Hi Mike,

: I wanted to ask about the float bags you posted about, as per below.

: Are they still serviceable? Do you know what thickness of vinyl you
: purchased? How
: high of a heat setting did you use? Did the vinyl melt or otherwise stick to
: your iron? (do I need to go get a cheap used iron from Goodwill???

: Thanks so much in advance,

: kelly t
One of them is still in my son's kayak, the other had some modifications done by a new puppy. I've since moved to the thicker Walmart tablecloth vinyl (there were 2, thinner and thicker, but I don't know the weights, also it's easier to just buy a roll for about $30 than to hassle with the clerk cutting it), and to using HH-66. When I ironed, I used paper between the vinyl and the iron, I think it was set on cotton, but I just fiddled with it. With HH-66, I can cut out my bag shape, apply the glue, let it dry completely, fold the bag over, and glue with a heat gun (the Yost method, be sure to let the glue really dry though). For good measure, I then glue and fold the seam over on itself. The tubing is Lowe's clear vinyl tubing, the valves from NRS. I glue the tubing in the fold first, then do the rest. The bags work well, with one minor caveat: they aren't as flexible as nylon, so on a plywood frame boat, there's a little space around the frames that doesn't get filled. This has had no effect on their function in my boats, and wouldn't be an issue at all on a boat with ribs.

I monkeyed around with bulkheads made from foam and vinyl, but am now firmly in the sea sock camp. A sea sock plus float bags works very well, especially for recoveries. A foam slab in the bottom of the sock and ties to hold the top up made my sock much more comfortable.