Earthen Exposure: kayak mods

Below are just a few of the modifications I have made over the years to make boats more to my liking for general paddling and self-support. I do not recommend any of these modifications. They may cause your boat to become unsafe. This information is for the purpose of sharing and documenting my experiences only. If you make any of these or similar modifications, do so at your own risk!

› Check this page periodically for updates.

Miscellaneous kayak mods

Not only is the Riot Magnum an excellent performer, its very low weight (comparatively speaking), easy stern access and unique pillar/seat configuration makes it a stellar self-support boat for the 175 pound and under crowd (72 model). Some of its outfitting however, is a little deficient. Luckily, most of these issues are exceedingly easy to correct or improve. Below are modifications I made to mine as well as my wife’s Astro and Thunder who share the same outfitting and issues.

	The weakest part of the seat was further weakened with the factory backband slot (A). This also happens to line up with the weakest area of cockpit rim. So, I spaned the slot from under the seat with a 2" wide piece of aluminum (B); fastened it to the seat with 8 rivets; then braced it with foam that rests on the hull. Being that I no longer use the slot (A), I could have done something else here that was more effective. As shown, the gains are likely minimal.
	Stock, the factory seat moved side to side enough (1.5" each way) that I could feel it while paddling, especially bracing. And the gap between the top of the seat & underside of the cockpit rim created a flex point in its most vulnerable spot. The foam on the top (A) takes out most of the flex while the foam between seat & sidewall (B) nearly eliminates side to side movement. This simple & quick little fix made the boat feel noticably better while paddling. Excellent returns! PS: Gluing hip pads in produces cleaner results than duct tape but, in an attempt to minimize my chemical body burdon as much as possible, I quit using adhesives. Besides, the hippie chrome works & is much faster.
	Feeling too far back & too low, I pulled the stock band out of the seat slot (A); moved it forward 3/4"; rested it on top of the seat; & held it in place with a hose clamp (B). A small slot was cut in the band & seat to accept the clamp. To further stabilize the band, I ran an 1/8" Ø bungee cord (C) from the cockpit rim to the backbands D ring (D). I used a hook (E) on the end of the bungee so the band could be unhooked & folded out of the way for stern access. A simple mod that gives some improvement. (pictured is a Riot Astro) UPDATE: to bring the band up higher, simply drill 2 extra holes under the existing holes and re-insert the thumb screw & rubber expansion nut. Everything else can then be left "stock". Takes 2 minutes.
	Here are 3 very simple & easy mods. To facilitate egress, I chamfered both sides of the pillar (A). The holes in the bulkheads foam (B) adds a little shock absorbtion. (C) is a bungee cord water bottle holder. I used a plastic tube from a ball point pen to keep the bungee from pullling through the foam. Here's how I did it: poked hole in foam 3" from edge with phillips head screwdriver; pulled it out; inserted pen tube over screwdriver & pushed it in hole; pulled out screwdriver & run bungee through.

Here's an old thermo formed seat I cut the back out of (indicated by the red arrows) and reinforced with machined aluminum. The aluminum against the existing the pillar pocket (A) was welded to a 3" wide piece of aluminum which was also part of the 1.25" wide band (B) that wrapped around the back of the seat. This band assembly was then attached to the seat with thirteen rivets as can be seen in the top 2 pics. Finally, (A) was attached to the existing pillar pocket via one 1”x1" aluminum angle (indicated by green arrow) per side and a total of ten 1/8" Ø button head screws.

Cutting the seat like this severely weakened its structural integrity. With the aluminum bracing, it recovered an estimated 85% of its original integrity. I justified the 15% loss due to this particular kayaks unusually high shell strength.

For this seat and boat, this mod worked well. It greatly improved the access, allowed some of the weight to be carried lower and closer to my butt and provided storage space under the seat.

Below are some modifications I did to a Dagger CFS including the installation of an old roto molded Wave Sport X seat and building a new backband.

Stock, the CFS was one of the more difficult boats to load I have used. After these mods, it was amongst the easiest of pillared kayaks. The boat also lost two pounds in the process and retained most of its structural integrity... and possibly gained in some areas. Prior to this swap, I cut the back out of the stock seat similarly to the photos above but due to the stock seats configuration, the overall gains were so small, I ended up throwing it in the trash (recycling center wouldn’t take it).

I cut the top part of the X pillar pocket out (A) to accomodate the CFS pillar (B). To provide extra pillar/seat connection, I extended this pocket towards the stern 3" with machined aluminum (E). This same piece of aluminum overlaps the seat 3" per side (F) and is attached with 20 rivets. For additional lateral stability, I also extended the pocket vertically (D) to the underside of the cockpit rim & ran a 1/4' Ø bolt through this & the pillar. The nut & head were covered with minicell (C) to prevent snagging or undue wear to my drybags. To further facilitate ease of loading, the minicell was chamfered with a rasp (B) (C).
The padded part of this backband was salvaged from an old Pyranha. I made the rest including the machined aluminum brackets that attach it to the seat. The red ball inside the circled area is the loose end of the adjustment strap which extends just past my hip when pulled. Once in the boat, I reach behind, grab the ball, pull to tighten, drop it behind & put on my skirt. Simple, light and fast.
Ready to load. This shows the backband folded out of the way...a process easily done in 3 seconds by loosening the metal cam buckle & unhooking the bungee cords. The red ball on the loose end of the adjustment strap can be seen lying in the center of the seat. I salvaged this ball from a rescue PFD quick release.
(A) indicates the metal cam buckle and (B) the extra long adjustment strap. The red ball on the end of this strap is lying in the stern and not visible in this photo.
This is the hook the backband bungee cords attach to. It's shaped like a T with the top part held to the cockpit rim with four rivets. The slot indicated by the red arrows allowed the aluminum to bend more easily without breaking.
Here's the front pillar connection. I just notched the top area of the X seat (A) enough (2") to accomadate the plastic CFS pillar (B), inserted solid plastic spacers inside (indicated by red arrows) & bolted it together with one 1/4" Ø bolt. Though not sharp, the nut sticks out enough to have cut my ankle in a hasty exit. It should have been covered with chamfered minicell or something similar.

Shaving ounces

stay tuned.....

top

1.19.08