C-Forum

Buying a used Spark--issues?

I'm interested in buying a used Esquif Spark and want to get a heads-up on some of the problems with used specimens (hopefully we're all aware of the positives of this boat!).

People seem to have had problems with the anchors pulling loose from the royalite. Was this only in early models, where the wrong adhesives were used?

Another problem is the hull cracking. I'm not sure if this is restricted to under the anchors/saddle, and would appreciate any more details.

You can glue anchors on royalite really easily. I wouldn't worry about that.

As long as there aren't any soft spots, the boat should be good to go. Even then there are lots of different things you can do to strengthen it. Royalite doesn't crack the same as plastic because of the different layers of different rigidity. Layers can rip in flaps but straight up cracking is really hard to do.

EDIT: This is assuming Royalite behaves similarly to Royalex.

Yeah the anchors all pulled out of mine but it's possible that esquif has fixed this. Vinyl adhesive doesn't work on royalite. I ve heard stabond works but it may be hard to find. It's also possible that a thin layer of something like g-flex may work. You ll be able to tell by looking at it if the hull ok. It's a pretty round hull so soft spots won't likely be an issue.

While anchors do sometimes quickly pull loose if glued in with the wrong adhesive, it is not a problem that you should look at when buying a used one. You'll either just reglue them, or make your own adjustments to whatever anchors there are anyways. I'd recommend either using GFlex or MS-Polymers to reglue the anchors, but personally I found regular contact cement perfectly fine, replacing an anchor every once in a while with little effort.

Sparks CAN crack. They do so when glued with improper airing time of contact glue like vynabond, where MEK or Acetone - either will do it - while I suspect MEK is worse - eat into the Material beneath whatever you glued on top of that, like an anchor.
I once fixed a large area of cracks under a huge saddle patch that had been improperly glued in.

I also experienced a "Mystery Crack" inside my Spark that I have a hard time guessing where it came from, because there's no outside trace of any problem, plus it's in a place where there shouldn't be any mechanical force. The most likely answer is that in any one swim, I must have locked my paddle between the bottom of a river and the inside of the boat, which forced the blade tip over the plastic in a curved line, cracking and denting it from the inside. Or it was a stick.. or some kind of transport damage.

The worst problems I have seen that are special to Sparks are abrasion of the protective camouflage film (it will abrade much faster from rocks etc. once the print is gone and it's more or less all khaki colored) and gunwale rot. Check the wood, I replaced a friend's sparks wood and while very nice and a fun job, it is work and costs money, so well-cared for wood is something you can bank on.

Then again, Dooley rips in his spark although he's got sections of gunwale missing, so maybe gunwale health is overrated, too ;D

Good luck in finding "your" Spark, it's a super-fun boat and you'll likely love it - everybody I know who owns one does ;D
Cheers,

Jan

While anchors do sometimes quickly pull loose if glued in with the wrong adhesive, it is not a problem that you should look at when buying a used one. You'll either just reglue them, or make your own adjustments to whatever anchors there are anyways. I'd recommend either using GFlex or MS-Polymers to reglue the anchors, but personally I found regular contact cement perfectly fine, replacing an anchor every once in a while with little effort.

Sparks CAN crack. They do so when glued with improper airing time of contact glue like vynabond, where MEK or Acetone - either will do it - while I suspect MEK is worse - eat into the Material beneath whatever you glued on top of that, like an anchor.
I once fixed a large area of cracks under a huge saddle patch that had been improperly glued in.

Check for any softness under glued-in stuff like saddle, anchors and such.

I also experienced a "Mystery Crack" inside my Spark that I have a hard time guessing where it came from, because there's no outside trace of any problem, plus it's in a place where there shouldn't be any mechanical force. The most likely answer is that in any one swim, I must have locked my paddle between the bottom of a river and the inside of the boat, which forced the blade tip over the plastic in a curved line, cracking and denting it from the inside. Or it was a stick.. or some kind of transport damage.

The worst problems I have seen that are special to Sparks are abrasion of the protective camouflage film (it will abrade much faster from rocks etc. once the print is gone and it's more or less all khaki colored) and gunwale rot. Check the wood, I replaced a friend's sparks wood and while very nice and a fun job, it is work and costs money, so well-cared for wood is something you can bank on.

Then again, Dooley rips in his spark although he's got sections of gunwale missing, so maybe gunwale health is overrated, too ;D

Good luck in finding "your" Spark, it's a super-fun boat and you'll likely love it - everybody I know who owns one does ;D
Cheers,

Jan

mahyongg wrote:
... it's a super-fun boat and you'll likely love it - everybody I know who owns one does ;D
Cheers,

Jan

Maybe everyone who STILL owns one. Try it.

Thanks very much for the information, paddlers.

Does a bulkhead resolve some of the issues, or merely result in others?

Haha, Ian, sure.. I have yet to meet someone who got rid of theirs though ;D

Regarding Bulkheads, of course no anchors mean no glue-in of such.. and more control IMHO.
I'd highly recommend putting a BH in any boat..

mahyongg wrote: Regarding Bulkheads, of course no anchors mean no glue-in of such.. and more control IMHO.
I'd highly recommend putting a BH in any boat..

Yep

Highjack alert!!

I didn't like my spark. It was light and fast and cool looking, but I didn't find it to be a lot of fun. It would hold a line REALLY well, whether it was the right line or not and it was a bit wet. I replaced mine with an ocoee. That being said, it probably fits some paddling styles better than others. My gf really liked it!

If you cannot find a suitable used one you should consider new. The new red camo looks great!

Yeah, the red looks good. Especially with a forward stroke like that.

So, do Sparks only come standard with thigh strap outfitting? Or are bulkheads a factory option for this boat too?

The standard outfitting is the strap system. I am reasonably certain that there is no bulkhead option. If you want one you are probably going to have to build it yourself. An email to info@esquif.com ought to get you a definite answer.

I sent them an email a few days ago, so hopefully I will have a definitive answer soon.

In the meantime, a retailer told me that they sell the boat either outfitted (with thigh straps) or hull-only.

Does Esquif make a bulkhead that is sold separately to their boats?

Pea Pod wrote:Does Esquif make a bulkhead that is sold separately to their boats?

Yea I've seen them for sale. I'm sure Esquif will be willing to sell you the boat bulkhead outfitted.