Fixing Fish Trap Voyageur

[Seabass77]

My fish trap voyageur has been good to me for the last two seasons. However, I have had one problem that is probably about 75% user error and 25% manufacturing error. The sleeve on the front of my trap which holds the horizontal cross bar that sits on the ice keeps ripping out on me. It doesn’t actually rip but the stitching comes undone, I’ve glued it with fabric glue (recommended by usl) and tried sowing and gluing it, but it doesn’t seem to hold.

What’s happening is that some of the loose fabric from when it’s folded up gets caught in the cross bars, so when I go to raise the first pole, there is resistance and it tears. Like I said, user error, but I would think that it should hold a little better than that.

This weekend I am going to bring it in the house and Sew/Glue again. (I’m thinking the glue will set much better in the house vs. in the garage with the heater running) but I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions.

As always, I appreciate you help everyone.

Joe

[Steve Foss]

One of the great things about Fireline is that it makes great thread, and holds like iron. Rather than just making a continuous stitch, it might be best if you made one stitch at a time, pulling the Fireline very tight and knotting it and then cutting the line before starting the next stitch, sort of like a doc putting in sutures. I like the 12/6 Fireline for most repairs. Something as tough as USL's ice fabric might be better served with the 25/12 Fireline.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 01-24-2003).]