I think they do
I have noticed slightly better gas milage when carrying the same canoe with inflated flotation bags as opposed to empty.
I generally take the bags out
for long drives. Some bags with relatively stiff filler tubes (like Mohawks) will tend to have the tube oscillate and crack at the base when travelling at highway speeds. I do believe that the abrasion that results from long travel at high speeds does shorten the life of the bag. If travelling from river to river, I often leave the bags partially inflated, and stick them in the bag of my truck, which has a cap on it, so that they can be very quickly replaced and inflated.
Inflation tube loosening at base
This has also been my experience with all urethane coated nylon bags.
In addition to being eaten by bugs (several bags), literally shredded to ribbons after a few car top trips (my first Whitesell thin vinyl bags), getting all sorts of pinholes (from grit or sticks or micrometeorites or whatever) – every one of my urethane coated nylon bags separates or cracks at the base of the inflation tube. Perhaps old age just does it. The tubes are cheaply glued to the nylon from the inside, and the glue just weakens and fails. Same thing around the dump valve.
Perhaps the newer NRS bags or the Gaia “Everlast” bags will be an improvement in sturdiness, though I think they are heavier.
I’ve globbed Aquaseal around a
… separated tube and it’s been holding well for years.
Tube Separation
– Last Updated: Jun-09-09 12:52 PM EST –
I started repairing a separated connection in piecemeal fashion, gluing little strips of fabric across the gap, thinking the big glob of AquaSeal probably wouldn't work (I see it worked for Clarion). Then I found out that my float bags were made shortly after NRS switched to a "greener" product, which as it turned out, created a failure-prone joint. The adhesive didn't fail, but the "plasticy" material from which the joint is made was incompatible with the material of the inflation tube, and thus it becomes brittle. The folks at Rutabaga told me to simply contact NRS for replacement, since reportedly they have solved the problem and it is warrantied as a manufacturing defect. I keep forgetting to do that, but that's my plan.
Aquaseal remedy and NRS
Guideboatguy, were those the so-called Ininity bags that NRS had on the market for a few years and that now seem to be gone? All mine are much older than that, but I’m just curious. I see they now have some newer plasticky looking grey bags that are very expensive.
The aquaseal remedy for the inflation tube may be worth a try, except that the dump valve tore off on most of them also when I tried to open them. That may be harder to aquaseal.
Another couple of possible causes of leaks. I suspect the inside of my kevlar ww boat may shed fibers that chafe and poke holes. Also, while paddling, I typically would slip my wooden spare paddle under the bag strings, or under or on the side of the bags against the hull – though I never car topped that way. The edges of those paddles could have small splinters.