I own and still paddle as my primary kayak a Pisces. Below is my
advice:

On Sun, 19 Sep 2004 16:59:24 GMT, Brian Nystrom
wrote:



mccaldwell wrote:
Recently bought a circa 1985 17' fiberglass Pisces by Current Designs.
I'm interested in fixing it up (fixing/improving for use, not fully
restoring to original condition) and am looking for advised
improvements. The rivited in place clear plastic attachment rings for
rear access hatch (terminology?) have broken off. Are replacements
available and should these be drilled out and re-rivited? The glass
bucket seat slides freely inside glassed in channels on each side.
It looks like there were once small bungee cords running from glass
bulkhead behind seat to attachments in front of seat. Glass channel
coming up at each end.

The riveted attachmens - you can find these if you look at a good boat
store - or try defender.com. They won't be clear - current ones are
made in black. My 1990 pisces doesn't have pop rivets - it uses
stainless steel bolts, nuts and washers. Works fine.

Very different seat from the one I have.



If you could post pictures of this on Webshots or similar site, it would
really help in understanding how the boat was built.

Is West Systems epoxy, or regular resin, with weighting, a good fix?

Epoxy is great for making fiberglass repairs, but I'm not sure what it
is that you want to do.

No! Having done epoxy work on this boat, I have found from experience
that the epoxy eventually debonds. Use polyester resin. I use the
stuff found in the Walmart under Automotive.

What is best way to secure seat (mini-cell
foam under seat)?

If you don't want the slider, use 3m 5200. I replaced the original
seat in mine with minicell seat from CLC, and used a now standard sea
kayak backrest that I attached to the deck at the sides of the cockpit
via 1/2 circle fittings and stainless steel bolt/nut/washers. Frees
up access to the area behind the seat, which has a lot of storage
room.

Contact cement works well for bonding Minicel foam to fiberglass. My
favorite product for this is Weldwood Gel contact cement.

Is there an advised replacement seat system for
comfort, adjustability, etc.? (I have an older Wavesport WW kayak
seat sitting around which will fit inside boat).

There are several options. You could reinstall the original seat or try
the one from your whitewater boat. Kajak Sport sells molded seats.
Commercial foam seats are available or you can make your own.

Front bulkhead is a
piece of 1 1/2" styrofoam caulked in place (presently removed for
repair/cleaning. Is there a better solution for forward bulkhead
(such as 3" minicell w/ rigid layer)?

I'd check with Current Designs and see if they have a bulkhead from a
later model pisces that would fit. the 1990 model has a hard plastic
bulkhead for front and rear that is glued in. Mine has yet to leak.

If the front bulkhead is Styrofoam or Ethafoam, it would be a good idea
to replace it with 2" or 2" Minicel foam. There is no need for a rigid
layer on the foam.

What are advised cements/glues/caulks for these purposes?

3m 5200.

Something you should inspect - Current Design boats from that time
period that used the automotive channel H shape to join the deck and
hull are pretty notorious for leaking at this juncture. I have ended
up reglassing the entire hull/deck joint from inside.

Something else to check -

The grab loop attachement point screws can work loose.

All that said, it's a great boat for camping - 7.4 CF between the bow
and stern compartments (about 209 liters), and that doesn't count all
the space in front in the cockpit.