Canoe modifications.

[MagicPaddler]

Mike
I like the idea of a couple of one inch cushion-spacer for a quick try it a little higher. Your comment about “needs to be firmly stationary “ is why I did not like the milk crate Idea for a week long trip.
As for displacement for the magic, I had looked that up and I would be getting close to the 4 inch waterline. That is what convinced me to think about a different/bigger canoe. I have never paddled the Magic with that much weight in it. When I get time I will fill up buckets of water to exceed my expected tripping load and go paddling. I will put enough weight up front so to trim it my seat will need to be near the back of travel. The water will set stiller and lower than a kid but I should get some idea of how the boat paddles that low in the water.

MagicPaddler

 

[Alan Gage]

I looked closer at the website and the rivet nuts all say for .030" or thicker material.

Measured the combined wall thickness of the inwale/outwale and it's about .085" so you should be good there.

Alan
You say you have a piece of Bell gunnel material. I need some dimensions. The rivet nuts are .355 inches long before instillation. I need to know if there is enough space on the inside of the gunnel for the uncompressed rivet. Can you stand the gunnel on end and lay a coin on it and take a picture or lay the gunnel on a table and stand a ruler up beside it and take a picture. What I am trying to get is a measurable cross section.

P3230032 by Alan, on Flickr

P3230033 by Alan, on Flickr

P3230034 by Alan, on Flickr

You can probably add another .015" to account for the hull thickness.

Alan

 

[MagicPaddler]

Thanks Alan that will give me what I need.
MagicPaddler

 

[MagicPaddler]

No Title

Hope this picture works


This is a jpg of a tracing of your drawing adjusted to size by measurements on my Magic. It is dimensioned to 3 places but it is not accurate to 3 places. I have added 2 copies of a downloaded cad drawing of the rivet. I show 2 installed not because I plan on installing 2 but to show extremes of hole position. This drawing is from tracing a picture so the accuracy is not tight enough to be assured the rivet would fit if installed at those dimensions but show there is space if centered between them.

 

[MagicPaddler]

I did the modifications and did the trip. Canoe performed very nice. The young man paddled about ½ the time and when he did it helped. After one long portage he took a 2 hour nap laying back against the packs behind him. The canoe was stable and being a smaller canoe it was easy to handle and rather fast. I have had the magic loaded heavier before but I left space for him to move his feet and that left me crowded. I had several trip goals that did not happen but I think his trip goals were met. He thanked me several times for taking him and is asking about next year.
Thanks for all the suggestions.

 

[muddyfeet]

I'm very curious to see photos/details, magicpaddler. I just acquired a magic and have 2 small boys age 2 and 4. I'd love to be able to set it up as a single-paddler tandem for occasional day trips on local water.

 

[MagicPaddler]

Muddyfeet
I have a slider seat so balancing the load was no problem for me. A magic with even a 25 lb load in the front and nothing to balance it will make the canoe handle bad. You will need to add weight in the back or something.
The tool that is sold to install the rivet nuts will not work on the magics gunnel and it is expensive, I used a good quality socket head screw and a nut.
In the picture the canoe is hanging up side down and the camera was turned sideways so to the right is the top of the canoe. The seat is 5 inches off the floor of the canoe.
ING
[URL="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd254/Magicpaddler/Canoe/b7bbcefa-d6ba-4e85-840f-420e95d8366f_zpsxky0imdo.jpg%5b/IMG"]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd254/Magicpaddler/Canoe/b7bbcefa-d6ba-4e85-840f-420e95d8366f_zpsxky0imdo.jpg[/IMG[/URL]]
DIRECT
[URL]http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd254/Magicpaddler/Canoe/P1020400_zpsvcnjefof.jpg[/URL]
There is a flat piece of .050” aluminum hanging by 2 screws from the gunnel. It has holes in it too hang the seat at different heights. There is a piece of aluminum bent 90° and fastened into those holes that the seat sets on. The seat is make out of a furring strip (1X2) frame with whatever nylon webbing I had woven on it.
I used the same gunnel mount and moved the front thwart back making room to him to set backwards in the canoe while we fished.