Well I’ve had the Super Nova out six times now. The love at first paddle affair I began with her hasn’t deminished any. I must confess I’m head over heels “grin”. Last time out was an overniter I’ve did many times over the past twenty years or so. The usual two portages became one… this boats stability is amazing…anyhow I’m a lazy b#$%d by nature so I’m lovin this. I have been for years a class three paddler, I can see myself moving to class four in this boat. Having a concern about foot entrapment in the bigger water I ordered the complete saddle package from Mohawk. I have plans to start this project Sunday afternoon. This is my first time installing a saddle but I’m comfortable with being able to do it. My question would be does anyone have any tips and tricks of the trade you care to share…thanks to all in advance…
It’s Great
when everything clicks and you really like the boat you have.
Enjoy,
Mark
Advice???
Measure twice before gluing…
Don’t be affraid to move thwarts/add thwarts so you can get the seat where you need it.
I am doing the same for a Mohawk Scamp. I am leaving the seat in my Supernova.
saddle
I love the Mohawk system- I put it in all my WW boats.
A couple of tips:
After you put the saddle in the exact spot you want it, without glue, tape a few wood blocks around it, touching the saddle.
These will act as a guide to put the saddle exactly where you want after you’ve applied your contact cement. (Remember- you only get one shot with contact cement!)
does the super nova have a rounded bottom, or a flat bottom? If it has a rounded bottom, you should round the bottom of the saddle a bit to fit (use dragonskin). Otherwise, the flat bottom of the saddle won’t make complete contact with the bottom of the boat.
I also like to add a saddle thwart for extra security.
Make sure the contact cement is completely dry before you attach saddle and d-rings. the solvent in the glue melts royalex!
After the glue is dry, it helps to warm it up a bit with a blow dryer, until it gets glossy, just before you attach things.
saddle
I love the Mohawk system- I put it in all my WW boats.
Some tips:
After you put the saddle in the exact spot you want it, without glue, tape a few wood blocks around it, touching the saddle.
These will act as a guide to put the saddle exactly where you want after you’ve applied your contact cement. (Remember- you only get one shot with contact cement!)
Does the super nova have a rounded bottom, or a flat bottom? If it has a rounded bottom, you should round the bottom of the saddle a bit to fit (use dragonskin). Otherwise, the flat bottom of the saddle won’t make complete contact with the bottom of the boat when you glue it in.
I also like to add a saddle thwart for extra security.
Make sure the contact cement is completely dry before you attach saddle and d-rings. the solvent in the glue melts royalex!
Note- if you’re using vynabond for the d-rings (it doesn’t like minicell foam-for the saddle you should use weldwood contact cement) DO NOT follow directions on the v-bond tube! Use it just like contact cement, applied to both the hull and d-ring, then attach when dry. If you attach the d-rings while the glue is still wet (as the instructions say), the solvent could damage the boat.
(That’s how I use v-bond, and my thigh strap d-rings have held up for 4 years of hard paddling, including lots of rolls.)
After the glue is completely dry, warm it up a bit with a blow dryer, until it gets glossy, just before you attach things.
I can see the “grin” from here!
I like my Supernova, too. Great canoe for a lot of different uses.
I hope there is some way we’ll continue to be able to get Mohawk saddles now that Mohawk Canoes is closing. I’ve installed two of them, and like them a lot.
As for tips on installation, this is rather unorthodox, and it’s only temporary, and I’m not recommending anybody else do this, but I’ve installed a minicell pedastal in my Bell Prodigy X by using sticky back velcro. I wasn’t sure just where I wanted to attach the pedastal permanently so I experimented with velcro for the pedastal and the knee pads. Before anybody jumps on me for using velcro in a white water boat, please note I’m NOT recommending this, I’m just telling you what I did to have some fun. The thigh straps are cemented in with vinyl bond. So far the velcro has survived two trips on Class II-III on the Upper New in WV, and several trips on smaller rivers here in Virginia. I like it well enough that I’m planning to leave it in place this season so I can experiment scooting the pedastal fore and aft to try out different trim locations.
Another note, is that the thwart across the Mohawk saddle seems pretty important to keep the saddle from working back and forth and pulling the hull apart. I’ve only seen this once, on the Nantahala in a Bell Prodgy with a Esquif pedastal.
