|
Need advice on fixing up 17' Pisces
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. Is West Systems epoxy, or regular resin, with weighting, a good fix? What is best way to secure seat (mini-cell foam under seat)? 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). 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)? What are advised cements/glues/caulks for these purposes? Anything else you can tell me about the Pisces in general will be most appreciated. Thanks in advance. |
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. 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. What is best way to secure seat (mini-cell foam under seat)? 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)? 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? For installing bulkheads, Lexel or any of the GOOP products (they're all the same) works well. If you email me, I'll send you some written instructions. For more ideas of what you can do with your boat, see my photo albums at: http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom |
In article
, Brian Nystrom wrote: For more ideas of what you can do with your boat, see my photo albums at: http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom Hi. Nice page. Never tried fixing gelcoat, but I'm sure my day will come! Thanks, Bill D. |
It's been about 12 years since I last owned a Pisces, so I'm trying to
remember a little about how the boat was set up. In mine, the front hatch was a 7.5" VCP, which is easy enough to replace if it's worn out. My front bulkhead was ABS plastic, as was the rear. If you have a foam bulkhead, then Minicell is the best way to go. GOOP will hold it, or you can use 3M 5200, but GOOP is easier to find. The rear hatch is held in place with some webbing straps which are secured to the deck with those D-ring things. Current Designs was using a similar hatch system on the Solstice series until 2001, and if you contact them they can probably send replacememt parts. The newer version is black, not clear, but it's the same part. I don't remember if they were bolted or pop-riveted in place. If they are bolted, just unbolt them and remount with the same hardware. If they are pop-riveted, it's your call. I'd use stainless steel machine screws and nylocks to remount them. My seat was molded plastic, but I know the seat you are talking about. I had something similar in a Skookumchuck, and we'd take the seats out and use them on the beach instead of sitting on rocks. I'd personally replace it with something more comfortable, unless you like the feel of it. The kit kayaks, like CLC and Pygmy would have seats that should be easy retrofits. Current Designs seats are now part of the cockpit coaming (either rivited on ABS or molded in), so they would not have a retrofit. If the Wavesport seat is comfortable, go with that since you already have it. If it is foam, just bond it in with contact cement, goop, or whatever is handy. If you repair the seat brackets, West Systems will be good. There should be a stop in the seat, where it can slide forward but not back. When paddling, your feet push back and hold the seat in place. When not paddling, the bungee keeps the seat from sliding forward and out. My deck rigging was standard nylon pad eyes, with marine bungee, and those are easy enough to come across and replace as needed. Beyond that, there's not much to say about the Pisces. It's far from the fastest thing on the water, but I had a blast running it through class II - III- whitewater. She is a forgiving boat. |
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. |
|
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:40 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 BoatBanter.com