Stickers on PVC hull

joemac356

Cadet
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
26
Hi all. Been reading the forum for a while to get a feel of what kinds of folks are here and it looks like a decent group.:)
I just bought my first boat at age 61- a brand-new Intex Seahawk 2.
I wanted something large enough to take me and my two year-old granddaughter out on the local lakes and slow moving river, but small enough to pack onto the back of my motorcycle.
The state parks and boating/fishing commission stipulate at least seven feet in length with at least two chambers, so I've got that covered. This boat is nearly eight feet long and has three air chambers.

I picked up a launch permit the other day that has me covered until the end of 2014.
I'm concerned about adhesion to the hull. I've been thinking that if I were to apply the sticker to the collapsed hull, upon inflation, the PVC will expand, but the sticker won't and will likely fall off.
Conversely, if I stick it on when the boat is inflated, if will possibly fall off when it's deflated.

Is this a valid concern? Should I just place the sticker on a plastic panel and hang it from the grab line?
The paper permit has been photocopied and folded up in a plastic resealable bag that will be kept in the gear storage pouch, just in case there is any question regarding the permit. Kinda like carrying the registration for the car in the glove box.

I got a new life jacket and one is on the way for my granddaughter.
I'm itching to get out there and try out the boat, but the weather has other ideas...

Thanks in advance and Happy Boating!
 

mrdrh99

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 1, 2013
Messages
756
Re: Stickers on PVC hull

I have a mariner 4, i just used the clear patches that came with the boat to affix the registration sticker
 

joemac356

Cadet
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Stickers on PVC hull

Fitting food, water and all te gear on a bike will be tough unless you have one of these Road Dog Trailers...A Motorcycle's Best Friend : Motorcycle Touring Trailers

Thanks, as much as I'd love to have a trailer, it's not in the cards for me.
My bike is a thirty-one year-old 450cc. It has no problem hauling me beyond the speed limit, but it's not made to pull a trailer and I'm not about to get another bike.

In keeping with the KISS principle, I've rigged all of the related 'gear' to the bike as a test. I've installed a luggage rack and I have saddle bags, as well as a large backpack that is always strapped to the backrest, which is mounted mid-seat, since I've removed the grab strap and rear footpegs. I don't carry passengers so I've disabled that feature, entirely.

I live in proximity to several lakes that allow electric-only and sailboats, as well as paddle boards and kayaks.
I went to visit one a little further away yesterday, just to see what's up. It's huge, compared to what's within a ten or fifteen minute bike ride.

I bought the boat with the bike in mind. The only things I'll be transporting are the boat, hand pump and oars, in addition to the few things I always have on board, anyway, such as tools and a tire plug kit, first aid kit and clean hand-towels and a small fire extinguisher. (Once a firefighter...)
 
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Loop_Dad

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
May 29, 2012
Messages
103
Re: Stickers on PVC hull

joemac356, welcome on board. I've been riding since I was 16 myself (that's long long time ago :)). I have never heard of someone carrying inflatable with motorcycle, that is cool! I can imagine it can be tricky, would love to see the pic of your boat packed on the bike at some point. I would imagine you won't take motorcycle when you are taking your granddaughter though.

For your registration sticker problem, I solved mine with industrial strength Velcro tape. I got it from amazon. Mine is gray and it blends in nicely with the color of the boat. I used the soft cloth side of the tape to the boat, for the stretch, and hard plastic side of the tape to the sticker.
 

Sinistre1

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 18, 2010
Messages
298
Re: Stickers on PVC hull

If you are referring to the DMV issued stickers they will hold up through a few inflate/ deflate cycles but not much more before they begin to peel and deteriorate (hastened by exposure to the elements no doubt). That said, That was my MO for the first 4 years of boating on my inflatable. I recently purchased but have yet to attached some commercially made PVC/hypalon (your choice) plaques for lack of a better word, that have your boat numbers printed on them and which attach permanently (via adhesive) to the boat. They have a space for the DMV sticker and they will reportedly last a very long time will extending the life of the DMV sticker. If nothing else, they definitely look neat! They weren't prohibitively expensive but not quite as thrifty as the permanent marker and press and stick method of hull identification, lol.
 

joemac356

Cadet
Joined
Aug 8, 2013
Messages
26
Re: Stickers on PVC hull

Well, thanks for the welcome and suggestions.
The sticker in question is only a launch permit, but it's valid until 12/31/2014, which means I have to get more than a year out of it.
I'm waiting to hear back from someone at the Pa. state fish and boat commission about the sticker.

Re: the packing of the boat and gear- today I got to thinking about a better way.
I remembered I have an old semi-hard shell roller suitcase that I used to carry drum gear in, when I used to play in a band. I pulled it out and removed the broken wheel assembly/extension handle that was unnecessary and only added weight. This was after trying everything inside the case.

This whole boating thing has caught me by surprise.
Back in 1979, I inherited an 18-foot Boston Whaler with a 55-horse Evenrude and trailer from my late father-in-law when he passed away. Since I had nowhere to store it, no means of transporting it and no time for such frivolities, I passed on it. It went instead to his brother, who would take proper care of it and use it.
That's as close as I've ever been to owning any kind of watercraft.

I spent last Summer fixing up an old Honda that I bought for cheap and started riding it (after being bike-less for 37 years) and loving it.
I was out on the bike exploring, just taking roads through farmland where I'd never been before, in spite of living here for thirty years.
I happened onto a lake that I didn't know was there and rode around it until I found a park entrance.
I immediately started daydreaming about getting a small boat.
Then my exploring found another lake. I started to plan.

I began thinking about how to mount a kayak on the bike, but it didn't seem feasible and they're more expensive than I can swing on my very modest limited income.
I spent about three months researching small inflatables with the idea that I could combine the best of both worlds; motorcycling and boating.

So here I am, hoping to actually get out on the water tomorrow.
The forecast is 84 and partly cloudy.
Is that the same as partly sunny?
 
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