Man has always been adventurous. He also loves water. Due to his fascination towards adventure and water, man has invented many things including inflatable boats. These boats are used for various thrilling water sports as well as for recreational purposes. In fact, they have a variety of uses such as for rescue purpose, as tenders for larger boats and ships in ports and at sea, as dive boats for scuba diving, for commercial or recreational fishing or for military purposes, such as transporting soldiers from a vessel to shore or vice versa.
There are many types of inflatable boats, of which rafts and kayaks are the major ones. Specialty fabrics are needed for making these boats as they have to be strong and, more importantly, safe. Not only fabrics, these boats are made out of strong plastic materials too. Modern inflatable boats, however, are commonly made from PVC or Hypalon.
The large and lightweight kayaks are made with great care. After all, it is an issue regarding safety of life. The main process included in its making is that of molding. The hull or the shell is molded in thin-walled aluminum molds with a mixture of powdered polyethylene plastic and coloring agents. The mold is carefully rotated and heated so that the melted plastic converts into a solid layer attaching itself to the mold. It is, then, gradually cooled off to get a hardened structure of a kayak. Sometimes, more than one cycle of heating and cooling is required for making a proper and safe kayak. The seat and the other components are assembled manually. Rigorous quality control is exercised while making a kayak.
It is very important for the manufacturers to make safer boats for the users. However, it is equally, rather more important, for the users to follow safety tips in order to get overall pleasure of kayaking or rafting or any other water sport or recreation. So, happy kayaking and be safe!
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