Tweaking an '03 Outback (newbie questions)

I took the Outback I bought on Sunday out for a test paddle/fish and there's a few tweaks I'm hoping to get help with from folks who've had this model.

1- What's the best way to add a mid carry handle or two? I see a couple of flat spots on the inside wall of the cockpit where they might go but the handles I've seen look too big for those spots. It seems it might not be too hard to make a homemade handle with some strapping but if anyone has already figured out the details, I'm all ears.

2- Any way to put a hatch of some kind right in front of the seat? I suspect not as the deck there is not flat but I thought I'd ask. Otherwise I'll have to figure out what kind of flat tackle/storage box will fit without hitting my legs as I paddle.

3- The seat on mine is well used. If I want to get a replacement, will any Hobie seat fit or do I have to get an '03 seat (if possible). The seat is ok actually but after a few hrs of fishing I had some low back stiffness. I might be able to add some padding for the low back but a new seat might be in order too.

4- The paddle rest bungee is a bit stretched out on mine. is there a way to tighten this up? The "clips" that the bungee is attached with don't seem to allow adjustment and they're riveted into the kayak with SS. Maybe I'm missing something about those clips....

5- Last, not least is the peddles. I found with my Chaco's on that my size 10 feet were a pretty snug fit. The peddles were under the balls of my feet. Is this how most of you paddle? I wondered if it would be more comfortable if the peddles were to rest under the arches... more in line with the leg bones and less tension holding the foot stiff. I've only taken it out on this one paddle but I wondered if in fact I wouldn't like an entire footbed to rest my foot in. I looked on these forums and saw the "heel sling" idea and that looked like an improvement but has anyone taken it further?

Help with any of these questions is greatly appreciated!

John

My answers are at the end of each question.


quote="localhero"]
1- What's the best way to add a mid carry handle or two?

Home made will work, but make sure you can reach inside the yak to reach the holes and place a metal plate inside the yak for increased support. Just drilling holes and nuts and bolts might pull out of the yak. Keep all holes as high as possible above the water line. I have not known any reason to need the mid handles to move the yak. If I have to move the yak very far and loaded, I will use the cart and pull the yak to the location.

2- Any way to put a hatch of some kind right in front of the seat? I suspect not as the deck there is not flat but I thought I'd ask.

There was a off brand rectanglular hatch what was available about six years ago. I think it was a hatch made by Ocean Kayak. Not sure if it is still on the market. It would fit between your legs on that flat space where the tackle box fits. Then you could place you tackle box on top of the hatch. The hatch would weaken the yak, but not to the point of letting water in the yak when turned over. But you might have voided your warranty.

3- The seat on mine is well used. If I want to get a replacement, will any Hobie seat fit or do I have to get an '03 seat (if possible). The seat is ok actually but after a few hrs of fishing I had some low back stiffness. I might be able to add some padding for the low back but a new seat might be in order too.

I bought a one piece plastic molded boat seat that would sit on top of the canvas seat. This helped to keep my backside from going to sleep. If you get a new seat you will need the seat that has the two little plastic posts on the down side of the seat. Just a heads up on the posts. The newer models do not have the post. You can adjust the straps on the canvas seat to allow you back to rest in different positions during the day.

4- The paddle rest bungee is a bit stretched out on mine. is there a way to tighten this up? The "clips" that the bungee is attached with don't seem to allow adjustment and they're riveted into the kayak with SS. Maybe I'm missing something about those clips....

You might need to post a picture of the riveted holders. I am not aware of these. The hobie catalog list a tool that will remove the screws out of the yak. Then you can replace the elastic cord and then screw back in. (Do you have access to a Hobie dealer to discuss all these repairs?) they are well versed in helping the Hobie owners.

5- Last, not least is the peddles. I found with my Chaco's on that my size 10 feet were a pretty snug fit. The peddles were under the balls of my feet. Is this how most of you paddle? I wondered if it would be more comfortable if the peddles were to rest under the arches... more in line with the leg bones and less tension holding the foot stiff. I've only taken it out on this one paddle but I wondered if in fact I wouldn't like an entire footbed to rest my foot in. I looked on these forums and saw the "heel sling" idea and that looked like an improvement but has anyone taken it further?

