Yeah careful with the blasting concept. Usally you will weaken the resin matrix, with the media blasting. Yes blasting is used on sail boats to remove gel-coat which has 20 layers of material behind it.
Your boat... likely three layers of material. The blasting may blow threw the hull, or weaken the blasted area of the hull to say the least. I guess blasting in my mind may be a risk to the overall ability of the hull in the future. Working with Kevlar and such materials on a daily bases from things that float to things flying .9 mach yeah just can't help but offer advise, so you don't repeat the mistakes of thous who have gone before you. Best of luck with your project.
C.C.
How do I get the paint off of a Kevlar boat?
Moderators: kenneth, sbroam, TheKrikkitWars, Mike W., Sir Adam, KNeal, PAC, adamin
Hey Mike,
I sold my C-1W a few years back, it's a unique boat. The pedestal height has a direct relation to it's stability. Some of our group had the low pedestal, but they'd have to put a 2"foam spacer on the seat for kneeling (foam was tied to rear thwart, easy to switch mid-race). I had the high pedestal to start with, and while the leverage was better, swimming in class II sucked. You can still get the seat from We-no-nah, it's the standard small Kevlar seat used in their solo boats.
What's your laminate? That will determine how to treat the boat.
If there is a rib that runs the whole length of the hull, with the saddle straddling it, it's a Center-Rib boat. If it has a diamond pattern on the bottom with ribs coming up the sides, it's an ultra-lite.
Center-rib - the boat should have an outer layer of gel. You can Acetone it without problems. You may try a citrus paint stripper, but test a spot first! I wouldn't blast it with anything unless you want to slow the hull.
Ultra-lite - there is no protective layer for the hull, it's pure Kevlar on the skin (called a skincoat construction). I'd leave the paint on. It may be ugly, but it's keeping the boat from being baked by the sun. It's also giving you a degree of scratch protection that doesn't otherwise exist on those boats.
Center-Rib was what I paddled, it was the more durable but heavier construction. Almost everyone else I raced with used ultra-lite (and in one case ultra-lite with gel), but they had to be careful or they spent several hours after the race worshipping at the alter to the gods of epoxy.
If it's a gelled boat and you remove the paint, run some 1200 over the hull and then polish with 3M Imperial Finishing Compound before waxing. A rough bottom will be slower, but also makes the boat track hard. Slippery lets you side step better, and she will respond to a draw (a pry on the otherhand isn't suggested). If it's skincoat, you might want to roll/ spray on a thin layer of epoxy below waterline (everyplace under the wings and the wing tips) just for wear protection.
I sold my C-1W a few years back, it's a unique boat. The pedestal height has a direct relation to it's stability. Some of our group had the low pedestal, but they'd have to put a 2"foam spacer on the seat for kneeling (foam was tied to rear thwart, easy to switch mid-race). I had the high pedestal to start with, and while the leverage was better, swimming in class II sucked. You can still get the seat from We-no-nah, it's the standard small Kevlar seat used in their solo boats.
What's your laminate? That will determine how to treat the boat.
If there is a rib that runs the whole length of the hull, with the saddle straddling it, it's a Center-Rib boat. If it has a diamond pattern on the bottom with ribs coming up the sides, it's an ultra-lite.
Center-rib - the boat should have an outer layer of gel. You can Acetone it without problems. You may try a citrus paint stripper, but test a spot first! I wouldn't blast it with anything unless you want to slow the hull.
Ultra-lite - there is no protective layer for the hull, it's pure Kevlar on the skin (called a skincoat construction). I'd leave the paint on. It may be ugly, but it's keeping the boat from being baked by the sun. It's also giving you a degree of scratch protection that doesn't otherwise exist on those boats.
Center-Rib was what I paddled, it was the more durable but heavier construction. Almost everyone else I raced with used ultra-lite (and in one case ultra-lite with gel), but they had to be careful or they spent several hours after the race worshipping at the alter to the gods of epoxy.
If it's a gelled boat and you remove the paint, run some 1200 over the hull and then polish with 3M Imperial Finishing Compound before waxing. A rough bottom will be slower, but also makes the boat track hard. Slippery lets you side step better, and she will respond to a draw (a pry on the otherhand isn't suggested). If it's skincoat, you might want to roll/ spray on a thin layer of epoxy below waterline (everyplace under the wings and the wing tips) just for wear protection.
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Mike W.
- CBoats.net Staff
- Posts: 2206
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Roanoke Rapids, NC
- Contact:
WOW! Thanks for all of the info on the boat! Especially not to pry itEric Nyre wrote:she will respond to a draw (a pry on the otherhand isn't suggested).
