The current technology of applying drop-stitch material had one hook, so we developed our own. How did we do it?
It's been 20 years since we first became interested in the production of boats using drop-stitch material. At that time, however, it was a layered technology that used PVC and therefore did not correspond to our goal - to produce boats with our current technology using rubber, ie. without the use of PVC. At that time, there was no supplier who could produce drop-stitch material without PVC coating, so we abandoned the production of boats from drop-stitch material for some time.
One of the GUMOTEX machines for the production of our own materials.
In the last few years, however, drop-stitch material and products have become very popular, especially in the field of SUP (stand up paddling). And so in 2016 we dusted off the idea of making boats using this material. This time, however, we decided to take a completely different approach. We decided to develop our own technology for applying drop-stitch material. And our rubber-textile material NITRILON® has become the cornerstone.
Laboratory testing of rubber compound application.
At the beginning of the development, we took many trips to the manufacturers of drop-stitch material and also visited several developers of textile machines. Then we continued testing in our plant and produced the first prototypes. In 2017, after demanding preparations, various complications and thanks to great efforts, we managed to develop our own drop-stitch material applied using our proven technology using rubber. This new material has been very thoroughly tested and passed a rigorous test in adverse conditions. And passed as groundbreaking!
Cross section of the bottom of the boat made of drop-stitch material in combination with NITRILON®
What makes our drop-stitch technology unique? We have combined our own, time-tested NITRILON® material with the well-known and popular drop-stitch material. We have simply reworked the coating technology to our image so that the materials use respect our attitudes towards our environment and nature. Unlike other manufacturers, we do not use PVC in the production of our drop-stitch material, but rubber. In addition, our material is very durable thanks to its 9 layers, but at the same time it is easy to pack or repair. We are the only company in the world to have a patent for this production technology and we are rightly proud of it.
Material composition: outer coating based on synthetic rubber (1), anchoring layer (2), high-strength PES fabric (1,100 dTex) (3), anchoring layer (4), coating based on natural and synthetic rubber (5), coating on natural and synthetic rubber bases (6), anchor layer (7), drop-stitch fabric top layer (8), drop-stitch fabric spacers (9). Minimum tensile strength 3,600/3 100 N (sample 20 × 5cm). Minimum weight 1,270g / m2.