I peddle with the toes on the pads when trying to cover a lot of water. Then when I am fishing and staying in a small area I might slip my feet up in the pads to flutter the peddles in a small movement. I have not ever used my heels to peddle. The sling is a good choice if you rest a lot and not move around, but want your feet ready to peddle quickly.

I hope this helped to get started with changes or repairs to the best purchase you could have made for yaking.

I appreciate your taking the time for these answers. I have 6 kayaks but the Hobie/mirage is new to me. There's a lot of advantages for fishing and that's what I want to try it out for first.

Thanks,
John

Number 4 cont.

I had not seen the rivet before. The black plastic clip has two pieces and the piece not touching the rivet will slid up the cord. Then you will see how the cord is fasten to the second part. I would not attempt to seperate the two pieces unless you are willing the replace the whole system. Looks like the plastic is now brittle and might break with the prying apart.

Good luck and see if you can find a dealer to provide better help and advice.

With these early hulls many of the current molding techniques were not yet utilized (like embedded threads). Additionally, the concept of hull access was not well developed. Consequently, the only way to attach parts to inaccessible areas was by rivet. These have not been used for several years.

If Hobie still has any of these old parts available, you could drill out the rivet and replace it in kind (inquire through the nearest dealer, as these are not in the current catalog). If you can mount a small hatch (need a flat spot) within an arm's reach, you can use through-hull fittings instead. Otherwise you'll have to live with it or adopt an alternate solution.

There's a hatch beneath the seat that I'm pretty sure will allow me to get to the backside of the handle area.
This is a pic of the area in front of the seat that I'm thinking of putting a hatch in. I'm wondering if I can make it water-tight even though it's not entirely flat. Neoprene?

Those are drain channels and water will sit in them if blocked. More importantly, they also provide rigidity to the area so you would compromise drainage and strength by installing a hatch there. Finally, hatches have a lower flange that sits just below the surface for the upper flange to screw into. The underside of the drains would keep that lower flange from mating with the upper flange. So I wouldn't recommend it.

If you decide to try it anyway, you might consider sealing with silicone calk. Water intrusion from that area should be manageable if you don't mind moping the water up from inside the hull afterward. You could straddle the underside of the drain channels with a plywood undermount to provide a solid mounting and regain some of the lost strength (seal it against moisture first).

You can minimize the pulsating of water from the drivewell into that area by installing a drive seal PN 81037001. Looks like this:


Anything is possible.

Good information Roadrunner. In truth I hadn't thought of the configuration of the underside of the deck there. I'm a contractor...pretty handy, lots of tools but this still looks tricky.
I'll work out the side carry handles first and think more about the hatch. It sure would be nice to have a hatch there but it's not an essential.

Is silicone the best bet for sticking to this plastic?

Thanks!

No. There are 2 industrial epoxies that have excellent bonding strength with this Polyethylene that I am aware of -- 3M Scotchweld DP 8010 and Loctite 3030. You can learn more about these using the search feature of the forum. The silicone has very low bonding strength to PE but would form a gasket (and probably stick like heck to the hatch flange).

I had the boat out this morn to get used to the set-up for fishing and I don't think I'll chance trying to put a hatch in front of the seat. I think there's enough storage in the boat as is. I do need to work out an insulated fish storage bag instead of a hard cooler though. Hard for me to justify coughing up the big $$ they're asking for them.

This was my solution to the missing handles on my outback:
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Just simple nylon strap and stainless hardware with a piece of pex pipe for the handle.

That should work great. Did you use a metal plate inside the yak for the bolts? Good Luck

I used large fender washers. Larger than the ones on the outside shown in the pic. In case anyone else is following this, I also fitted a piece of plastic over the one bolt end that could potentially come into contact with the rudder control line.

I might tinker with the handles some. As it is, when I grab it and swing it over my head, my fingers can trap between the handle and the boat (ouch) if I don't have it gripped right. rigid handles might work better.

If I wanted to replace the rudder control lines, what is the best procedure? To adjust them do I just re-tie the knots at the rudder end? It would be tough to have a rudder control line break while out on the water.