How to Maintain a River Raft

Though all the fun of river rafting happens while you're on the water and not focused on the care of your equipment, what you do off the water with your river raft is key to the fun and success of your rafting excursions. Proper maintenance of your river raft will help ensure that you'll never be stuck up a river unprepared.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Mild soap
• Bucket
• Talcum powder
• L-shaped needle tool
• Protectant spray
• Steel brush or brass wool
• Air pump
• Vacuum

1. Clean the raft with buckets of fresh, clean water and a mild soap after every use. Doing this while the raft is still wet from your ride is ideal, since salts and minerals may need a little scrubbing if allowed to dry on the fabric. Make sure to use an environmentally friendly soap.

2. Remove all debris from the raft. Even dirt and sand can pose a risk to your raft since these are abrasive materials, so be sure the raft is perfectly clean before storing. Be sure your storage area is also free of any debris as well.

3. Leave the raft inflated for storage if at all possible. A river raft is strongest when it is inflated, so keeping it this way will help prevent rips, tears, punctures and damage caused by the friction of the fabric. It also keeps creases caused by folding the raft from forming in the ballasts.

4. Dry the raft completely before storing. This is especially important if you will be deflating your river raft, since any moisture left on the raft may cause the fabric to mold or mildew. It can also attract insects and rodents as well.

5. Sprinkle your raft with talcum powder before folding if deflated or occasionally while in storage if you leave it inflated. This will help absorb any excess moisture that may form while the raft is being stored and will reduce any friction damage.

6. Lubricate the valves both inside and out with a rubber protectant spray.

7. Flush valves occasionally with water to clear any debris that may have been trapped either during use or storage.

8. Scrape any residue that may have formed on the inflation valve diaphragm. Do this gently with an L-shaped needle tool.

9. Clean the metal parts of your valve stems with a steel brush or brass wool. Using any other kind of abrasive cleaner can compromise the threading and overall strength of the valve, so be sure to maintain the integrity of your valves with an effective, but relatively gentle, abrasive.

10. Dry the inside of your raft by removing the valves and attaching a vacuum set to blow into one of the chambers. Leave this running for several hours to ensure that each chamber is completely dry before deflating the raft.

11. Give your air pump at least five pumps before attaching it to the raft to inflate it again after storage. This removes any built-up moisture from the pump and helps you maintain the driest raft possible.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid over-inflating your raft. Over-inflation can stretch out the ballast chambers, which compromises the structural integrity of the raft and promotes rips and tears. It can also lead to the failure of the release mechanisms in a self-bailing boat.
• Never stand in a deflated raft. This increases the risk of a puncture or tear from any debris that may be underneath the raft.
• Rodents are a raft's worst enemy, so be sure to maintain your raft away from areas where there is a known infestation.

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