Does anyone know where I can get templates to make bulkheads for an older OT Loon 111? (It has no hatch and is fully open inside.) I have used floatation bags, but it is almost impossible to attach them securely.
Now my 11-year-old garnddaughter is going to be using it and I know (from experience) that if she tips it over it is much too heavy for a single person to empty and turn upright…and as for OT’s claim that they don’t sink, the only thing left floating is the coaming!
Thanks for any advice!
cardboard templates for the loon
I made a rear bulkhead template for a Loon 138 out of cardboard. It takes more patience that anything. I cut the cardboard to the general shape but a bit oversized, and then cut three inch “fringe” about one inch wide all the way around the cardboard oval. The fringe allowed the edge of the cardboard to bend to the shape of the inside of the boat when I pushed it into place. I then reached in with a magic marker and marked the cardboard where it had bent. I then pulled the cardboard out and cut it where I had marked it. This got me pretty close but it still took some trimming to get it just right. It is fairly tricky because the shape changes if you let it twist a little out of square. When I finally got it right, I made hardboard copy of the cardboard template in case I ever needed it again. I doubled up the one inch foam that I used for the bulkhead which made it thick enough that I had to put a bit of a taper on it to get a better fit. The final trick is to glue it in without gassing yourself on the fumes. You really need to get in fairly close to see what you are doing but that means that the fumes are awfully strong. I simply held my breath while gluing but I’m sure a filtered mask would be much better.
Type of foam used?
What type of foam and glue do you recommend? I looked at the stuff at Home Depot, but it just didn’t seem right!
Float bags
You can always add the inflatable boat bags to take up extra space and add floatation.
Loon bulkhead
I got my foam from Sidsports in Salt Lake City. It comes in sheets that are one inch thick and two feet wide and Sid cut it to the length that I needed so I could double the thickness. He suggested the double thickness for rigidity and a better seal. I can tell you what it isn’t! It is not closed cell foam (although that is what I see in a lot of commercial bulkheads) and it is not styrofoam. It would be too rigid. It is white with small air bubbles and has some flex to it and was very easy to work with. I cut it with a band saw but it could easily be cut with a sabre saw or a fine toothed hand saw with a narrow blade. Sid has a web site and he would be happy to tell you exactly what it is.
My Loon 138 had the indentations for cutting out a hatch in the back so I bought the kit from Old Town and added the hatch cover. I am currently working on getting a watertight seal with their hatch cover. It was not designed to be water tight but I am getting close.
Float Bags
I’ve got a Loon 138T and this is how I handled the problem of the float bags popping out.
The foot peg rails are affixed to the inside of the hull by stainless screws and nuts. I made some small loops of nylon tubular webbing and placed them at the forward end of the footpeg rails using those screws. With a carabiner and a short length of webbing or even rope I can fashion a retainer for the forward floatation bag. For the aft floatation bag, my problem might be a bit different than yours, since I’ve taken out the rear seat of the tandem and now have a dedicated single seater with a huge cockpit. In your Loon, the seatback might be enough to prevent an inflated floatation bag from floating free.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
Ethafoam?
Great Idea!
I already have the floataton bags, so I am going to give that a try! :>)
Thanks!