Description
Odyssey Rafts are more than the ultimate river multi-tool–they’re a Montana tradition, and have been since the early 1990’s. As a family business, we’ve worked hard to make sure every element of your Odyssey raft is perfectly crafted to enable the adventure of a lifetime for you and yours. German MehlerVALMEX® BOAT fabric. Thermo-welded seams. Odyssey rafts are built bulletproof.
GERMAN MADE MEHLER VALMEX® BOAT FABRIC
Mehler VALMEX® Boat Fabric is a high-performance, PVC-coated polyester textile known for its strength, durability, UV resistance, and airtightness, making it ideal for premium inflatable boats (RIBs, dinghies, rafts) and even architectural shade structures, offering a blend of flexibility, resistance to abrasion, weather, and dirt. It’s constructed with multiple PVC layers bonded to a strong polyester base, providing excellent performance for marine and outdoor uses.
VALMEX® boat fabric is a multi-layered material designed to withstand extreme physical stresses.
Composition: Multiple layers of PVC are combined with a high-strength 1100 dtex polyester base fabric using a melt-roller coating process. The specific blend includes high-quality plasticizers that prevent the material from becoming sticky or brittle over time, a common issue with cheaper PVCs.
Seams: The fabric is specifically designed to be thermo-welded (heat-sealed), a process that creates a bond significantly stronger than traditional glued seams and results in a seam that is highly resistant to failure.
Key Features and Benefits
Durability: The fabric offers exceptional flexibility and resistance to mechanical damage, tearing, and abrasion.
Weather Resistance: It is UV-resistant, weatherproof, and insensitive to high temperature conditions, making it suitable for a wide range of climates.
Chemical Resistance: It maintains strength and integrity when exposed to oil, fuel, saltwater, and other harsh elements.
Maintenance: The fabric is dirt-repellent and easy to clean with mild soap and water.
Airtightness: The layered structure provides high airtightness, which is crucial for inflatable applications.
Construction
All Odyssey boats are made with world-class German Mehler VALMEX® BOAT fabric, Leafield valves, and meticulous construction methods. All seams are thermo-welded resulting in seams stronger than the material itself. Odyssey boats come standard with top and bottom chafing guards creating a 1.64mm double fabric layer in high contact areas in and out of the water. Our expedition and outfitter boats come standard with a full top and bottom wrap, plus bottom chafing guards maintaining 1.64mm tops but increasing bottom thickness to 2.46mm of protection in high contact areas.