I am very newbie when it comes to any work on my boat(s). They had a season of being stored improperly, so I’m trying to recover. Plus, they’re getting up there in age. I’m generally handy-ish, but it doesn’t come naturally to me, so patience appreciated.
CD Vision 135: The seat is getting somewhat brittle. Needs a new backrest as the plastic part that mounts to the seat upper is cracked and loose. Do I just put in a seatback if I can find one and motor on, or replace the whole seat?
I’d like to replace all the elastic rigging. Do I just go to my local outdoor shop and by appropriately sized shock-cord and have at it, or does it need to be speciality cord?
the footrests appear to be working fine. I could probably replace all the straps as they are a bit dry / stiff, but they are functional. Do I need to get the straps from CD or just any weather-resistant strap will do?
Anything else I should be considering?
Neck Zoar Sport: Same as above, generally. Seat is functioning, but really showing its age. Would like to replace the straps/rigging. I know they’re not around anymore, so just any old shock cord and straps?
For your CD Vision 135, if the seatback is cracked and loose, you can either replace just the backrest if you can find a compatible one or go for a full seat replacement if it’s easier to find.
For the shock cord, you can buy appropriately sized shock cord from your local outdoor shop…no need for anything specialized. Just make sure it’s marine-grade for durability.
Regarding the straps, any weather-resistant strap should work fine. If they’re stiff but functional, you can use them until they wear out completely, then replace them with new ones.
For the Necky Zoar Sport, similar advice applies: use any good-quality marine shock cord and weather-resistant straps. Since Necky isn’t around anymore, finding original parts will be tough, so generic replacements should do the trick.
Also, while you’re at it, check the hatch covers for any signs of wear or cracking, as they tend to degrade over time. Replacing those could prevent leaks.
On the shock cord, I always use marine grade which I get from a couple of sources. It is more resistant to UV and heat degradation with polyester rather than nylon sheath. Sailrite has both shock cord and the fittings and SGT Knots has every size and over a dozen colors of the marine grade cord. A 25’ hank is usually enough to rig a deck.
@kiva822, i had a hard time threading the bungee cord, which was a heavy duty marine grade. The rubber band inner core wouldn’t melt, so when I cut it with a hot knife, the cut end mushroomed to twice the size. I tried a number of remedies, but each failed.
Another thread on this topic had some great ideas that worked, but my remedy was to slide the sheath back about 3/8 inch and cut the rubber bands close. Then slide the sheath back out and heat it to melt the sheath slightly, giving the end a point that served like a needle. Insert in the deck fastener and pull through.
I tried the shrink wrap first. Tried dental floss with a constrictor whip. The bungee was fairly thick and tighter than typical aftermarket bungee, so I believe it didn’t work for that reason.
I bought the bungee from Annapolis Canoe and Kayak. It was more expensive, but it’s what they use and I trust them for quality. I believe it’s the same material Wilderness Systems uses on their kayaks. The cord is harder to stretch than any other brand I tried. That’s why I selected it (note: depending on how tight you run it, it can be hard to slip items under it. If you stretch it loosely, you can always stretch it tighter by cinching the knot.
Other posts mention putting beads on the bungee to make it easier to slip paddles and other items under it. I like the greater holding power of the stronger bungee under tension.
I did that. I think the rubber band was very tightly compressed. The shrink wrap wouldn’t compress it tight enough, so It expanded the end and wouldn’t compress enough to fit through the deck fitting. Probably would work with thinner bungee or bungee with less compression. I seaechrd until I found heavy duty bungee.
You can cut bungee then flame it fast. Then put shrink tubing over it leaving it 1/4" longer than the cord. Then shrink tubing and pinch the end while hot . Then it looks like a screw driver tip. You can trim it more if you want but leave it sealed.
As others have said, Topkayaker can be a great source for parts. They can also be wildly expensive if something you need is super rare.
For deck bungee, I’ve had good success with both SGT Knots and Paracord Planet via Amazon. They have pretty much any color you can think of, you’ll want 3/16” thickness and 25 feet should be more than enough.
For perimeter deck line, I like the stuff from Points 65. It’s thick (easy on wet hands), reflective, comes in bright colors, and doesn’t stretch. 10 meters should be good. Kayak Reflective Cord - Point 65 Sweden
Immersion Research makes really great backbands that are pretty much universal as far as fit. Very easy to install and they have videos explaining how to do it.
Since the kayaks were stored improperly, it might be a good idea to check and make sure all the bulkheads are still watertight. To do this, add maybe a gallon of water to the stern compartment, seal the hatch, and rotate the kayak 360° (like rolling a log) and slosh it around. Repeat with the bow. If you see ANY water getting into the cockpit you need to reseal the bulkheads before the boat is safe to use. Lexel is the sealant of choice for this and the method has been discussed in detail if you search the message boards. The first time you have to do it it seems daunting but it’s not hard, just time consuming.
I just read a post suggesting 3/16" inch bungee cord. I believe the bungee cord I bought from Annapolis Kayak is actually 1/4", which would explain why I had issues threading the bungee and why the shrink wrap wasn’t adequate to compress the bungee to thread through the deck eyelets.
The technique I used was the only option that I could figure out to make it work. I believe the oversized bungee was worth the investment, because it holds far tighter than the original (as noted before, tension on the standing setup can start loose and cinch tighter with an extra knot until reaching the desired tension. The original bungee lasted 15 years, maybe this heavier stuff will last 15 1/2 years.
That would probably work. Worth a try. The method I used let me pull through the deck fitting like a needle. I’ll try that on several that I have left to rebungee. Only had the problem due to the heavy bungee.
John, if you do the shrink wrap you need to hang it over the end a bit, not flush with the end, it’ll make a lead in for the shockcord as it will shrink to a smalller diameter allowing you to thread it through the eyelet.
this is what I’ve been using for my 1/4 inch bungees.
I really don’t worry about that too much as that’s never really been an issue.
I just buy the stuff in bulk, and have it about when needed, of course with the number of boats I have and the fact that they all decide to need replacements around the same time It behooves me to run that route.
I’ll throw this out there for those replacing cables buy the Stainless steel stuff in bulk and get a good set of cutters this will keep it from fraying when you cut it. for the ends the aluminum bicycle wire caps work a charm for the wire ends, a electrical wire stripper / lug crimper tool works wonders for attaching. Additionally if toy are real worried about fraying you can use a torch and a little solder where you want to cut, that’ll keep the wire consistent and together.
