i have new wales installed in my freebie '78 mad river malecite (16’5" x 34") and want to set it up for solo paddling. i guess i want a center thwart for on-land handling. any suggestions for thwart & seat locations? http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/2560917570053419764sesSJo?vhost=outdoors
thanks
dan in port royal
It’s coming along, eh?
– Last Updated: Dec-03-09 3:58 PM EST –
Dan - the leading edge of my Malecite's solo seat is 6" aft of center. It's canted forward...leading edge of rear frame rail is 5/8" below the bottom of the gun'l, and the leading edge of the front frame rail is 1 and 5/8" below the bottom of the gun'l.
The boat trims out real nice when I kneel with my butt on the front of the seat.
I don't know about thwarts, other than the carry handles near the stems - mine has three seats and no thwarts. I can give you lengths and locations for the other two seat frames if you like.
Since you are putting in that solo seat - have you considered a removable or clamp-on carry thwart? I've also seen yoke pads that clamp to a seat frame, but I'm not sure about the strength of that setup.
OTOH - so far, I've found my Malecite to carry pretty well with the front edge of the seat on my shoulder and my head (with stocking cap) planted in the vee of the hull. Just happens to work for me, but I haven't had to carry it very far and don't expect to any time soon.
edit: I should qualify that I measured for center by holding the end of the tape on the bow just under the gun'l and running the tape along the underside of the gun'l to the stern. That might not give the true center, since it isn't symmetrical, but it was easiest for me to do with consistency. I'm thinking that if you measure straight back in the middle of the boat it puts the solo seat more like 5" aft of center, based on my previous sloppy measuring attempt.
dude! great info, steve
i’m getting excited, i can hardly wait to paddle it. when i was a kid i would launch my newly built model airplanes with the glue still wet, with inevitable results. sure, i would like the other seat locations, thanks for your consideration : ) how do you paddle, sit and switch or canadienne? thanks,
dan in port royal
keep it centered
I alternately swap out the center thwart and seat in my 1986 fg Malecite.
Use the thwart mounting holes for the leading edge of the contoured cane seat. Carries perfectly. Position works for me @ 210#.
Best bet is to get in the boat and see where it trims while you are seated on some makeshift seat.
I’d stick w/ steve’s factory location
– Last Updated: Dec-03-09 4:59 PM EST –
I was going to measure mine for you but now I don't have to.
I too carry mine no problem without a yoke. I wear my Tilley while doing it cause it has a nice foam pad sewn in the top.
I've had mine out in big wind and waves and the factory seat location is perfect.
You can adjust trim readily for wind by either sitting for tailwind or kneeling for headwind.
You might think about some thwarts to stiffen the hull a bit, especially if you're a little on the heavy side. It might not be necessary, or you might find your gunnels deflecting a bit without any thwarts.
Good luck and have fun. Oh and post more pics once you're done.
I think Steve’s 6" suggestion is good
unless you are as tall and heavy as I am, in which case a little farther back would be better.
More measurements
– Last Updated: Dec-04-09 12:09 PM EST –
Dan, here's the rest. All measurements here were taken from the bow and following the underside of the gun'l to the centers of the hangar bolts. Since measuring accurately is difficult in tight spaces, the width measurements were also from center to center on the hangar bolts. You'll have to add to that for total length for your sticks. Inwales are 13/16" thick, so adding that amount ( = 2 x (half for each side)) to each width measurement should give you perfect clearance with holes centered on the inwales - but remember, the ends will be beveled to match the hull so the length measurement is for the mid-point of the bevel. If your inwales are different, you can adjust by substituting your measurement for the 13/16". Drops measured from bottom of inwale...
This all assumes that my furniture is all either original or same as original, which is the case since I bought from the original owner, AFAIK.
Bow thwart - 23 1/2 from bow, width 11"
front of bow seat - 53 from bow, width 23 7/8 - drop 1 3/4
rear of bow seat - 61 1/4, w 26 3/4, dr 1 9/16
front of center seat - 106 1/2, w 32 3/8, dr listed above
rear of center seat - 114 3/4, w 31 3/4, dr listed above
front of stern seat - 157 5/8, w 20 1/8, dr 1 1/2
rear of stern seat - 165 7/8, w 16 11/16, dr 1 3/4
stern thwart - 178 3/4, w 10 5/8
Seat frame members measure 1 1/4 wide by 13/16 thick.
Thwarts measure 1 1/16 wide by 11/16 thick.
I double-checked this stuff, but you might want to lay it all out with clamps and make sure I didn't make any glaring mistakes before final cutting or drilling. Measure twice, cut once!
There...triple-checked. ;-)
Forgot your other question, Dan…
– Last Updated: Dec-04-09 12:20 PM EST –
I haven't had the Malecite long, but I've had it out for a couple healthy day trips. I tried a little Canadian style but liked it best staying as centered as possible kneeling with my butt about half on the seat, paddling on one side and just using a J-stroke when necessary. Sit-and-switch might work, but I haven't learned to do that yet so I don't know. It poles well too.
I put mine in the middle. Best way
is to tape a level on it and place the uncut seat over the gunnels.Move the seat,with you on it,until the hull is level in the water.