THE HAKA BENCH SEAT - AN ALTERNATIVE TO TRAMPS

FRP is what i made mine from...it is heavy, but looks great. I"m not really done yet but here is a some pic of 'in progress'. 30" wide, i just cut down to 24"...probably weighs nearly 10Kg

Looks plenty strong, I just wonder with the shape of it that it would redirect waves hitting it's bottom to be redirected strait up? Looks cool, and colors to choose from!

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

The "bidet" effect?

Refreshing!

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Always with the comfort of your super-model passengers in mind!

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

Just got back from a 6 day camping trip to Jervis Bay. We were based at Honeymoon Bay and were able to give the haka a thorough test on both AI and TI.
I can confirm that this is the best mod I have done to any of my Hobie's.
The sailing experience is greatly improved. Kathy enjoyed being able to see the water and having a comfortable drier seat for hiking out. The AI felt like a very different boat- almost catamaran like but more stable. By shifting rearwards the nose of the AI rose and stopped diving.
Had a great time despite the weather being mostly very wet. Had one decent day where we sailed across Jervis Bay in a 4m swell.
Will the rain ever stop on our east coast?
Excuse the drops on the lens.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzeMCwb5gxU&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

PS: I am well underway with the V2 haka using the aluminium/foam sandwich...

Nice video Stringy!

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Hobie Island Sailing since 2006

What a dry ride. Balanced. That's the way the AI is supposed to fly.

What huge difference those must have made on the long trip, with those cushions!

I might suggest adding a couple Hobie handles along the outside edges of the Haka. Your passenger will appreciate them there.

It will be safer on the water, and easier to carry off the water.

Good on ya, Stringy! Thanks for posting this so soon. You must be nackered.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Nice video Stringy, but I was expecting to see some footage of your camps.

Love those hakas. That is the way I'm going to go.

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon

Very nice video Fibroso! What a difference sailing with Aka!

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http://abisal12.com

Thanks all for the comments.

Introducing the V2 21st Century Haka.
I got the edge extrusions to match the Panelink foam/alu offcut I was given, ripped it down into 30cm widths and have made one ready to test.


The edge extrusions make the foam/alu very strong and easily support my weight over the 1500mm AI aka span.


Because the extrusions come in 6m lengths I have made the V2 haka 2m long and 33cm wide (for the marine cushions). That gives a total of 4.5m of extrusion /haka @$10/m= $45. The V2 haka weigh just under 4kg (without cushions.)


I will be trying out a different attachment method using stainless lifebuoy hooks which will be bent to fit the front aka, and relocate the tube clips to the rear. That way I should be able to slide the haka over the front aka and lock it down at the rear aka using the tube clip. This gives me the option of using them with the tramps when we want to.

The finished product with the cushions looks a bit less industrial than the ladder ( I think).


The cushions are designed for tinnies and I got them from BCF. They have 2 sizes -60cm and 120cm


I like the idea of adding handles Nohuhu.

Keith -the video was only about the haka. It was car based camping we did at Jervis Bay and not an adventure like your kayak based camps.

BTW- I think something got lost in the translation Abisal. I checked 'Fibroso' and it means 'stringy meat'!

Cool - affordable, light and strong.

Are you making these watertight? Trying to understand if the panels and cushions will collect water.

Hoping to see more details of the panels and attachments. Will stay tuned.

Go Team Aussie!

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

A thought on the cushions. The boat cushions all seem to made of closed cell EVA foam enclosed in a vinyl envelope. The EVA foam can be bought separately from Clark Rubber and they will cut it to size. It could be glued directly to the Haka. The EVA doesn't absorb water. It is only available in bright blue, which would look OK on a yellow or Dune AI/TI, but might look a bit chintzy on a red one.

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I had the same concerns Nohuhu.
I was told by the installers of the panels that they should handle splashing OK. I was surprised that polystyrene can absorb moisture but according to them if submerged they can so I will be sealing the edges with an acrylic paint. The extrusions are designed with a 10mm end space for breathing.

The foam in the seats is actually open cell in a sealed plastic bag and I was put off from buying them initially but I figured I could swap it out with eva if I had problems. I couldn't make the vinyl covers (with a zip and press studs) for what I initially paid for them. They were on special -the 60cm was $20 and the 120cm was $30.
So far so good. In the very wet testing on our trip with splashing and rain the foam has remained dry.

Chris - If necessary my intention was to replace the open cell foam with cut eva camping mat squares which are very cheap and would fit in the vinyl covers nicely. I find being able to remove the cushions easily, useful.

Very interested in this,.. The way they assemble it looks as if you could easily tape or glass the foam panel edges. It's all hidden in the channel. I guess the long term risk would be de-lamination or swelling of the foam.

Questions:
How are the crossbeams secured?
Can you box/cap the open channel ends for safety/aerodynamics?
How are the cushions to be attached?

Mahalo again for all who are contributing to the length and quality of our Haka thread. Keep the ideas comin.

HINT HINT - Still waiting to see someone do a clear seat panel... that would be fun.

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The Wind Is Your Friend...

Thats a pretty impressive bit of kit Stringy. I've finally been convinced that having a tramp on has it's advantages. Now it seems tramps are 'old school' and Hakas are the latest 'Rad' accessory. Great bit of design work mate.

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Don't take life too seriously................it ain't permanent.