C-Forum

I thought I would ask as I cannot seem to find anything on a standard google search.

What is a good kayak hull for a first time C1 conversion? Think older boat that I could pickup on craigslist.... River runner would be my first choice.

I guess about the year 2000 the buzzword "planing hull" started showing up - and consequently kayaks started getting wider. Whether or not planing is important to you, the key thing is they got wider, which makes them better conversions. Some decent boats from that era include - Dagger Redline, Wavesport Z/Score/Foreplay - those should be pretty cheap these days. Anything from then on is a candidate - check the conversion gallery here for notes, though there aren't a lot yet - be sure to add yours when you are done!

I would just add that the "planing" hull should actually have a nice, firm feel to it. This depends more on the sides of the boat, on how those sides displace water as the boat tips, and NOT on the flatness of the bottom. I own a flattish old Noah that has very little initial or final firmness, and I own an old Phoenix Seewun that is NOT flat, is quite elliptical, but which has good initial and final stability.

So, before you buy a hull, I would try sitting in it as a kayaker, and see if it has the kind of firmness that most c-1 paddlers prefer.

I like the EZ series. Considered playboats once upon a time, I think they fall into the river runner category these days. Good width and length.

Wavesport Z and Y were my first "successful" conversions.

My first really good conversion was a Perception Mr. Clean. It was pretty wide and I felt great in it. It was not the best boat once I became more skilled, but it helped me get a bomber roll and start to throw some ends. I would hope these are not selling for more than $150 anymore unless it's been sitting in the back of the warehouse since it was produced.

There's a Dagger Redline for sale in Richmond for $225. http://coastals.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5837
I've never paddled one, but I hear they make a good C-1. If you don't like that, keep a check here & club web-sites. You'll generally have better luck than craiglist. You recently missed a Y that was already converted on the Coastals' site. http://coastals.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=11

I've got a Big EZ. It's great on a wave, but slow. You can see my review & the specs in the conversion section: http://cboats.net/c_db/list.php?type=5& ... e=Big%20EZ

So after looking into this, I will expand this thread a bit. How hard are these conversions to get right? Is there any value in converting a rec boat (otter, etc) as a skill builder and then working to a ww kayak convo?

It's not that it's so hard to get it right, it's just real easy to get it wrong. The most important step is to get the trim right. That is the first thing you do as everything else builds on that. I usually make the seat, then take someone who's judgement I trust to the water to check trim. Measure from the edge of the back of the cockpit to the small of your back when you think you've got it right. Be sure your spotter knows how you like your boats trimmed.

Once you get the seat where you want it, spend a lot of time in the boat messing w/ all of the other details before you glue knee, hip, ankle pads & bulk-heads in.

nah, don't waste your time and money on a pos. get a good hull and go for it! if you don't like the job, start tweeking it. That's what we all do.

I put a level in my boat. Last time I had someone tell me when it was trim, I was stern heavy!! Just get a torpedo level smack it on the floor when its centered mark up the seat and knee positions, feet too!

I actually used electrical conduit as the basis for my set up. I built my seat and then rammed the conduit legthwise through the bottom. The conduit was long enough to insert into the foam pillars of the boat. I would hold the seat in place with some industrial velcro on the bottom and the thigh straps were on a steel ring around the conduit and duct taped to hold them in place. Of course this was the initial temoporary set up. It was way easier than I ever expected.

This allowed for adjustment and experimentation in the pool. I never put it in the river unfortunately. After you get things adjusted right then start building up more foam and gluing things in. Along this same line is the fence rail conversion detailed on this site. I have been wanting to try that one for a while.

I would second on the velcro, I have used Velcro to hold in my saddles in all of my C1s. Its easy and fairly inexpensive and NOT permanent. It allows for adjustment anytime, which is nice for sharing my boats or changing trim for paricular features (faster/slower)etc. I would also say don't waste your time, or money on a hull that you won't probably use in the future, get something you can grow into and with, unless you can find a really good deal.
Good Luck
B

Thanks for the tips, the bubble level is a good one! I only ask about the rec boat because I have one in the yard that I have not paddled for years.