Robson Homes

[RapidMedia_Russ]

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone has a Robson Homes. Let me know if you do.

Thanks.

Russ

[Atucky]

Very neat lookin boat. But I've never seen one in person. would love to take a closer look, and demo, but I guess what's the point if you can't get one. Or can you?

Adam

[sbroam]

Search this forum - there was somebody who scored one through Sierra Trading Post, maybe the only one in the states? They posted here...

[Wendy]

I am number one in line if she wants to sell, but she and her husband only collect boats, no sells. She has been slow to outfit and paddle it. When I get a report I will post it.

[philinasheville]

There seems to be a fair demand for the C-boats that Robson builds. I don't understand why they do not actively market and sell to the North America market.

[Taniwha]

Russ,

what do you need it for?

a) (action) pics? I've got some good shots with a Homes starring...

b) an review? I could write something, as I'm due anyway to write one for the German KANUmagazin...

c) for yourself? I remember that some paddling shop in the US ordered a load of Finkenmeisters after enough readers of this forum said that they would buy one. Maybe this is another possibility to repeat that with the homes if there are enough buyers interested...

I will tell Robert Sommer from Robson, who I know personally, about the ongoing interest in his canoe designs in the US. Maybe he will start (again) selling to the North American market.

[kaz]

I'd be interested in importing them, if there was enough of a demand.
JKaz

[kayakusa]

and I found it last Sept at Sierra Trading Post in Cheyenne, WY. Wendy is right. I've been slow getting it outfitted. Mainly because I've been getting over a back issue and didn't want to paddle it until I felt physically ready. I do have it ready to try now (and I'm ready to try it) but we're in a draught. I have taken it to the lake, but that's not whitewater. I will post my thoughts after I do get it out. The boat didn't have float bags when they shipped it to me, and someone on this site clued me in to some red bags on e-bay. I'll try to get pictures uploaded with the full outfitting. Pictures of the boat can be viewed at http://kayakusa.smugmug.com/gallery/2005155#102493903

[Taniwha]

@kayakusa:

I don't know if you've already done it. While paddling the Homes I found it very annoying that there's no (or really sloooooow) water exchange between the one and the other side of the saddle with fully inflated bags due to the very long saddle in this small cockpit. If you roll it you end up with one knee deep in water, the other one virtually on dry ground. Very unstable!

If I owned a Homes I would cut some decent channel (1" high, 4" wide) through the bottom of the saddle somewhere in the middle of the boat to enable that waterflow. Just a thought.

Otherwise, its a fun boat to paddle, very responsive. I liked it much better on steeper, technical stuff than on bigger water.

[Oci-One Kanubi]

@kayakusa:

If I owned a Homes I would cut some decent channel (1" high, 4" wide) through the bottom of the saddle somewhere in the middle of the boat to enable that waterflow. Just a thought.

When I have done this I have cut an arch, as a semicircle with a 3" radius or so. The arch is a very stong construct in stonemasonry; I dunno about closed-cell foam, but the saddles seemed perfectly firm with these fair-sized arch-shaped transport tunnels.

[sbroam]

@kayakusa:

If I owned a Homes I would cut some decent channel (1" high, 4" wide) through the bottom of the saddle somewhere in the middle of the boat to enable that waterflow. Just a thought.

When I have done this I have cut an arch, as a semicircle with a 3" radius or so. The arch is a very stong construct in stonemasonry; I dunno about closed-cell foam, but the saddles seemed perfectly firm with these fair-sized arch-shaped transport tunnels.

Done it both ways and a few more - one saddle, I put 4 2" holes another I didn't quite do an arch, but bored a 3" (4"?) hole with the hull tangent to the circle and put a PVC junction through the hole to provide strength - probably unnecessary. What *is* necessary is that water transfer!

[philcanoe]

I usually don't blow the airbags up so tight, as so to imped flow.

...but that's beside the point...

A word of caution from a friend that does plastic welding. He's noticed failures created by creating such an arch. It seems/appears that a stress riser is created on each side of the cutout, just directly below the saddle. Not to either side, just between the cutout.

He called asking me about why mine has lasted so long. (I don't have a cutout). But in the past, I'd always placed a short section of 4" (schedule 40) PVC in the cut out. (As SBroam previously wrote) Usually preferring to do two, instead of one.

Maybe someone else has seen this?

[Helly]

just start making plastic boats! I would love a shorter Rumba in plastic!
Not holding my breath on that, but I sure hope to paddle Renee's Homes at some point! Hi Renee!

[Craig Smerda]

I usually don't blow the airbags up so tight, as so to imped flow.

...but that's beside the point...

A word of caution from a friend that does plastic welding. He's noticed failures created by creating such an arch. It seems/appears that a stress riser is created on each side of the cutout, just directly below the saddle. Not to either side, just between the cutout.

He called asking me about why mine has lasted so long. (I don't have a cutout). But in the past, I'd always placed a short section of 4" (schedule 40) PVC in the cut out. (As SBroam previously wrote) Usually preferring to do two, instead of one.

Maybe someone else has seen this?

I'm not a fan of cutting the bottoms of the saddles at all. I want all the surface area I can to contact the hull so the saddle (adhesives) cannot break free, also this assists in hull rigidity. I highly advise using pvc transfer tubes in various locations on the saddle though. I typically use 4-5 2-1/2" tubes on a saddle like you might find in the Fly.