I currently have a zoar sport. The boat it to wide for me and I need to tighten it up a bit. What is the best way to do so. Also my bulk heads leak a bit, how can this be fixed.
Usual Points Of Contact
– Last Updated: Apr-19-04 9:33 AM EST –
include the seat, backband, hips and thigh/knees and feet. Add some foam to the hip areas. The cockpit is big on that boat (except for larger folks) and it lacks thigh braces from what I can tell. You can get after market thigh braces that can be screwed on. Then pad the underside of the braces with foam as needed. Further adjustments can be made pulling in the pedals and/or back band.
Truthfully, that boat was designed more as rec/light tourer. You can do some work on it but if you really want contact and greater control, it may time to move on to another boat.
If the leaky bulkhead is because of separation of the foam from the hull because of breakdown in the glue, you can patch by using marine goop. Put the goop on a popsicle stick and slide it in where the glue seems missing and smear it around. If it its not one area, you may be better off pushing the whole bulkhead out, clearing off the old glue, smearing new glue on and then pushing it back in place. One way to find if it is the foam bulkhead is leaking is to fill the compartment with water and see if it goes into the cockpit. If it doesn't, then it's your hatch or something else like the entry point for a cable or something.
sing
how tight.
How tight do you want the boat to be. Do you just cut out 2 inch foam pads and place it on the hips and thigh areas. It does have thigh braces. I am having difficulty rolling the boat. I did it one out of 10 tries.
Snug
but comfortable. Should not feel like as if it were cutting off your circulation. Shape the hip pads like into a wedge shape, with the thinner section down on the bottom and thicker section towards the coaming. When you begin to hip snap, your hip will rise up can contact the foam, transferring energy into the foam and then boat.
A 25’ beam boat is a tough boat to learn to roll in, unless you’re big and fit the boat pretty well. After you get a roll down well, it’s not a big deal to roll a wider boat. But starting with one is harder.
sing
thigh area
Do I need to put padding under the thigh braces or along the inner side of the boat around the thigh. I do have a thin piece on the inside of the boat that comes from the factory.
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Oh…hope you don’t mind me jumping into this topic with another question too…
I recently bought that WS Kaos to ride waves in…and as I discussed before it tends to “cave-in” slightly below the seat after pounding out through the waves. Someone suggested I glue a foam block in the hull to give it some stiffness…where does one buy big foam blocks?
Thanks…
BeachAV8R
where to buy foam blocks
nrscatalog.com is one source.
REI.com is another and if there’s a store near you, they might have them in stock.
Just ask them for 3" minicell.
Can’t Really Tell You
you need to put as much as you need for making contact and feeling comfortable. Some posted a link below for kayakoutfitting.com. They have suggestions and pics of different outfitting. Granted the focus is on white water, the idea is almost the same though perhaps as “snug” as some ww folks would like it.
You can also foam incrementally and add on as you go. I do that a lot, “dialing in” the fit.
sing
Great outdoor provision Co
on Park rd.
You can get it in HUGE chunks.
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Cool…I need a huge chunk…probably about a 6 inch thick by 12" x 12"… I’ll give them a ring…they get lots of my money already…lol…
BeachAV8R
I’ll bet they have more of mine…
…than yours.
four kayaks, two canoes, paddles, PFD’s, tons of the gray foam, books, etc, etc.
Cheers,
JackL
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Wow…yeah…you’ve got me beat…
I’ve bought two of my three boats from Outdoors Etc…up near Lake Norman…but I buy almost all of my accessories and things from Outdoor Provision Co…I love that store…I can never escape a visit without buying SOMETHING…argh!
BeachAV8R