Splash Shield

Chris,

Try it. When designing it, I was worried that the sprayshirt could interfere with the sheet line there. Any Pic's to post of your setup?

Dan,

Looks nice. I like your setup for quick on and off. Where you attach to the front hatch bungees, I often thought about using the plastic clips from both ends of the strapping that came with the Hobie seat (never figured what that was for?).

Your lines are heaver than I used, but should work fine. I chose lighter lines so if anything needed to break, it would be the lines, but you are doing the same with the bungees.

If you want the surface taut, try stretching the shade cloth and wire-tie the ends to the rope. With using thinner line, I actually tie a knot at the ends of the line where they leave the sprayskirt, and then wire-tied the sprayskirt when stretched out beyond the knot. You may want to use it once or twice first as the line usually stretches out during the first couple of uses.

So Dan, where's the Darth Vader helmet design?

Kayaking Bob

Here are some pics, Bob:



I like to carry the boat inverted on roofracks, and I didn't want anything protruding up from the gunwales at the rear attachment point, so, on the port side, I mounted a RAM mount ball horizontally and on the starboard side, I swapped the existing padeye with the cleat from the front bulkhead.



I made the rope a continuous loop, threaded through a SS hook at the front. The only knot is a simple reef knot which closes the loop. The only point at which I have stretched the fabric is with a bit of tie wire looped around the SS hook. I think I will replace that with a loop of twine or something.

I have not attached it to the hull at this point and it seems to clear the sheet line nicely. I haven't had it out in choppy conditions yet, so I dont know if much water will splash up in the gap between the hull and the sprayshield.

It is very quick to set up: Put the hook through the front saddle, slip the back loop over the cleat/Ram ball, then tension it with a bungee from the outer loop to the post on the aka.


It doesn't look too bad with the shield above the aka either - there is even room for the paddle. It avoids the aka pin rubbing on the shield, but I don't know how it would perform on the water. Have you tried it that way?

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Nice pic's!

Smart on changing the padeye and the cleat (Win-win).

Even with it stretched only at the front, it seems nice and taut.

I haven't tried the sprayskirt above the aka, but GWiz who started all this sprayskirt idea has, with clear plastic. I like it low, down near the water. At times I plane off the sprayskirt.

If you get too much water in near the hull from not mounting to it, try tying the sides together with a short line. I'm doing that with my current yellow test sprayskirt.

I think you may see as much wear from the top of the aka SS pins as the bottom. Bob from AZ tried my suggestion in using pieces of a milk jug to protect it. His picture below.

Nice job!

Kayaking Bob

Yeah, putting the sprayshield above the aka was just a flight of fancy. It looks cooler below the aka and I believe that it would plane better, as you say. I will definitely try a line joining the two sides and running along the back of the front hatch, if it becomes necessary.

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I tested the sprayshields in strong wind and waves yesterday. The conditions were a bit extreme for a fair test as there were waves crashing over the bow and the windward ama, so I got soaked anyway. However, I can definitely report that the shield does need to be attached to the hull in some way, about halfway along the inner edge. The wind was lifting the inner edge about 4" clear of the hull and a substantial amount of water was coming in under the shield. The tag attached to the front hatch bungee looks interesting - there must be some quick and simple way to clip it to the sprayshield............

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If you can attach rope loops at that point on your spray shields where they pass by the front hatch bungee hooks, you can simply route the hatch bungees through your shield loops -- that should lock them down. It would look something like this (perhaps with a lighter line though):

Thanks RR,

I might try a permanent loop of garden twine or fishing line and fix it the way you suggest.

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Chris,

Looking at your pictures again, your sprayskirt seems to be 2-3" forward of center (at the aka), probably because of where it's mounted near the pockets. Between that and the extra distance from the bow is why the front is not taut. If you could pull the shade cloth back (to the rear) till it is centered on the akas, before you add attachments to the hull, it may help.

Roadrunner's quick attachment idea looks good. Also Dan's from a few posts back. I may try some of them here to see what works well in our conditions.

Kayaking Bob

Bob,

I moved the sprayshield back a little, as you suggested. I didn't quite understand what you meant about the front not being taut. I also threaded a loop of twine through the seam and passed the front hatch bungee through it, as Roadrunner suggested. It seems to work fine - adds about 5 seconds to the fitting time. I am thinking about putting an eyelet where the aka pin impinges on the sprayshield - then it can just poke down through the hole.

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The line running around the sprayskirt, should be on the outside of it's pocket, all the way around the sprayskirt. In your pictures, the front was loose so the material wasn't lying flat. Besides pulling the shade-cloth back, if you use a short line to pull the two sides toward each other, may help too (like below).

An eyelet for the pin sounds good. Let us know how it works.

I hope the extra 5 sec. doesn't cut into your sailing time.

Kayaking Bob

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Nahhhhhhh - I'll take it out of my lawn-mowing time

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Bob- Looking forward to the spray skirt. I went out today and got thoroughly doused with water over the bow. (I'm not really complaining, the wind was fantastic today!)

Mike K

I must have had a more critical eye on the second look. As long as it's doing the job, all is well. Attaching at the front hatch should help too.

Have you sailed with it yet with it connected at the front hatch yet? If so, did that take care for all of the "lifting" problem against the hull you had?

With our boats here, we've never considered making them removable. My friends I sail with, only sail. I fish and kayak also, but just never thought of making it quick on and off. Something new to think about. (Too much wind to sail again this week, so now I got something to think about)

Kayaking Bob

I've had it out once since I attached it to the front hatch Bob, but this time hardly any wind or waves. It's always a feast or a famine around here . The first time I tried it out it was probably a bit too windy for sailing too - as I said, it wasn't really a fair trial. I should emphasise, I'm perfectly happy with it - it was always a bit contentious not attaching it to the hull. As far as I'm concerned, it just shows that you were right all along about attaching it there.

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Weinerdog (Mike),

The sprayskirt will NOT protect you from yourself, if you repeatedly choose to sail through big waves.

But if it's the (up to) buckets of water in the face, chest and lap, from the bow, I think it will help you.

Kayaking Bob