how long will JPW inflatables and Paco Pads last?

How long will a JPW products last?

This happened to us 3 times this year. People called us up and said that they had purchased a JPW boat at an estate sale. I immediately told them the lifetime warranty is up because the owner has passed on. We really do not have a lifetime warranty, but if you learn to patch a boat, and you learn to take care of it, you could pass it on to your family.

The Fuge family in Albuquerque, has 4 generations of family members that have been using our boats. To my knowledge they all work.

Jim even has a video of how he does a bike shuttle on the animas with his pack cat, bike on the boat, and boat on the bike.

My sister has some of the oldest pack cats on the planet, and they spent a lot of their time in mexico. The powder coated frames have long ago dissolved, and she had Mexican welders put together some stainless steel frames for her. I constantly run into folks that still have them old pack cats, like these that showed up at Animas River days in 2016. They are over 20 years old.

This Daddy Cat was purchased at an estate sale, and the next weekend was on the Alberton George near Missoula Mt. It was made in 1993. looks like they invested in a new shade topper too!

Pete called us and had us put corner condoms on his pads we made back in 1986.

See why Corner condoms are a real good idea from a real world repair by us.

Finally the very first cataraft we ever sold to anyone was to Dick Carpenter. He still has it. This was in 1988. Here are some pictures of the boat on a Cataract Canyon trip. Thanks to the Carpenters for these pictures and letting me use them in this article.

What about Drop stitch floors.

We have been making them for rafts since 1993. We have had some issues with one kind that had a fabric “laminated" on top of the drop stitch. That lamination was actually glue, and it let go. This happened on 2 boats that we know of, and we replaced both floors. One was a Dragon Fly that was used in New Zealand for 20 years. The other was a 14 ft. raft we made for the Fish and Wildlife Service. Both boats are back in business. So what is the difference between a laminated skin on a drop stitch, and a coated drop stitch? The coating is not put on with glue, and it is put on with a solution coat of very thin highly tenacious chemicals called a Tie coat. This tie coat has a chemical in it that sticks to the polyester threads, surrounds them, and makes the final PVC coats stick better. That is why the majority of our drop stitch floors are still out there doing their jobs. It is also why we came up with the welded paddle board, because we knew that Gluing fabric together in high pressure situations like paddle boards just does not last. Have a look at what happens when the drop stitch is laminated (glued) to the drop stitch.

Here is how you do it. Read this article about care and maintenance of inflatable boats, and use some common sense when at the boat ramp, and when transporting rolled up boats. If you need some boat bags do not hesitate to call us.

Order inquiries: shop.jpwinc@gmail.com
Custom & Prototype inquiries: pschoser.jpwinc@gmail.com