C-Forum

Just picked up a blunt and wanted to get some secrets from perhaps alden and J ditty about the trim/handling.
I'll be slapping a dagger saddle in there.
how do you set em up?

Phil, two great mind workin together.

just make sure there isn't a crack in it

jscottl67 wrote:just make sure there isn't crack in it

Fix'd

It's taken me lots of experimenting with saddle placement to find the sweet spot for this boat, and every now and then it will slide forward or back slightly and needs redone. I've got a dagger saddle in mine, with the back brace about 10 inches from the rear cockpit rim. I also keep my rope and a fairly heavy safety kit up front, and can tell a big difference in the handling when I move these further back. If you've got too much weight too far back in this boat, it will backender quite a bit. Too far forward and you lose steering control. I'm 145 lbs. For a much heavier person, the boat's going to feel like it dives a lot if you have the seat this far forward, so it could be a tough balancing act depending on your weight. Strap placement is another issue. I tried it initially with the straps anchored in the pre-drilled holes from the kayak outfitting. These ended up being way too far back, so I had to eventually drill into the side to set new anchors further forward. When everything is in the right place, the boat is great. When things have shifted even a half inch or so in either direction, it can really throw it out of control. It always amazes how much of a fine balance it is. Make sure you take out all of the kayak outfitting (thigh braces and bulkhead, just leave the front and rear wall) to shave down as much weight as you can. let me know how it works out. It's the best hull design I've ever paddled for a creek boat.

thanks jay! that's what I was looking for... I've got an idea to set up my saddle so it's easy to adjust the whole assembly forward and back.
At 180 lbs, hopefully i'm not too heavy for this boat ...I like feeling like there's room for me and a bunch more in a boat.

If it doesn't work out, there will be a blunt available soon.

what else have you paddled as a conversion jay? just interested. i saw you in the yough race this year and from the look of your cross stroke i'm guessing you've forgotten more about c1ing then i'll ever know!

dam Jay, you need to eat more! how do you survive those WV winters?

Hey Will, there's only 2 explanations for thin people in WV: parasites and crystal meth. since I don't use meth, I guess I ought to see a GI doctor.

I've tried lots of different conversions, although mostly older models I guess. here's the ones that I've spent a decent amount of time in:
medium burn, remix 69, nomad 8.0, nomad 8.5, greenboat, java, godzilla, diesel 65, rockit, H-3 245, embudo, response, plus some play boats.
Just picked up a used habitat 74 but haven't outfitted it yet.
Magnum looks good except for the elevated front grab loop (same problem with some of the prijon boats), although I guess you could replace it with something flatter. I just don't like tripping over it with the paddle when you need a quick off-side stroke.

Done! here are a few pics of the set up, the hull's in good shape especially for the price. I think the glue and a few ss bolts cost me more than the hull.
now all I need is some RAIN! maybe this weekend..

http://picasaweb.google.com/lhornebldr/ ... 5330479938

your outfitting looks awesome i like the "kneecups" i am def going to try to copy that set up

Larry, that looks great! I'm sure you'll enjoy it. The Blunt is an awesome boat. I still have mine, cracked and repaired. Unfortunately, I've abandoned it like the admins have cboats, ha ha.

It's funny -- even though I've had a Burn (which I like just as much as I liked the Blunt) for two years and haven't paddled the Blunt since, whenever I have a dream about creeking (which is frequently now that I'm in grad school), I am paddling the Blunt . . .

I think that says something.

Anyway -- hopefully you won't have to dream about it,

Alden

Larry,
I like how you have a bed for your boat. That's nice, mine doubles as a recycling bin outside my back door.... or in the bed of my truck...

huh? your bed doubles as a recycle bin?

My YARD is my recycle bin, by the looks of all the boats lying around.