Another Aussie Laker

[tx river rat]

I have to put a Texas point of view in here.
Water belongs under the yak thats for sure and the only rolling I want to do is turning over in bed.
On hatches I want sealed bulkheads for my foot braces and keeping my junk dry, Probably fixing to light a fire under Jack but I totally disagree with his thinking on sealed hatches,first if you build a hatch cover it will never be perfectly water tight with just bungys to hold the cover in place If presure does build up it will blow past the gasket ,second I can fill my cockpit full of water and still paddle my yak and my stuf stays dry, I double up I have sealed bulkheads with hatchees and a gasket ,love them I also glue a small piece of a pool noodle under the decks ,so I have the best of both worlds.
I hate having to get down and try to drag something out from under a deck ,what you want is always in front of everything else.
Now a little opion most folks build hatches way to small, I did on my first build,the size I build my hatches now I can put a bow ,rifle,broke down yak paddle cot in with no problem, they stay dry,and I cant lose them if something happens I turtle, floatation bags are just another thing you have to try to keep water tight.
My 2 cents
Ron
I am talking top mounted hatches

 

[oldsparkey]

I'm like all of you guys and almost like Mick but unlike Mick in one way .... I don't get in a hurry ... but go slow and sure while keeping the wet side under me and not over me. Heck driving around I keep the greasy part of the Jeep under me , not over me , just something I got in the habit of doing.

Now with boats there is always something or someone to toss a monkey wrench in the process.

Like when I am paddling in a Ozark river without any rapids ( It was rapids from the start to the ending) :lol: and the guide is a misplaced river paddling Mississippi Lawyer that is a rapid and white water paddling nut. Especially one that thinks and dreams of going over some rapids and falls , like Niagara or Angle falls if he could get to them.

What the heck he is fun to be with on a trip and we need to forget his short misgivings since he is not a quiet water paddler ... but he is coming around to the brighter and quieter side of the paddling life as he ages and wises up.

Ron...
On my kayak the hatches are flush mounted and sealed ..... I have never had any water get in them , except for when I was taking things out for camping and it was raining. What are a few drops of water when all the rest is outside. Hatches for access and dry storage with bulkheads to seal off the areas ( Built in flotation and dry chambers ) to save the kayak if the cockpit fills with water which should not happen if you are careful..

Looking at in the light or reality... The bulkheads seal off two thirds of the boat which offers the paddler 2/3 of the boat being flotation , even when packed with camping gear.

Ron.. I have to agree with you , Jack thinks hatches leak ... The DON'T if done right but he likes a open boat with the sea sock in there to replace the bulkheads and hatches. Something he and I have beat our heads together over a long time and I still say he is missing the BIG Picture on that. What the hell I have only been doing this all my life so what do I know , I bow to the new persons wisdom , knowledge , expertise and book learning and then instantly forget it for my use. :lol:

OK.. This post is going to cost me dearly but it is the truth , no matter what he tells you. :roll: :roll:

Chuck.
PS. Keep the wet side down and the dry side up for fun.

 

[bearridge]

This post is going to cost me dearly but it is the truth , no matter what he tells you.

O Master of Flow Bizness,

I studied on this one fer quite a spell....hard ta spot any truth in it. It wuz eazy ta spot the natural fertilizer. It wuz spread out purty dang good.

regards
bearridge

So much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot.
George Orwell

 

[oldsparkey]

It has worked for me for all my life so why change things.... NOW.

I will go one step further...... Why would anyone strap there things in a canoe. If you have all that stuff in there and swamp it , a canoe loaded with all the gear and water would be a mess to turn over and empty.

If the stuff floats ( which it should since it is in waterproof bags ) on down stream then you have a empty canoe to get back in and to use to locate everything floating on down stream. In place of one loaded down and hard to salvage. Sort of like trying to put two tons in a one ton truck if you know what I'm saying. :roll:

That's what made it so easy for me on the no rapid river , the canoe swamped , I went swimming and righting the canoe it was empty except for my dry clothing ( Bag ) and easy to do. The rest went down river to be picked up by you guys or by myself if I was solo paddling. The lighter items (Floating ) always go into a back eddy just like leaves and branches do. If you are paddling a rabid frothing at the mouth, rapid river , quiet rivers are a lot nicer , you don't go swimming in them unless you want to or goof up. :lol:

I am getting in deeper trouble now , especially from the nut ( Pecan ) factory. :wink: :wink: :wink:

Chuck.

