Spray skirts for Pelican kayaks

I have 4 pelican kayaks and wanted spray skirts, splash decks, and road covers for them. Even the ones made for them have that common problem of not staying on real well as the comb on Pelican boats is so shallow. I found a Seals splash deck for a tandem that had a review from a user that had a Pelican 14’ tandem like ours that he said he was able to make it work and loved it. Too bad he did not say what he did to get it to work. So I bought one and started trying to find a way to make it work. What I come up with was very simple and cheap but works great.

In order to make the comb hold the edge of the skirts better I took nylon acorn nuts from the hardware store, 8/32 thread size, painted them yellow to match and sucured them to the outside edge of the comb with 8/32 stainless counter sunk screws in the areas that the skirt wanted to slip off the comb. This gave more for the skirt to hold onto but still allowed it to slip off too easily. So I took another nylon acorn nut and placed it on the flat part of the kayak about a 1/4" infront of the acorn nut I placed on the edge of the comb and about a 1/4" away from the inside edge of the comb. This in effect made a simple one lug cleat. The tighter you can make the gap between the two nuts the better. Once you get the spacing right the nylon cord almost pops into the space created by the two nuts and holds very well yet still allows the skirt to be removed quickly in case of a water exit is needed. I fixed all our pelicans this way for less than 20 bucks. Yes, I had to drill small holes in the comb and on the flat area below it but a lil sealer on the screws when I put them in and they are plenty water tight. The acorn nuts do not stick out so far that you get hooked on them and if you get a paint really close in color to the boat they are hard to spot anyway. If you need pics of what I did just send me an email with your address and I will send some to you. Good luck and paddle on!

1 Like

Pull it in a Pool

– Last Updated: Feb-05-13 12:17 PM EST –

Sounds nice - Have you tested it upside down and wet ?

Pelican's have huge cockpits = Rec Boat
http://www.pelicansport.com/index.php?language=en&category=kayaks&nauticalboat=kayaks

WHERE are you taking these boats that you need
a sprayskirt to keep the water out of the cockpit ?

What kind of Flotation Bags are you using?
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product_list.asp?deptid=1760

Rec paddlers
Well seems we get a lil wet each time we go out. We know these are rec kayaks and we use them as such. Just like to stay dry and warm. We typically stick to lazy rivers and calm lakes. Prefer to paddle early morning or late evening in calmer water. We are out for the enjoyment more than the challenge. That said we are going to try a few over night trips in them to see if we enjoy kayak camping before we decide what boats, if any, to get next. Would like to build our next boats, Pygmy or Redfin. I just see several people woth Pelican’s with the same problem getting skirts and covers to stay on. Thought I would share what I did to get ours to work.

Drip ring on the paddles

– Last Updated: Feb-05-13 4:20 PM EST –

Calm lazy rivers and lakes don't get cockpits wet.

Are your paddles dripping into the boat ?

http://www.austinkayak.com/products/644/Paddle-Drip-Rings.html

http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1595

You will want to try "flipping"
to see where that skirt Pull-Tab is,
when you're discombobulated upside down.
Current may gently push you into a strainer,
log, obstruction, etc.

Please use caution on retro-fitting combing/skirts


POST THE PICS PLEASE
I would love to see the pics if you can post them. Thanks

We have a spray skirt for one of our
Old Town Loon 111’s. We were able to purchase it years ago, but they may not be available anymore.

What makes it unique is that it came with velcro on the underside of the skirt for fitting along the side combing, where the mating half was placed to keep it on. This velcro is the ‘sticky back’ type, and works well. There is also a long zipper at the waistline which makes it easy to get into after putting the skirt onto the kayak. It has held up for years and though it’s a nylon skirt, this boat is the one I use in the winter. (Easier to get in and out of with all the bulkier clothing I wear, plus I’m a seasoned kayaker. Think older. :slight_smile: ).

If you can picture this skirt and its make-up, perhaps you could find someone who has good sewing skills and could put a zipper in and the velcro onto the sides of both the boat and skirt.

For summer and those who don’t like to get ‘wet’, even though kayaking is a “wet” sport, we were also able to purchase two half skirts.

As noted in one of the other posts, sometimes getting wet is due to the manner in which one holds the paddle and/or whether or not there are ‘drip rings’ on the shaft and where they are positioned.

May you find a solution and enjoy your paddling trips.