Hot Rod OC Mods #


1


#4


#7


#1


PERFORMANCE BUCKET SEATS The saddle is


your primary connection point with the boat. Use pieces of closed cell foam and contact cement to widen the saddle by an inch or so on each side to prevent sliding around on the seat. Create an even more secure feeling by gluing small foam wedges on the top edges of the saddle to make a custom bucket seat. Shag optional.


#2


CLEAR COAT AND FLAMES Plastic paint in aerosol


cans is readily available in most standard canoe colours. Restore a worn hull by painting just the bottom where the outer layer of ABS has worn away. If you can’t find your hull colour, use flat black and mask a symmetrically shaped area to allow you to paint just below the waterline. Or get bold and creative with air brushing, pin stripes, flames or metal flake to produce a one- of-a-kind show boat.


#3


MATERIAL MATTERS Ultra-light, super-tough nylon


floatation bags are must-have upgrades from vinyl beasts. Nylon bags take the heat better than vinyl, expanding rather than exploding. Nylon is also much nicer to work with, staying flexible in cool weather, and easy to deflate and stuff in your gear bag when transporting your boat. Harmony 3-D End Bags come in three sizes: 30-, 54- and 60-inch. Buy bags that fill your cages to displace as much water as possible.


#4


TRANSFORMER Master playboat multi-day tripping with this


mod. Using quick-release clips, create access 28 Rapid summer/fall 2010


openings in your float bag cage so you can carry gear on longer cruises. Start by sewing or gluing short loops of webbing onto webbing clips. Then cut your existing float bag cage cord and thread it through these loops.


#5 #6


CUSTOM TRIM Wooden gunwales are the granddaddy of canoe


mods and were the subject of an extensive DIY article in Rapid some years ago (“Project Wood Gunwale,” OC Technique, Summer 2004). Once you paddle with wood, everything else feels like an ‘81 diesel Jetta towing a Jayco Haul- All travel trailer.


BOBBED THWARTS The existing thwarts in most canoes are way over-


engineered. The forces on the thwart when paddling are compressive, so ¾-inch square material is all you need. This cuts the weight by nearly half and improves the appearance dramatically. Round over a straight-grained piece of cherry or ash, leaving just the ends square to improve fit under the gunwales. Be warned, however, just as chopped roof struts and urethane body panels can reduce the structural integrity of street rods, scaled-down thwarts aren’t suitable for the paddler who portages like a rampaging Godzilla and exits his canoe like an Outfit crime boss splitting a chop shop bust.


#7


CHOP SHOP Deck plates have no function except to hide the outfitting


knots. Remove them and send them to the recyclers. Then tie neater knots. However, if you have wooden gunwales, you can install custom wood deck plates that—like aftermarket


body kits and spoilers—do nothing for the performance of your ride, but look oh-so-hot. Choose a piece of wood with a grain you like, set it on the ends of the boat and mark the outline on the underside. Cut just outside the pencil line with a jigsaw and do the final precise fitting with a wood rasp. Just as quick and satisfying as a Ched ‘R’ Pepper burger at the Sonic Drive-In.


#8


LOWRIDER Lowering the saddle greatly improves stability. Try


going down to an eight-inch saddle height. Bold paddlers with excellent joint flexibility can tolerate seats as low as six inches. Remove the saddle and trim off the desired amount using a band saw, or work top-down with a rasp. Aging and arthritic paddlers and those who enjoy a loftier perch can ignore this mod.


#9


LIFT KIT If your knees lift excessively when you’re strapped in,


consider moving the anchors forward so the knee straps pass over your leg closer to your kneecap. A new set of anchors is inexpensive and helps to make you one with your boat. Embracing tip #8 will also reduce knee lift.


#10


RETENTION SYSTEM RETROFIT Avoid strap slip


when rolling and bracing by checking to see if your thigh straps are installed with the wide, padded portion up and the strap completely contacting your leg (rather than hanging ineffectively in the air). Thigh straps are often installed or adjusted incorrectly, an oversight that—as with brake shoes, steering arms and sub woofers—tends to result in spectacular blowouts.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48