I've got the center rib & although I haven't weighed it yet, it is pretty heavy for a Kevlar boat. It's going to be much easier to carry than a Penobscot though 
Wenonah doesn't list seats on their web-site anymore & hasn't responded to my e-mail. John Diller responed in under 2 hours & is making me a seat. I can't wait to get it on the water. Looks like it's going to be pretty quick if I can keep it upright
Who else is doing OC Downriver Nationals next year? It's going to be on Section 9 of the French Broad on July 8-13. The 1st two days will be practice followed by racing Thursday through Sunday.
Tips on paddling the C-1W:
She's a true racer that likes a hit and switch style of paddling. J-strokes and same side paddling aren't as fast.
At about 6.5 mph she'll pop (assuming a 180-200 lb paddler, heavier you'll have to move faster). In the ultralites this is fun to watch, because you'll see the waterline inside the boat go from near the wings to much lower. You're skimming across the surface. If you can maintain it, you'll go faster with less effort in this mode. Works great in any flats or for sprinting at the end.
She doesn't have enough flare to run dry in haystacks. Either find the sneak route, or backpaddle like crazy to slow the hull and give it time to lift. For racing, you'll want to sneak as much as you can. Learning I'd put her in the biggest water you're comfortable swimming.
Practice moving from sitting to kneeling in the boat. Sitting will give you better speed (feet in the brace = full torso rotation) but she's not nearly as stable. In the flats - class I, sit. In class II+ prepare to switch to kneeling. On longer races this also helps reduce wear and tear on your body.
She turns with an outside lean, just like the other Jensen designs. Practice this on a lake. While sitting, start paddling on the offside of the turn, lean the boat to drop the offside wing into the water, using your paddlestroke both for forward speed and a light brace. She'll kick around fairly well. If you don't lean her to raise the ends and create artificial rocker, you'll be turning an aircraft carrier. There is a point where the wing will catch and you're toast.
Catching the wings is why prys don't really work. Any strokes where your shaft touches the gunwales will cause a loss in stability. If the wings go under water, you've lost any stability in the hull. She has more secondary than a J-boat, but not much.
The C-1W is a redhead. Tempermental if you piss her off, loving if you treat her right. Some things she'll reward, and sometimes she'll flip you just because you made a minor error.
She's a true racer that likes a hit and switch style of paddling. J-strokes and same side paddling aren't as fast.
At about 6.5 mph she'll pop (assuming a 180-200 lb paddler, heavier you'll have to move faster). In the ultralites this is fun to watch, because you'll see the waterline inside the boat go from near the wings to much lower. You're skimming across the surface. If you can maintain it, you'll go faster with less effort in this mode. Works great in any flats or for sprinting at the end.
She doesn't have enough flare to run dry in haystacks. Either find the sneak route, or backpaddle like crazy to slow the hull and give it time to lift. For racing, you'll want to sneak as much as you can. Learning I'd put her in the biggest water you're comfortable swimming.
Practice moving from sitting to kneeling in the boat. Sitting will give you better speed (feet in the brace = full torso rotation) but she's not nearly as stable. In the flats - class I, sit. In class II+ prepare to switch to kneeling. On longer races this also helps reduce wear and tear on your body.
She turns with an outside lean, just like the other Jensen designs. Practice this on a lake. While sitting, start paddling on the offside of the turn, lean the boat to drop the offside wing into the water, using your paddlestroke both for forward speed and a light brace. She'll kick around fairly well. If you don't lean her to raise the ends and create artificial rocker, you'll be turning an aircraft carrier. There is a point where the wing will catch and you're toast.
Catching the wings is why prys don't really work. Any strokes where your shaft touches the gunwales will cause a loss in stability. If the wings go under water, you've lost any stability in the hull. She has more secondary than a J-boat, but not much.
The C-1W is a redhead. Tempermental if you piss her off, loving if you treat her right. Some things she'll reward, and sometimes she'll flip you just because you made a minor error.
-
Mike W.
- CBoats.net Staff
- Posts: 2206
- Joined: Fri Jan 03, 2003 10:52 pm
- Location: Roanoke Rapids, NC
- Contact:
Cool! I always wanted a boat that would popEric Nyre wrote:At about 6.5 mph she'll pop (assuming a 180-200 lb paddler, heavier you'll have to move faster). In the ultralites this is fun to watch, because you'll see the waterline inside the boat go from near the wings to much lower. You're skimming across the surface.
HA HA HA HA HA HA I think I'll ease up to thisEric Nyre wrote:Learning I'd put her in the biggest water you're comfortable swimming..
I tried my uncle's J-180 few years ago in a race. For some reason the safety boats stayed pretty close to meEric Nyre wrote:She has more secondary than a J-boat, but not much.
I nearly fell out of my chair on thisEric Nyre wrote:The C-1W is a redhead. Tempermental if you piss her off, loving if you treat her right. Some things she'll reward, and sometimes she'll flip you just because you made a minor error.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate all of this info. I'm sure this will reduce my swims.