I hope you don't mind me throwing this out to the list, I think my response could be mis-interpreted. Yes Jack, I have been in stuff that would blow out less secure foam- it is the playtime paradigm around here. More than the the velcro, the hip pads served as a very tight set of wedges for all of the seat assembly in my North Bay. I don't know how quite to put this, but the way I have them cut probably will not really necessitate the velcro they are so tightly wedged. The back is also wedged under the inch or so of the back coaming, and the seat extends under each side (under the coaming) to further secure it. I would say that the velcro is more of a redundancy factor and is only there because we tend to trade boats around a lot and nobody (except John Ferriera and Doug Van Doren) has been able to fit the width of the cockpit without big hip compression. I did contact adhere the seat cushion and thigh support as when you remove the hip foam it could release the seat. This called for close tolerances in all the fitting out and a closed cell foam which retains a good 'spring'. I definitely would not use velcro for my knee/thigh pads however. granted, the Northbay hardly needs any thickness to them as the cockpit does not allow much bend in my legs, but the stresses I put on them will not suit anything but the strongest glue. I had thought of carving them out of wood and epoxying them up but the foam seems to work ok cemented. In retrospect, the velcro is there as a redundancy factor more than my primary outfitting security. Great stuff for all the changes and modifications I made over the couple of months of changing the cockpit. If I was the only one using the boat, they would be glued in. The fit is so that I am sensitive to any weight gain and loss within 2 lbs. without a scale- me, not the boat. BTW Jack, I just bought a Silhouette from Matt Broze (a very pleasant chap to deal with by the way) for a great price, thinking that it may be all the things I was hoping for in the North Bay. My wife was unusually supportive of the purchase(not that she would have been too adverse, thought I would have to think of more obtuse rationality's as we are currently waiting for the Romanys to arrive. Found her looking at Betsy Bays last night. >From a 2 to six boat fleet within the year, and I am still looking to build another stitch n glue, folder, and skin boat yet. Seems absurd, even to me. gabriel > In a message dated 1/12/2001 12:46:09 AM Eastern Standard Time, > romeug_at_erols.com writes: > > > I have also > gotten 2" stuff from marine supply stores quite superior to this more > common type. A combination of wedging and good velcro seems to hold > outfitting quite well. > > > > This is an interesting issue, raised again, Gabriel. I'm trying to finalize > the mechanics for my interlocking foam pad system in the North Bay, and I > think I can get away with Velcro-ing or fastening just the last pieces to go > in. And that'll be the knee/thigh pads up under the deck, where there's > little sand or water contamination likely to occur. The question: have you > tried to simulate a flooded cockpit, paddler out of boat scenario in rough > weather? I share Doug's concern --- and, in the past when I had the option > of being more active on P'Wise, I've been the anti-Velcro "voice in the > wilderness" before, too, mostly 'cause I've worked with Velcro in marine and > aviation environments, and, basically, I don't trust it to hold a seat pad > down or a hip pad in when faced with the bouyancy of the foam in a flooded > environment. Sure, maybe it'll hold --- and maybe not. Buckles and snaps > work we! ll, but Velcroed sandals are always a risk in white water. > > So, just wondering if you've put your Velcro to any extreme --- or, better, > worst case --- tests. -- Gabriel L Romeu http://studiofurniture.com İİİİİ furniture from the workshop http://studiofurniture.com/diary İİİİİ life as a tourist, daily journal http://studiofurniture.com/paint İİİİİ paintings, photographs, etchings, objects *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Jan 12 2001 - 06:54:16 PST
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