Outfitting an Avocet RM

So I took the plunge and bought a brand new Avocet RM this past weeknd. I would like to begin customizing it in various ways. To start with, I’d like to add some padding around the knee area. I heard that it’s not easy to bond to this type of plastic. I would love to get some tips from people who have done it. What kind of glue did you use? How exactly did you treat the area? What kind of foam or padding bonds well and feels good?



A related question - it’s one thing to bond a pad onto the plastic where the forces on it are pushing against the hull. This is not a shearing force. But how would you go about attaching say a D-link or another kind of attachment that is supposed to withstand pulling it away from the hull? One application that comes to mind is attaching an under-deck bag. I’ve seen at least one that has 4 pads that are supposed to be bonded to the underdeck. They say that you should drill through the deck to attach to a plastic kayak. Is this really necessary?





Thanks

Avi

Outfitting
Some ideas:

http://community.webshots.com/album/62890111LevzQW



The Weldwood gel contact cement is a popular adhesive.

Congats!
I got one a month ago, my buddy got one last week! I really dig this yak.

I posted some pictures of my first round of glueing in foam. I used goop, doesn’t matter what kind from archived posts…marine goop has some uv protection. Since it’s only been glued in for less than a month I can’t comment yet on how well it will hold up. But if you want to remove it, it will peel off.

check through these pics, there are also some shots of the yaks I got my ideas from.



http://community.webshots.com/photo/281897103/418393984cyCgjL

If you’re pulling on the fitting…
…it’s not going to hold if it’s merely glued, which is why the factories all use mechanical fasterners (screws, bolts or rivets) for such fittings. You could pony up the big bucks for specialty polyethylene glue and a mixing gun, but IMO, it’s not worth it for one boat.

You are probably right
and so I’ll limit my question to glueing pads. They will be pushed against and not pulled. What glue would you use and how would you prep the area?



I was looking at the Northwater under deck bag but that would require attaching pads to the under deck and would sustain pulling forces. I guess I can’t attached it unless I was going to drill through the deck and install bolts…how do through-holes like this made water tight?



Thanks,

Avi

holes
If you drill the holes slightly undersize and thread the bolts through, that’ll solve most of the problem. Adding a dab of sealant under the bolt head and nut should finsih the job.



I added more aggressive thigh braces from a whitewater boat to my Avocet RM.

That’s a good tip
but your thigh brace mod was probably in an area that is under the spray skirt - right? That’s an easier hole to “stomach” :slight_smile:



Wouldn’t it be nice if poly boats came with a variety of pre-molded tie points under the deck and around the cockpit?



I’m looking for a way to secure my pump inside the cockpit and could use some ideas too. It doesn’t fit behind the seat, and there is no gap between the hip pads and the hull, like on some other boats. That’s why I wanted to go with an under deck bag and stuff the pump between the deck and the bag. I saw a pic of this configuration somewhere. But now the challenge is how to attach the bag to the under deck in the least destructive way.



Any other ideas of storing the pump in the Avocet RM cockpit are welcome!





Thanks

Avi

Angstrom’s post has the answers
That’s the glue I recommend and the link will take you to outfitting pics that show different pump mounting methods. IMO, the ideal place is under the fordeck.

Under the deck
Great - under the deck is where I want to install it. So now I know what glue to get. Do I need to rough up the surface to help the cement hold better? What do you use for that - sandpaper? a rasp? something else? Remmeber I’m talking about a poly Avocet and not glass.



Thanks,

Avi