Redecking my CLC

Thought I’d pass this along. A couple of months ago I asked for advice on a stress crack on my CLC. Still haven’t done anything about it.



This past weekend at Paddlesports in NJ I discussed the problem with someone from CLC. One of my ideas all along was to replace the deck. I asked the guy from CLC and he told me how it can be done and that they could provide me with all the bits and pieces I’d need.



Well, I got the proposal yesterday via email. For about $300. they’ll send me the kit including enough glass to cover the wood. (current deck is not glassed)epoxy, coaming, hatch covers fasteners, webbing, bungee cord etc.



I estimate that once I order the material and get started, it should take me about 2-3 weeks to complete.



Andy

Deck removal
Removing the existing deck could probably be your biggest headache. You don’t want to rip up the sheer, deck beam, bulkheads or end pours too much. If this did happen I imagine you could make some patch repairs. Yet these little things are what cut into your time, if time is a consideration?

Sounds pretty steep to me
because what you are buying is the package. Not thinking about it to hard if you go from scratch you could probably do it for under $100. Local plywood, epoxy, glass, cabosil, wood flour from RAKA. If you can’t get Okume locally you could use luan. It comes in so many different veneers that you could come up with a close match or a nice contrast.



I know many would poo-poo non marine grade wood, but I have 3 boats built from luan that would tell them differently.

Good luck.

Randy

How does your boat fit you?
Most CLC boat are pretty cavernous in size. This might provide you with a perfect opportunity to take some volume out of your boat if you want to. Just cut it off below the sheer clamps, glue new ones to the inside of the hull, then install a new deck, using deck beams that provide the amount of room that you need without creating a lot of excess air space.



I agree that $300 sounds abit steep for the what you’re getting. You’ve already built the boat once, so fabricating the necessary parts should be pretty easy and the necessary materials are not difficult to find.

Could be a nice change.
I agree with Bnystrom.

Cutting below the sheer clamps will give you a cross between your present CH17 and a CH17LT a better boat in regards to wind resistance. Note that the bulkheads would also have to be cut back and two new deck beams would be required.

deck
Aside from the stress crack, the deck suffers in other respects, black stains by the copper nails, patch when I built the boat and measured wrong and a generally dull overall appearance.



I think I can get the deck off without too much trouble. I may have to make some adjustments afterward, but that doesn’t concern me. I find the boat comfortable. Don’t think I want to reduce the volume. On camping trips, I like the space it affords.



With the deck off, It’ll allow me to get a look at the hull and do whatever needs doing.



I’m not too concerned about the cost. I’d rather not have to worry about finding and buying substituions when CLC will give me everything in one package.



Only thing I’m concerned about is cutting into the paddling season.



Thanks for the input!





Andy

varnish and sandpaper too?
That’s about $40…heck,for about $575 you could make a complete kayak from a partial plywood kit from Shearwater plus epoxy/glass from RAKA.

How about this:
How about a couple of NASCAR stickers or one of those Calvin characters peeing on the name of some other brand of boat?



Oh wait, you’re talking about “re-decking”. I thought you said “red-necking”. Nevermind.

Now
that’s funny!



Joe

are we talking about structural problems
or cosmetic imperfections, the paddling season is here!

Happy to Lend
you one of my * P L A S T I C * boats when we paddle together. I’ll bring my camera. :smiley:

Jeff

Cosmetic
for now, stress crack bothers me as do the black stains. Posibility of it getting worse. I should have glassed the deck when I built it. New deck will be glassed.



I do have a spare boat, Carolina. It feels like a barge compared to the CLC. I may not do the redecking until the fall.



Andy

i’d fill and fair the crack and paint
the nails are along the edge of the deck, right? i’d paint a sheerline stripe wide enough to cover the nails and hull/deck joint. maybe white, traditional for sheer stripes. and i’d paint a wide stripe across -diagonal stripes on the deck and stern? or some native american, eagle, dragon, whatever to cover the repaired crack. redecking seems pretty drastic to solve a cosmetic problem.