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Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
I am interested in purchasing a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk. The boat
performs well, but is hard to wet exit/reenter. The problem lies largely in the height of the deck. It is 11-inches vs. the 12-inches of my current boat. I am considering the boat (if I get a DEAL), but only if I can enlarge the cockpit length to make up for the lack of height. The front needs about 3-inches and the rear needs about 2. A friend says we can make something up and I agree, but I would prefer to buy something that already has thigh braces molded into it. If anyone can make a susggestion for a commercially available cockpit rim that can be glassed in, that would be great. If someone can suggest a different Greenland style boat, that would be great, too. I paddled it twice for a total of 5 hours. I didn't think I would like the hard chined boat and I thought it would need a skeg, but it really performed well. It tracked, carved turns, didn't get weathercocked. Actually a better boat than I remember from a demo paddles some time back. Mike Goodman High Point, NC |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
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Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
On 4-Dec-2003, "Michael Daly" wrote:
It certainly isn't large compared some WW kayaks I've been in. Ooops...Make that "isn't _small_ compared to" Mike |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
Hi Mike,
Have you paddled a Current Designs Caribou? It is a similar boat, but it is slightly deeper in the cockpit. The hatches are recessed, unlike the VCP on the Hawk, and the lines look cleaner. http://www.cdkayak.com/kayaks/comps/caribous.asp Changing the cockpit coaming on a boat is a royal pain. You need to grind it out, build a new coaming (mold and all), and find a way to bond it in. In that you are asking how to do it, I'm going to suggest you avoid it (if you had the skill to do it, you would not need to ask). You might contact a local boat repair shop to see if they will do it for you, but expect to pay at least $500 and probably a lot more. It is not an easy or fun job, and fiberglass is one of those things that if you screw up, you have to grind it back out and start over. Commercially avaliable rims can be obtained from the manufacturers, but they are designed for specific boats and will require modifying the shape of your deck to accomidate the shape of the coaming. It would be easier to tool your own rim to your existing deck shape than to try and reform the deck to the coamings shape. By building your own mold, you can also build in the thighbraces at the right location and angle. Unless you feel this is the one and only boat for you, it is not worth the effort. There are better boats out there, such as the Caribou, that won't require the work. Eric |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
Mike,
Chesapeake Light Craft now sells an Arctic Hawk kit. You could make it to whatever specs you want. I imagine you could get them to sell you a coaming if that is all you wanted, but it would be wood. Brian Blankinship |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
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Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
"Michael Daly" wrote in
ble.rogers.com: On 4-Dec-2003, (KAYAKFAN) wrote: I am interested in purchasing a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk. The boat performs well, but is hard to wet exit/reenter. The problem lies largely in the height of the deck. It is 11-inches vs. the 12-inches of my current boat. When I read this, I thought - here's a newbie - then I looked at the name, Mike Goodman, and said, no... I know you've paddled lots, so I'm surprised you're having a problem with this one. Mike, I found the Arctic Hawk cockpit to feel large! Of course, I'm comparing it to an Ellesmere with an ocean cockpit. It certainly isn't large compared some WW kayaks I've been in. Comparing the Arctic Hawk cockpit with an ocean cockpit is a bit misleading. My take on Mike's complaint wasn't about the diameter of the cockpit but more related to the height of the deck. I think that you should just practice with the kayak before you start cutting or changing things. You should have no real problem with this kayak. I don't know what you're used to, but the AH isn't a tight fit. I don't think so either but I'm not an especially large person. The Hawk *is* about as close to a traditional West Greenland design as is commercially available (cept, maybe an Anas Acuta). They're *supposed* to be low volume. Practice enough it in, especially doing layback rolls, side sculling, and balance braces and you'll really appreciate that low deck. |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
Let me start by saying I'm not a wooden boat builder.
I have seen lots of people modify CLC's kits. I don't see why you couldn't also modify the Hawk kit. Mike, Chesapeake Light Craft now sells an Arctic Hawk kit. You could make it to whatever specs you want. I imagine you could get them to sell you a coaming if that is all you wanted, but it would be wood. I'm not so sure about that. The Arctic Hawk kit is only available as a kit. Mark Rogers (the designer) licensed the design to CLC but I heard that he only wanted it available as a kit, and not sold as plans. The cockpit for the CLC version might not even fit the cockpit for a glass version. The Superior Kayaks wood version is not identical to the glass version. The glass version is a half inch shorter and narrower. |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
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Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
KAYAKFAN wrote: I am interested in purchasing a used Wilderness Systems Arctic Hawk. The boat performs well, but is hard to wet exit/reenter. The problem lies largely in the height of the deck. It is 11-inches vs. the 12-inches of my current boat. Eleven inches is a pretty high deck and unless you've got enormous thighs, you should have no problem getting in and out. If you're used to boats with higher decks and larger cockpits, I suggest you give the AH some time. Once you get used to entering and exiting a small cockpit boat, it's really no bother, it's just a slightly different technique. You may also find that you like the increased security of the small cockpit. I am considering the boat (if I get a DEAL), but only if I can enlarge the cockpit length to make up for the lack of height. The front needs about 3-inches and the rear needs about 2. A friend says we can make something up and I agree, but I would prefer to buy something that already has thigh braces molded into it. If anyone can make a susggestion for a commercially available cockpit rim that can be glassed in, that would be great. That isn't going to happen. If you want it bigger, you'll have to build a custom coaming. Unless you're getting the boat dirt cheap and absolutely cannot paddle it as-is, it's not worth the hassle. -- Regards Brian |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
John Fereira wrote in message ...
The Caribou is better than an Arctic Hawk? That's highly subjective. Hi John, Pleasure to meet you. My statements were in the context of Mike's origional post, in which he was trying to find another Greenland boat that would be larger than an Artic Hawk. My statement: "There are better boats out there, such as the Caribou, that won't require the work" Was specifically in reference to the physical fit of the kayak. There are boats, such as the Caribou, which will fit him better if the Artic Hawk is too small. I'm sorry that I did not spell out every little detail, I assumed it would have been covered in the context of my reply to Mikes post (which had nothing to do with handling, if you read it). Most paddlers know that any general claim of one boat being universally better than another are nonsense, and I did not realize someone would misinterperate my post in that way. Eric |
Enlarging Arctic Hawk Cockpit Rim
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