C-Forum

Hi everyone. I'm new to c1 and have nearly finished converting my fluid nemesis. I've paddled k1 for about 9 years and have been playboating for 2 of those and decided that c1ing looked too much fun to ignore. I've embedded some photos and any feedback would be really helpful.








My hull stiffener is made out of the old seat with an aluminium tube glued into it with the plastic edges melted together (I didn't have to cut into either stern/bow foam supports this way). Was thinking about adding a bulkhead later for more connection with my knees. I think I was a bit too enthusiastic with laying down the adhesive foam roll onto the hull!

I'll probably be asking loads of questions about outfitting and other stuff after a few sessions in the pool. First on the to do list is to make sure I can use my quick release system properly when capsizing.

Thanks!

Andrew

Looks good.

One suggestion: get shorter bolts before you impale yourself

Thanks! I'll try and sort them out soon. I also need to fill the other holes along the cockpit rim to stop leakage at some point.

Very nice! Puts the execution of my conversions to shame...
Just one little thing, you seem to have only one thigh strap per leg, right? I have always found that, particularly in a play boat, such a set-up leaves too much room for my knees to slide and lift around, particularly when playing hard. I always found it necessary to either add a short knee block/bulkhead or knee straps to give me the necessary boat control.

TGG!

Thank you! I've started cutting out a bulkhead but I'm finding it a bit flimsy at the moment due to the dimensions (thinness) of my foam. Once I have the two pieces glued together it should be sturdier hopefully. I'll have to look into knee straps if the bulkhead doesn't work out for whatever reason (I guess I'll have to try out some tricks first to find out!).

P.S. Never thought Gonzo would be giving c1 advice! He rules!

The main reason why I have been moving away from bulkheads for my knees in C1's is the fact that with every change of season and subsequent change in layering I find my bulkhead to be either too tight or too loose and am thus changing things. A double strap system eliminates this.

TGG!

Ditto on Gonzo's response. Looks great compared to some of my "hack" jobs(past and present)! Peace...

Looks awesome especially for the first go around. Have you had it on the water yet? Try to get out in it just on some flatwater to make sure your seat position is good very sensitive in playboats, but usually can adjust by adding foam to backrest or shaving off backrest some.
I agree with the previous comments the bolts will def hang your feet up at that length. I've found sailing stores have the best selection of nuts and bolts unless you have the means to cut them. Also I second what gonzo said about knee straps. I liked to use snowboard bindings for my knee straps cause the rigidity allowed to slip in and out easily without having to unbuckle 4 straps everytime. The snowboard bindings have been prone to break but i never had any problems with them for the knees cause they don't have the same strain on them as the thigh straps.
Do you have a quick release coming out of your skirt? It looks like you do. I always had a quick release system and after my first one I never boated without it. I liked to use the thin climbing slings as my "pull cord". Like this http://www.mountaingear.com/webstore/Ge ... nQod0DQA7g" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Also I suggest putting some sort of leg spreader in there even with knee straps. I would just glue triangles of foam on the hull near my knees to keep my legs spread.
Hip pads will likely have to be shaved moved and adjusted once you mess around with it. Some people love hip pads others dont bother. I liked them especially for playing, but be careful on the height for a few reason: they can make your skirt more prone to pop, can make it harder to get out good/bad thing, and most of all it makes it harder to 69 boats when you have multiple boats on the rack.
It is a super nice looking conversion so far def prettier than anything I ever put together. Make sure to make lots of adjustments and get it right. Outfitting is incredibly important in a c1 more so than a kayak and it can make the difference between a fun day and an absolute miserable day where all you can think about is getting out of your boat.

Some people like ankle blocks to raise the feet frim being completely flat, but I never found them to be very effective.
Not sure if the link will work, but here was one of my setups that I liked. I used the dagger pedestal here but you can and have done basically the same with just foam. Actually this was the first boat I did with a quick release and knee straps and I never looked back. I did eventualy change the quick release system and ditched the dagger pedestal because it was so heavy, but you get the idea.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =3&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A creeker but still some good advice
http://www.open-canoe.de/open-sucks/creek_outfit.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the kind words and advice! I'll look into a leg spreader and knee straps. Hopefully the spraydeck/skirt I have now will fit but I've read that you can get them made-to-fit from some manufacturers if it doesn't/pops.