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C-1 conversion help

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 6:11 pm
by meat094
Hey everyone,
I'm new to the board, and am interested in converting my boat to C-1. I have a Perception Axess, and am interested in using it in small creeks up to class III. I think this would be a great boat for a classic style downriver boat, except for the molded in seat. I'm sure that the seat provides a certain amount of structural rigidity to the boat. Am I going to ruin the hull by removing the seat? Can I reinforce it somehow? Can anyone help?
Thanks in advance
-MEAT

Posted: Thu May 08, 2008 7:25 pm
by sbroam
Based on what I remember and how I have seen them paddled - more as rec boats than whitewater boats - my first inclination was to say "heck no!" However, when I googled the boat to refresh my memory of exactly what they look like, my first hit was on paddling.net and it sounds like the reviewer turned his into a C1...

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showRev ... l?prod=531

I would be very hesitant to cut the seat out of a boat like that. I'm sure you could reinforce it to be adequately strong, but you have wrecked any chance of reselling it. Outfitting it could be quite a challenge... You might do as well to sell it (rec kayaks seem to hold their value) and get a different boat - a C-1 (a Cascade maybe) or a kayak that is easier to convert.

However, the stats on the playak page are encouraging :
http://playak.com/kayaks.php?id=478

It's nice and wide and that is a nice roomy cockpit. I can't tell much about the hull shape, though.

Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 2:49 am
by meat094
Thanks for the reply Scott. I appreciate it.

The Axess is indeed a whitewater boat, just not made for use above class III. I agree that I will wreck the resale, but I don't plan (at this point) to ever sell it. I got out of serious whitewater a few years back, and am just looking for something to poke around small, low class creeks in.

Any more imput anyone. I'm 6'2" 215 lbs.