 

[jdupre']

David, like keith said, mine is just a board cut and beveled with a little leather stapled on it. I just wedge it into position. Mine has about a 5" travel adjustment. I love it because it gives you something to push off of and also just to rest your feet in a comfortable position. With my Sparky seat and my foot brace, I feel as comfortable as I am in my favorite recliner at home. It also makes a fish cleaning board in a pinch. Ask Piper.

Nice job on the boat, too.

Joey

 

[hairymick]

Bo BS here Bear.

Dave, Your post got me thinking and the germ of an idea is starting to form. I need to play with it a little more but will post some piccies if it looks like working out..

Study the Duckworks footbraces mate, in particular the hole centres for the mounting bolts.

I think this is gonna work, will be lighter and adjustable. I need to play a little more but if it looks like working out, will create a thread in the coming days on making S&G adjustable foot braces.

 

[dawallace45]

Gave the two Laker hulls a coat of epoxy and graphite yesterday afternoon , pulled the tape off about a hour after dark , didn't put the light on as I didn't want to attract moths so I didn't see the bugs in the epoxy , went down this morning at first light and there must have been about a hundred or so flies stuck to each hull and probably about another 50 or so moths and beetles on each one as well , scraped them off and sanded , then taped up again and give another coat of epoxy and graphite , was originally going to go the whole hog and give these ones a show room finish which of course means lots of sanding and coats of epoxy and varnish , well between the wind gusts of up to 50 km per hour and the flies I don't think it's a reasonable goal , think these will have more of a work boat finish .

Well just went down and removed 63 flies from the still wet epoxy and at this point I think I'll be lucky to make a work boat finish , never seen so many bloody flies

David

 

[Wannabe]

David,
Now you know how to make a fool proof fly trap. Kinda expensive, but it works. :roll:
Bob

 

[dawallace45]

Bob

Have had the same problem before just not to the same degree

David

 

[dawallace45]

Well my idea with the foot braces didn't work out all that practical so I'm going on with out them , if need me I can always put them afterwards , will be awkward but doable , will look at putting the decks on tomorrow

David

 

[dawallace45]

These are the last pictures I have of progress , the build is actually a bit further along , it's been slow going because of the back problem , it sort of slowed down then stoped a few weeks ago , hopefully I'll get some new pic's later today

David

 

[john the pom]

Neat stuff Dave, that looks so perfeshunal, makes me wish I'da put a bit more, umm patience into mine.
Don't talk about bad backs I'm way over mine. Coupla months in agony will do that to you.

 

[bearridge]

Friend David,

How many boats ya buildin' with that bad back? [grin]

regards
bearridge

I was making love to this girl and she started crying.  I said, "Are you going to hate yourself in the
morning?"  She said, "No, I hate myself now."  Rodney Dangerfield


 

[dawallace45]

Bear

Just the two Lakers and the Johnboat modifications , but I need to do a repair to the white one in the background and put a skin on the SOF kayak then it's no more boat work for me , the back pain has just taken the fun out of it for me , I used to worry about getting a good finish , now I just want to finish .

David

 

[oldsparkey]

Notice the skeleton of the kayak sitting on the trailer in the last picture...... Poor thing just looks plum Naked.

Chuck.

 

[dawallace45]

Chuck

Just one more thing to do , I was half way through it when the house up at clermont sold and had to stop it , just haven't had time to get back to it yet

David

 

[dawallace45]

Well the two Lakers were finished some time back and so were the modifications on the Jonsboat , the jonsboat has been in the water several times since but the kayaks only once , all work great , still need to get some floatation / gear bags for the kayaks , will get around to it eventually , learnt one thing the other week when I took the kayaks out , seeing as how I don't have a normal sense of balance [ I need a horizon line to know which way is up ] it's not a good idea to look up at a passing ultra-light when in a kayak

The storage in the Jonsboat is great , the new seating positions have worked out well , I have a much better position for steering and can see at least some of the sand bars and attempt to miss them and the forward seat is great for slow trolling with the electric , I made up a universal extension handle for the electric , I bought a extension handle then fitted the universal from a socket set , works great

David

 

[gbinga]

Good looking boats, David.

Looks like you use a transom mount trolling motor with the head spun around backwards. Same thing I do. It's a lot cheaper than buying an actual bow mount moter, eh?

George

 

[dawallace45]

George
Yep ,
I had a transom mounted electric and couldn't afford a bow mounted one with foot control like I'd prefer so had to make do , it works fine , but I've always said that when I can't paddle any more I'd build my self a Ozark float boat with a transom mounted electric with foot control and a nice comfortable seat

David