Bell Yellowstone Solo Rebuild

[Mike McCrea]

I wish you could paddle it right now too my friend. While the busted up Yellowstone Solo is fully rehabilitated you still need some shoulder time. Speaking of which, the Mystery Peg-Ended Dowel Project is also finished.

The Cooke Custom Sewing paddle pockets and lash straps on the bow and stern covers are perfect for my usual paddle propulsion, double blade secured up front, single blade stored aft.

PB270030 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

But I also like to bring a short “push pole” for a variety of reasons; grounded out on a sandbar or brief cobble shallows, where a single push will see me floating free, and as a hiking staff and even a spare tarp pole in camp.

But our usual tripping canoe six footer is way too long.

PB270032 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Even our shortest, a five footer with a tee end, is a bit too long. I need a shortstuff push pole for a shortstuff 14’ canoe. A four footer fits perfectly; stained and urethaned, with a broad, grippy crutch tip stuck on the sanded down fitted bottom peg, and a Mohawk pear grip epoxied on the fitted top peg.

PB280035 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I really like those plastic Mohawk pear grips for revamped single blades or push pole purposes, perfect OD match for that 1 ¼” hardwood dowel.

https://www.mohawkpaddles.com/product/pear-grip-replacement/

PB280037 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I had a shorter, skinnier 3 foot dowel, and had the tabletop sander, urethane and epoxy out, what the heck, might as well make a three footer with an ugly old T-grip, which had the perfect OD for that 7/8” dowel.

PB280033 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The cane sized three footer doesn’t fit between the paddle pocket and lash strips very securely, but the four footer fits perfectly, and I may need to make another at that size. I did not (yet) epoxy the crutch tips on the bottom pegs, one or the other or both may serve a different purpose. Constant paddler friend Joel is recuperating from a motorcycle accident. He’s lucky to be alive with just a broken leg, ligament damage and shoulder surgery.

He is hobbling around with a cane, a standard aluminum crook-topped Granny model, and facing some months of shoulder rehab. I’m not a physical therapist, but as someone who makes their living guiding paddle trips he may eventually benefit from making a gentle paddling motion before ever getting in a boat.

He could start with the three footer, 7/8” dowel, eight ounces with tee grip and crutch tip, and work his way up to the five footer, 1 1/8” dowel, just over 1lb, left for now uncut too tall to be Hopalong cane handy.

Easy enough to cut down to hobble-around size; I’ll bring them both and a saw next time I visit. I can always make another, and kinda want to. The pear grip is comfy on a paddle, but a tee-grip is handier on a short push pole; it can become a pull pole to hook a friend’s gunwale when muckling up or grab a limb or branch, in boat or in camp.

I don’t have another crappy old tee grip, but I’ll find one somewhere.

 

[Loon]

I am enjoying every single post!
Thanks for bringing us along on this project.

 

[Mike McCrea]

And you thought I was done? It’s like you don’t even know me.

The Dynel sleeve skid plates, disparaged as “kevlar felt”, needed attention. I had planned to sand and topcoat those skid plates with black paint, but was so devastated by that slander that I couldn’t even bear to look at the canoe for a few days ;-)

Even with repeated peel ply roller compression there were a few slightly raised edge areas here and there along the sides of the sleeve. The 105, 206, G/flex and graphite powder top coat on Dynel is tough as nails, so I’m not screwing around hand sanding; pad sander with 120 grit for the edges, RO with the same grit to smooth out the rest of the surface pimples and other imperfections.

Aggressive power sanding meant I wanted some protection from over-sanding along the edges. A double layer of cheap duct tape gave me that sanding barrier, and allowed me to better see the edges of the sandable perimeter without cutting into the vinyl skin. Cheap duct tape that has barely any stickum; it will come off without leaving tacky residue behind.

PC040004 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

A single coat of paint and the skid plates look better. Not the black paint I wanted to use, which would have provided better topcoat cover, but I wasn’t buying a quart of paint just to use a half ounce.

PC060005 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The minicel knee bumpers and exercise flooring heel pads had not yet been perimeter-beaded with adhesive sealant to prevent water, sand and grit edge infiltration. Some E-6000 around the edges of those pads remedied that, although I needed to put the YS back on tall sawhorses to E-6000 bead the underside of the knee bumpers.

PC080009 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr


While the Yellowstone Solo was upside down I hit it with a lick of 303. The hull isn’t as faded dull now as it once was.

By golly, there isn’t much left to do. Fold-over, G-flex and clamp an easy-pick end tab on the strap yoke Velcro.

PC090023 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Easy pickin’ Velcro.

PC100024 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The shop will soon need some open dust making space for the next projects, so one last thing before the Yellowstone Solo finds a place on the outside rack. I don’t think birds will be making winter homes in the inverted “nest box” deck caps, but I have a proven-to-work Dollar Store solution that only takes a few seconds to install.

Long Pokeythingie ™ again, half deflated Dollar Store mini-beach ball with a piece of cord tied through the valve cap band and pulled snug inside the stem, completely occluding the deck cap nesting cavity. The wind can’t blow it out, and those Finding Nemo mini beach balls , with no UV exposure have lasted for years. Feel free to choose Little Mermaid beach balls if that’s more your style.

PC100026 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

PC100027 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Now I’m done, and ready for the next rebuild.

 

[Woodpuppy]

What diameter bungee and painter lines do you like to use?

 

[Mike McCrea]

For painter lines I mostly use Bluewater floating rescue rope. There are other high strength floating ropes; I liked Bluewater ropes, and used enough of it that I bought a full spool when I found it on sale. Even if I am selling a boat I feel better if I see it leave with good, safe painter lines.

On a WW or river canoe I prefer 5/16” diameter, which is thick enough to hold and grasp in hand. On flatwater canoes I use Bluewater’s ¼” stuff, which doesn’t make such a giant bundle under the bungee keepers.

https://www.bluewaterropes.com/prod...-recreational/water-rescue-rope-recreational/

Crappy rope is crappy rope, and I have a large box filled with such, actually labeled “JUNK ROPE”. I don’t keep the Bluewater painter lines attached in storage; if I need to tie a canoe down on the outside rack I use the junk rope. Even throwing away UV degraded lengths I have a lifetime supply remaining, and I haven’t bought crapty Home Depot-ish rope in years.

Every so often I’ll cull through the JUNK ROPE box, bag up all the too-short piece and hide that bag under DougD’s passenger seat when he visits. No thanks needed Doug, my pleasure.

With painter lines in different diameters, cut to different lengths; I can select the ones most appropriate for the trip and anticipated conditions.

Bungee cord selection is more about quality than diameter. Just like there is good rope, there is good bungee cord; UV resistant marine quality bungee with a woven sheath, ¼” or 3/16”. More UV resistant, lasts longer, resists floppy stretch sag, holds stopper knots well.

In the long run it is not worth saving pennies, or even a few dollars, using junk rope or crappy bungee.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

On flatwater canoes I use Bluewater’s ¼” stuff, which doesn’t make such a giant bundle under the bungee keepers.

I also use 1/4" floating polypro rope for painters on flatwater canoes—the regular yellow 1/4" rescue rope from NRS, which you can buy by the foot.

Rope & Webbing

Outfit your safety kit by the foot with heavy-duty webbing, safety rope and prusik code. Or add some boat line, bow line bags or flip lines to any raft setup for more peace of mind.

www.nrs.com

 

[Woodpuppy]

Thanks! BTW, what is the reason for folks not liking cam straps? I rather like them.

 

[oldnewbie]

That is some really nice work on that yellowstone. I am fixin to get the yellowstone mold in the shop ready in the next few weeks to infuse.