Outfitting A Creekboat

Introduction

i recently needed to outfit a new creek boat (well, it was new to me).  this time, i decided that it might be worthwhile to snap some photos of the process to share with others.

this is the second boat i've outfitted in this manner.  i first cracked a creek boat a little more than a year ago, and i had only had the boat for maybe six months.  i noticed that the boat developed a dent (oil canning) under the seat: the most logical reason for this--and one i've heard from other boaters, so it's not my original idea--is that the empty space between the hull and the bottom of the seat allows the hull to compress whenever it takes an impact.  after so many impacts, the plastic starts to weaken and dents instead of popping back into place.  the oil can also becomes a prime candidate for cracking, since it's a weak area in the plastic.

i started searching around the web--and mostly BoaterTalk--for ways to increase the lifespan of my boats.  and through that research i put together the pieces of the process presented here, which serves three goals:

1. increase the hull stiffness to minimize the likelihood of oil canning and cracking;
2. provide additional safety features useful for class 4 and 5 creeking;
3. add comfort

throughout the rest of the post, i'll show pictures of how i used the process to outfit my Dagger Nomad, but it shouldn't be too difficult to adapt it to other boats.

Preparation

it is good to know what you're in for when you start a project like this.  the two times i've performed these steps, the entire process has taken me approximately 5-6 hours total.  it's also back-breaking work: i was sore for the next two days, mainly in my mid-back area and my hamstrings.  i realize now that it might help to use saw horses or a table on which to place the boat so you don't have to bend over so much.

here are the necessary materials and tools:

tools:

• flat head and philips screwdrives
• rubber mallet

materials:

• 2 sheets of 12"x12", .5in-thick closed cell phone (these would go directly under the seat)
• 6 shims, each approximately 5.25"x5.25", .5in-thick (these come with dagger boats)
• 1 2.75in-thick piece of closed-cell foam that came with my wife's jackson punk rocker
• rubbing alcohol
• dap weldwood contact cement
• sharpie

once you have the tools and materials gathered, take the sharpie and outline the entire seat, from back all the way up to underneath the front pillar.  this provides a blueprint for the area to which you will glue foam.

Removing current outfitting

the first task is to remove all the current outfitting.  this involves unscrewing the seat from the hull (thankfully the 2008 and later Nomad's have a flat plate that the screws screw into; previously there were individual bolts--a major pain in the ass!).  then, unscrew the step-out pillar from the seat and the hull.  next, pull the pillar out.  finally, push the seat forward and then tilt it at an angle so you can pull it out.

at this point, you should have something like the picture above: an empty hull with the outline of your seat.

Cleaning

once your boat is empty, it's a good idea to clean it out.  i took a tent broom and swept out the sand and other loose debris, and then poured rubbing alcohol on some paper towels and wiped the hull down to pick up the microscopic dust that i missed with the broom.  cleaning the hull in this way ensures that the glue will adhere to the plastic.

the photo above shows what the rubbing alcohol-soaked paper towels picked up.

Foaming out the hull

now it's time for the fun part!  gather up your foam and prepare to glue!

in my particular case, the foam pieces i had were pre-cut in sizes that made it easy to just glue them in as-is.  depending on how you bought your foam, you might need to cut them to size.

for glue, i use Weldwood Contact Cement.  i came across this when building knee blocks for my first creek boat several years back and have used it ever since.

now, simply slather the glue onto the backs of your foams pieces.  to apply the glue, i just cut a small piece of foam and use it as an applicator.  i'm not sure why or where i heard the idea from, but i wait for a minute or so after applying the glue before applying it to the hull.

i don't do anything special in applying the foam pieces.  i just line them up where i want them--one at a time--press them into place long enough for the glue to grab hold, then move on to the next piece.

once you've glued all the pieces in, you should have something like the picture above.  at this point, i go over all the pieces again, pressing down on them, especially the corners, and then let the boat sit overnight.

Adding foam to the bulkhead

as you can see above, i've added a pretty hefty piece of foam to my bulkhead.  this piece is about 2.75" thick.  it's actually a piece of foam that came with my wife's Jackson Punk Rocker (which she didn't paddle much and so we never got around to outfitting it, thus i inherited this awesome piece of foam).  i cut it in half and then used a sureform tool to shape it to fit in the Nomad.

adding foam to the bulkhead in this manner accomplishes a couple things.  first, it's like adding shock absorbers for those times when you miss your boof and piton on a rock.  second, it's a safety measure, because it takes up any space around your bulkhead that your foot could slip through--think about the pain of a hard piton followed by your foot jamming around the edge of your bulkhead.  ouch!

Putting the outfitting back in

the next day, i put the seat and bulkhead back in.  getting the seat back into the hull is the most difficult part of the whole process.  i've found that once i get the seat back into the hull (which involves some cajoling and force and sacrifices to three or four different gods), a rubber mallot helps with getting it back into the right final resting place.  then it's just a matter screwing the seat into the hull, and then screwing the pillar back into the seat and the cockpit rim.

Knee blocks

i've had knee blocks in all my boats for the last couple of years.  i've always used Leland Davis's instruction for building them and gluing them into my boats.

knee blocks, as Leland mentions, allow for better boat control by giving you a platform to engage your knees.  they also provide a little extra comfort in flat water, as you can rest your knees on them.

Final thoughts

while it does some take work to outfit a creek boat, it is well worth the investment.  creeking is hard on your boat and your body, so it helps extend the life of your boat and the beating on your body.