[b]Big Boy outfitting[/b]

[denisanic]

As I am somewhat on thin ice, living here in Sweden and all, I would love to get some C-boating help. But its somewhat hard to get by unless I want to bug three guys that I barely know that have done little C boating in their day. So instead I am going to bug you guys I definetly dont know .

I am 6'7" tall and by all means shouldn't be involved in this wonderfull sport, but I am. Somehow I am hoping that I will have better time on the water in a C1 then in a K1 as it is somewhat hopeless to find something that I sit comortably in. A huge plus is that I have allways been curious about C1, even as a little kid in Bosnia , jk, it was fun watching the guys.

Anyway, I have purchased an old Riot Glide/Slice for a penny, and tried to fit my long legs sitting in, didn't go, so I tried kneeling in, didnt go. I called my buddy who had a Grind he wanted to get rid of, and made a deal to swap boats. So now I am hoping I will fit in that one.

To the task at hand then. Are there any of you guys who are close to my height who have outfitted their own boats? How did you do it, any obvious hints? Is there anyone that has outfitted something similiar to a Grind, and how is that working for you?

any tips for this longlegged creature are most welcome

[ClassFive Boats]

Im 6' 2" and have found that the taller / larger shoulder a person is , the less desireable a kayak to c1 conversion is . Your center of gravity is much higher and c1 conversion boats will be less stable . The good news is you have tremendous body leverage that is really great for c1. Perhaps a composite boat that was made a c1 for the beginning. Try Shaggy Designs "Sith" ttp://www.shaggydesigns.com/.

[kneeler]

I disagree with ClassFive. I'm all for conversions. You can convert boats that you would never fit in as kayaks.

I recently put someone about your height (with a big torso) in a Riot Air 60 and he loved it. He is a kayaker and, due to his height, was rolling his kayak similar to a c-1 and coming up on a low brace. After trying C1 down a familiar run, he seemed to think it was better suited to his size than kayaking. He was excited about the prospect of fitting in smaller boats and liked using low braces.

I am also familiar with the Grind and, at your size, I think it's a great river running boat. I've even seen a Grind conversion. I believe the Grind has a larger cockpit than most Riot boats. If the cockpit gets in the way of you outfitting the boat, it is easy to bend and make larger. I think you'll be happy with the Grind.

[msims]

I'm 6'5", I have a Super Fun, and I can fit in it no prob - Size 12/Size 45 french/euro(I think)..... Well ... not no prob... I'm highly unstable in it right now, at 240lbs... Hopefully you don't weigh as much, being in sweden and all, folks there are generally skinnier!

You might be able to get a heat gun and jack the cockpit up an inch or two so you have a little more leg room.. my super-fun is pretty tight - I put hip grabbers on this weekend and could not put any foam on them as I was too tight!

I'll post some photos soon...

Mike.
________
Rambler (Automobile) Specifications

[sbroam]

Can't argue with ClassFive (Victor) that a kayak conversion would be less desirable than a full on C-1 - a conversion will almost always result in a narrower boat. But less desirable doesn't always equal undesirable. I'm nowhere near as tall, but am pretty top heavy (well, heavy, at least ) and have big dogs (sz 12 US) and have found a number of conversions to be more than exceptable (some less than). If you got it for a penny, give it a shot! I'd think your chief concerns would be foot comfort/exit and leg room. I think there is an article with pictures around here somewhere about using heat to expand a cockpit - search on "spacecanoe".

[squeakyknee]

The Sith is pretty dang narrow. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it, but it is kinda narrow for us tall peeps out there. I couldn't get my knees far enough apart to be truly comfy in it.
The "Big Boy" from Drakar would be a good candidate, and the Pagan prolly too.
You can always Stretch the cockpit of a conversion,though you risk breaking it.

[denisanic]

Dang, talk about live forum.

I will definatly give it a shot convering it, and since it is pool season, i can see what it is capable of as far as rolling and balance for me. Not to mention exiting.

As far as using a heat gun and expanding the cock pit, there is a huge problem, the boat ismade out of cross-link plastic. I guess back in the days, corran and riot gang went for stiffness and were not overly conserned about boat maintanance.

I will be out of school pretty soon, hopefully working soon too, and then I just might head on out to Suomi(Finland) and check out what is up with Drakkar.

Was thinking on making my self something, but exposure to polyesthers and epoxi sort of puts me of. Not to mention plug building. Ill keep everyone posted though on the conversion. Really looking forward to it now.

[the great gonzo]

The Sith is pretty dang narrow. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE it, but it is kinda narrow for us tall peeps out there. I couldn't get my knees far enough apart to be truly comfy in it.
The "Big Boy" from Drakar would be a good candidate, and the Pagan prolly too.
You can always Stretch the cockpit of a conversion,though you risk breaking it.

Squeaky, what are you smokin ?? The Sith being narrow ??? It's 27.5 inches wide, for crying out loud! and the knees are right at the widest point. there are, short of a Wheelboy and a Finkenmeister not many boats out there that are wider, and due to the cross section in the center, I can get my knees all the mway out to the sidewalls. If you can't do that in a Sith, then you are either HUGE or the boat has been set up for a really short guy. 90% of they guys who try my sith complain about being too loose in it. It's even roomy enough for me to wear all my cold weather paddling gear in it.
And I am not exactly the shortest guy either, 6'1" with a 36" inseam and I weigh 195 lbs.
My Sith is not even a full cut one, it's got a 1cm cut on both the deck and hull, so if you look at a full cut sith , there is certainly enough room in the cockpit for pretty much anyone out there.

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[squeakyknee]

Martin,
Yes, I am spoiled by my wheelboy.. ..

[the great gonzo]

my knee stance is actually WIDER in my Sith than in my Wheelboy, and I junked those outside kneeblocks that where in it from the factory!

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

[kneeler]

As far as using a heat gun and expanding the cock pit, there is a huge problem, the boat ismade out of cross-link plastic. I guess back in the days, corran and riot gang went for stiffness and were not overly conserned about boat maintanance.

The Grind is not Crosslink. It's Xytec. It's a linear plastic. It wil bend just fine.

[denisanic]

Can xytec be repaired. I did read on http://www.greatcanadian.com/kayaks_tour.html

that it could, beut I have been told that it couldn't. I have not yet had time to try and repair nore to I know what to repair it with. Any ideas anyone?

//Denis

[kneeler]

Can xytec be repaired. ?

Oh yeah. It's really easy to patch, weld, and bend. I've done quite a bit of work on Xytec boats.

- Repaired more holes in boats than I can count.
- Bent the cockpit rims of 4 or 5 Xytec Riots
- Welded hip pad holders into about 6 Xytec boats
- fixed an 8 inch diameter hole in the bottom of a creek boat using Xytec plastic

I've also witnessed a lot of big Xytec welds. One time, I saw someone take a Sawsall to the seam of an Air prototype from the stern the the cockpit, cut 2 inches or so out and then weld it back together.

Xytec is good to go for repairs.