Hey OC1, I see form your profile that you have a Dagger Sojourn. I’m picking mine up tomorrow. How do you like your’s?
Andy
Consider an adjustable saddle
I like to know where the centre line of the boat is. Either measure from the tips of the boat to the middle of gunwales and find the midpoint (is it symmetrical?), or put a broom stick under the hull and find the ballance point. I then mark this centre line with masking tape as a point of reference.
I like to trim my boats fairly level when empty. I place my saddle close to the centre, just far enough back so that if I sit up straight, my chest/nose is basically at the centre line. My butt in the stern, my knees in the bow. This way you can adjust the trim and release the bow or stern by leaning.
I err to the side of having it trimmed slightly to the stern, because you don’t want a bow-heavy ride. On the other hand, you do want to be able to the engage the front of the boat, so don’t put your saddle to far back, especially for whitewater.
If tripping, you can adjust your trim with gear.
Another option is to use NorthWater’s adjustable saddle - attachment strips glued to the hull and straps to tighten it down. I’ve got that set up in a solo/tandem Vertige X and it’s great.
To set up the VertigeX for solo and each of our tandem positions, so we can switch bow & stern, we took the boat to a lake with some levels taped to the gunwales so that we could find our trim spots for the saddles.
P.
For some more insight
For some more insight into correctly outfitting a canoe for whitewater; go to the Mohawk Canoe website & check out their whitewater outfitting instructions. They even have a few diagrams that might be of benefit.
If possible, when you complete your outfitting; post a few photos on pnet.
BOB
www.voyageur-gear.com has
some good downloads for outfitting canoes, installing D rings, choosing adhesives, etc…clik on the outfitting tab, then at bottom of page scroll through pages to find all they have to offer. Voyageur-gear products are available through most paddling shops, or they can order them.
this link will get you started;
www.voyageur-gear.com/downloads/outfitting/whitewater_solo_outfitting.pdf
NorthWater specs
NorthWater also has downloadable measurements etc. of outfitting ideas.
A 3-position anchor for thigh straps also gives more flexibility than single d-rings, so that’s a good option.
P.
saddle thwart
I installed a Mohawk saddle in my Supernova and it just happened to work out that the thwart that holds the saddle down ended up going through the rear seat holes. This was not planned but it just worked out.
I just kept the same knee pad position I had with the seat. I liked that position a lot. So, when I installed the saddle, I just put it where it felf comfortable for me to kneel on my pre-existing kneeling pads. That put the saddle in the exact position to use the rear seat holes through the gunnels to mount the saddle thwart.
Congrats on your new purchase. I sure like mine a lot and can't see myself being without one. It is a very secure feeling boat in WW.
FWIW I'm 6'2" and about 220 pounds.
one more thing
I had to build up the saddle height an inch to be comfortable. I think that the pronounced arch of the Supernova ends up placing the saddle lower relative to your legs (or your legs higher relative to your but) than flatter Mohawk canoes that the Mohawk saddle is designed for.
… just something to think about if you find your legs going numb a lot sooner than you expectd.
yeah, I raised mine 1" too
Clarion, you’re a lot taller than me, but I have thick thighs and can’t hunker down like skinny people, so I raised my saddles in my ww boats, too. I also added a wedge on each side to make the saddle wider to get better contact with my inner thighs. This may be extra necessary with the Supernova because of the wide chines placing your knees out well away from the saddle.
Sojourn
I like it. Fast and light (for Royalex). Very seaworthy, and the low profile handles wind well.
I’ve done a lot of tripping in mine. A few years ago, at the tail end of a week-long trip on the Everglades Wilderness Waterway, I spent two days paddling my Sojourn into intense headwinds and crosswinds, with 1-2 ft whitecaps.
I learned at the takeout that the winds had been blowing at 20-25 knots, and that a small craft advisory was in effect.
It was probably the toughest paddling I’ve ever done, and there were a few times when I was as close to scared as I’ve ever been in a canoe. But I never came close to capsizing, and the boat didn’t take on a drop of water.
For conditions worse than that, I’d probably want to switch over to the dark side (i.e., a sea yak).