Meltdown Re-chop

[Jamie@Openplayboater]

Hi

Reading all this squirty talk on here recently has made me really think about getting my Meltdown out again. Mine is slightly big for me however in that it's an awesome cruising/river running squirt but is too big for decent downtime. I also struggle to really get over the ends so was thinking about trying to get a bit of length off it as well.

I posted a question on the Downtime forum and the latest suggestion is to have it re-chopped but also to shred cut it at the same time. Now as far as I know, this has never been done but was wondering what people reckon??

Jamie

[PAC]

Jamie
Cool on getting the boat out again (oh and we want a few photos of her too )!

If your going to get it chopped and have never done that before - go to an expert! It is much less painful. The voice of experience!

Not sure on the lenght of a Meltdown (or yours in particular) but shredding does work particularlly when looking to wing the boat. I know of one boat (a K) that was just "shredded" and it helped a lot. But again it was done by someone who knew what they were doing. If I remember correctly pulling the boat a part first was suggested - just like in the chop process.

Keep us posted on how it goes!

Paul C.

[sbroam]

Please explain "shred cut" for the uninitiated - I'm assuming you are not talking about tobacco or coleslaw!

[PAC]

Scott
I take the term "shred" as cutting the ends down (shortening). This cuts volume but is not a full on chop (width and lenght). Others might view it as a "selective" chop with the cuts to the ends and maybe some width out of those sections as well back to selected point on the boat (usually both ends).
I actually had not heard that term for a long while and only remembered it when Jamie posted. I had a K that I cut the ends down on and someone 'in the know' say to me I did a "butt ugly shred"! They of course were correct.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Hope that helps.
Paul C.

[Sir Adam]

My understanding (and this is something I've interpretted, not been told, so it could be completely incorrect) was that a 'shred cut" rounded the bow and stern off (reducing length, and to a certain extent volume).

None of the Maven's are "shred cut"

The Mentor plug, in a sense, has a "shred cut" built in to it (neither end is pointy). That said, you could certainly reduct length further (getting the boat down to 8' or under) without impacting the boat much.

I've learned one-thing plug wise...April and May are NOT a good time (builders are very busy...GREAT for them, not-so-good for the progress of the mold).

[Mike W.]

Cut it I think length by itself is not a real issue with getting the ends down, however volume out towards the ends will work against you. My master cut Acrobat is 9'9" & I have not problem getting over either end. Same deal w/ the full cut Maven (which I haven't measured, but is a little longer than the Acro). I do have a mechanical advantage over both boats at 195lbs. which does help If you don't have the same advantage, chop the boat.

I was told "You end up chasing your chop, so you end up w/ this really low cut boat & then there you are."

[jim gross]

i have a full cut acrobat and can only get the ends over on a very powerfull feature like rocky island (POTOMAC) or diagonal ledges (GAULEY). it isn,t the length that is the problem perse but the over all volumn. since there were no takers on the sale of said acro i will certainly be doing a chop and cut on this boat over the winter. probably like 1 1/2 " on the hull and 2" on the deck. goin fer the down time machine next year. plus i am stripping a squirty too with spruce sandwiched in glass. should be one purdy squirt boat. HEHEHEH. jim

[Mike W.]

Hey Jim,
We want photos, drawings, measurements, ideas or whatever else you can share about this new boat. Inquiring minds want to know. PLEEEASE

[jim gross]

i am tryin to keep a photo journal of the stripper project bro. i am planning on strippin this season and then cure it in the paint booth down stairs i use to paint bikes for 1 month . before i lay glass. . dont want any outgassing from the wood ya know. JIM

[RodeoClown]

"Shred chop" is a pretty loosely defined term. I think it originally referred to shortening a bigfoot to the same length as a shred, and in the process, making the ends pointier as well. It's also possible to shred cut a Maestro- which is shorter than a shred, by making the ends pointier- but most are still the full- length Maestro (though i've seen some pretty cool ones that were substantially shorter- "beyond shred cut"- as short as 8 feet). The idea is to get a little bit more clearance around rocks when entering mysteries, and also get rid a just a touch more volume. Plus the boats look a lot cooler that way... I haven't seen many Maestros lately that weren't shred cut- and the "Shredfoot" also seems to be more popular now than the full bigfoot.

I say shred that Meltdown....

Jeremy

[Jamie@Openplayboater]

Well I think I may well be getting it Shredded then...

I'm going to get Downtime to do the cut as Dave says he can do it it'll just be a tough job. Just a case of finding out how much it'll cost and when I can afford it.

I'll keep you informed of what happens. Should be interesing though...

Cool on getting the boat out again (oh and we want a few photos of her too )!

Mine's the Meltdown with the flames on it in the Squirt section but I'll get some more pictures if people are interested.

Jamie

[steve B]

I co-designed the Meltdown with Jason Buxton while working at Valley, unfortunately not enough boats were built at the time to build up an accurate paddler weight / chop chart as for Jim's designs, so chopping was a bit of a guess.
If you having problem with the volume your going to have to go for the full cut. In reality the knee tunnels that I built in for my big legs give good loading but also add a bit too much volme for the front end as they carry on too far down the boat, if you want down time, I think you should be taking quite a bit out of this zone. Bear in mind to leave enough depth to get your thighs under the rim, you might want to flare up the front deck while you've got the boat re-split.

[Jamie@Openplayboater]

Thanks for that Steve, it's really good to have some advice from someone who was involved from the start. Dave at Downtime has said that he'll do the cut and float test it all and will get it right even if it takes all day so hopefully it'll be good. Just got to work out when I can afford it all now....

Once I get it done I'll post up pics and let you know how it goes.

Jamie