don’t bolt anything back together …
… re-install same as originally installed … taped in .
the fastner may be a sex bolt …
– Last Updated: Jun-16-13 4:00 AM EST –
..... probably is . Forget about trying to make the inside (screw head part) and out side (button part) unthread .
Since the whole thing just spins , simply remove the head on the inside . You can do this very cleanly with the Dremel cutting wheels also .
Just set the wheel edge against the head and tap , tap , tap at it with minor shaving motions . The head will disapear and eventually you'll see the shaft (push shaft out/through) . The wheel will make a concave cut so there is no need to touch the hull , just the metal head .
This is the same method I recently mentioned to jackl on his thread about removing a rivet head . Link to the Dremel cutting wheel I suggested is there also .
That is a really well layed up part !
If he did this the way I think he did its pretty cool and took way more time than one might realize in comparison with the hull layup.
O.K. so the side are not close enough to vertical to cut, drop and through bolt.
IMO, I would be looking to do what Clyde is talking about or at the very least, create a cleaner system than all those pipes !!! … I think you would get your seat drop right there, have fun doing it and and the original parts can be put aside for down the road (OEM) re-sale
Other options
I am open to other options. How do I make a sliding seat with very little height? I need to but a new seat as the current one is cracked, so it could possibly have custom mounting/rails on it. Pat, you might be able to make something up? Otherwise Ive talked to Bob zaveral about this and he said he could glass in nearly any mount i wanted.
What would slide easily, have very little added height and is positionable
Right-toe Pog
Remove all the clutter on the box and leave box as is to serve as pedestal with 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick foam piece (cut to size) glued down on top of box with Barge All Purpose Cement or Weldwood Contact Cement. With pedestal, you can now go both ways: kneel and sitdown. So get knee pads and wear leather moccasins that cover the tops of your toes.
Pog, What’s That Dense Gray
– Last Updated: Jun-15-13 9:10 PM EST –
Foam material that all the OC-1 seats are made of? Years ago, I bought a thick 4X8 sheet of it from Fiberglass Hawaii for $70. Today, it costs 4X that. Most of these seats are removable and are velcroed in place. I have an old Thunder outrigger with sliding foam seat that has a thin carbon plate glued to it with a hollow tube, which slides on a carbon rod set in a 3/4" deep by 1" wide by 25" long recessed channel in the box. Pretty neat.
I tried a savage river DIIIx last night
– Last Updated: Jun-21-13 2:33 PM EST –
I tried a savage river DIIIx last night and its the tits. The seat is 5" off the floor and the boat feels SOOOOOO much better. I know its a slightly different design but I know the seat height had a lot to do with the increased stability. I could lean it over almost with the gunwale in the water and didnt feel like I was balancing on a tightrope.
I havent gotten time yet but Im definitely cutting min down 2 full inches. A couple of the top racers agreed with me that 7" seat is way too high.
I did it
– Last Updated: Jul-16-13 11:51 PM EST –
I cut my seat down 2.5" this weekend from 7" off the floor to 4.5". I decided on 2.5" because I measured a brand new Savage River DIIIx and its seat was only 5" off the floor and that boat paddles soooo nice. I added another half inch to make up for some foam padding Ill be gluing to the seat. I let the G flex and Kevlar cure for 2 days and took it out today for the first time.
Here are my thoughts:
ITS AWESOME! I was on a smallish lake with lots of powerboats and had no troubles with anything they put out. I waited for them to take off, and often they would circle around. I went right into the middle of their arc where the waves converge and amplify to probably around 24". It got a little hairy right as all the confused waves converged all at once but I had minimal trouble staying upright in a situation that I would have definitely been swimming in with the higher seat. Also when surfing waves it was much more stable as the trough passed over the wide mid section of the boat. It was so stable I was able to lean the boat (like you should) to steer it while surfing which was impossible with the higher seat.
Also, turning/leaning is sooooo much better. With the higher seat it was like walking a tightrope between decent turning or swimming. Now, the final stability point is much more predictable and I could get the gunwale within an inch of the water pretty easily and hold it there somewhat comfortably.
My paddling posture wasnt affected much. The higher seat probably has a slightly better angle of attack on the paddle, but the lower one has so many other advantages that this is a minimal concern.
When switching sides, I had to lift the paddle 2.5" higher, so that took a little getting used to but like the paddling posture, Ill get over it. Im not going to race the AuSable in it or anything.
This was my first time glassing and I probably used too much resin, but overall it went ok for my first time. I learned a lot in the process.
Overall, Im very glad I cut it down. If you dont like the stability of your boat, lower your seat. Its night and day with a minimal change.
well , show us a photo …
… how did you cut it , what’d you cut it with ??
Ah, I forgot
Ill take some pics tonight so you can see how it looks.
I ended up cutting it with a pneumatic angle grinder/die grinder and a 4" cutoff blade. The kind that is about 1/8" thick and has some fiber reinforcements in it.
It cut pretty well. It cut cleanly on the leading edge but fuzzed the fibers slightly on the trailing edge. Most of the fuzz pulled off with my fingers and I used a sharp utility knife to remove the stubborn ones. Overall it didnt mater because I glassed over my cut anyways.
The air grinder was slightly under powered so I had to go slowly, but it worked ok. I’d use a more powerful electric one of I had the option, like a rotozip maybe?
Definitely wear a respirator and safety glasses as it smoked a little and was fairly dusty. Kevlar in the lungs cant be good.
Now I have to grind the head off the screws holding my foot brace in and replace it with a sliding assembly.
yeah , friction and plastics …
… if you ever get the chance again , try those thin little Dremel cut off wheels , you’d be amazed at what they can do , slow compared to the heavier 4" x 1/8" you used , but much less friction and smooth sailing .
Like to see the pics. , bet it turned out pretty nice , and from your report well worth the mod. . That’s a nice lookin canoe you got there .
Finished Pics
– Last Updated: Jul-20-13 3:15 PM EST –
here are pics of the finished product
http://s258.photobucket.com/user/mcimes/library/Crozier?sort=6&page=1
The original ones are on the second page; you can see how much I cut it down.
I cut the crappy foam off the seat and cleaned it up with lacquer thinner. That stuff removes anything. It was cracked on the front lip so I patched over that too. It doesnt squeak anymore! Much better.
Some other interesting things; It looks like Crozier put in some fibers of carbon fiber into the top of the bulkhead, thats why I took the pics shadowed with the sun.
He used coarse honeycombed cardboard for core material at the bottom of the box. The core only went up about 2" and the rest of the box looks like 2 layer kevlar. I was cutting through the core and was like what the heck is this? It was secured to the bottom of the boat with a white, very hard putty or epoxy. I had to chisel that off very carefully but ended up getting most of it off in the end. I figured I was glassing over it anyways, so what the heck.
My resil pooled slightly at the bottom of the bulkhead, but overall for my first time doing any of this Im pleased with how it turned out.
OT
Man that photo site is too full of ads to even be usable!
looks pretty good …
… any pointy fuzzies , rough edges sticking up that could be sanded off ?? They hurt when you poke or scrap on one .
Probably too tight to get an arm/hand under now , huh . If not , consider an inside seam too .