Fixing Up the Bell Mystic

[dougd]

This Bell Mystic I got from a good paddling friend has an ugly history and when it was offered to me for free I took it. Despite back surgery I have been slowly little by little been working on it as I can only sit and lay around so much in the healing process and I'm BORED outta my freaking mind! As long as I can do little things in the way of prep work without compromising my back I'm doing it. Here's the write up so far:

http://scooter-bangortoportland.blogspot.com/2018/03/what-to-do-with-bell-mystic.html

There have been some interesting "finds" on this hull as I've been poking at it. Never have I seen such a hack job on the thwart brackets, sharp and jagged enough out of the factory build to slice ya half to death. Scissors cut frayed kevlar very nicely! I wish I was in better shape to get this hull done before April but it looks like it will be near May before it is finished with the repairs. It's such a nice hull I wish I was keeping it but at 18' 6" I can't justify that. I know it will never get used by me as I solo and hate a tandem ride mostly cause I'm such a lightweight b*st*rd I always end up in the bow and that drives me freaking nuts!

 

[Guest]

There have been some interesting "finds" on this hull as I've been poking at it. Never have I seen such a hack job on the thwart brackets, sharp and jagged enough out of the factory build to slice ya half to death.

That is the ugliest hack job on a thwart hanger I have ever seen. I can not even imagine the tool, or lack of tool, needed to chew up a simple L bracket up that badly. Was Jaws employed at Bell in 2000?

https://www.google.com/search?q=jam...hULmuAKHZYCAzYQ9QEILTAB#imgrc=7q_OxeDUrl5v4M:

And then to not even grind the fugliness down smooth? Hello Friday afternoon outfitting. I expected better out of Bell.

I know it will never get used by me as I solo and hate a tandem ride mostly cause I'm such a lightweight b*st*rd I always end up in the bow and that drives me freaking nuts!

I am a heavyweight b*st*rd and even as stern man it would never be used by me either. I have zero need or desire to paddle tandem, and really ought to sell one of the two tandems still on the rack.

When I am finished with the Wilderness and soloized Penobscot I may bring the RX Nova Craft Cronje and the RX Mad River Freedom Express 17, nee Revelation 17, into the shop for a spruce up prior to sale.

I would keep one on the racks as a loaner tandem, but do not need two. Both are well outfitted, the Revelation 17 has bow and stern spray covers and the Cronje has a full spray cover and spray skirt tunnels. I think the Cronje is by far the better canoe, unless you really want a Volvo wagon, which is not always a bad thing.

If anyone has been looking for one of those in little used RX let me know

Cronje

http://www.novacraft.com/canoes/cronje-17/

Freedom 17, ie the Revelation 17. At least I think it is a Revelation 17, I wish Mad River had never taken to rebadging their canoes.

http://www.myccr.com/gear/mad-river-revelation

 

[Steve in Idaho]

That thwart hanger is something else! Kind of reminds me of the sliding seat retainer channel thingy on my Sojourn. (That reminds me - I need to get that thing down off the rack and do my upgrade on that seat.)

 

[Guest]

That thwart hanger is something else!

The Bell Sorcery became the Bell Mystic. There was the Bell Merlin, and Merlin II. My favorite Bell solo was always the Magic.

I picked up on the Star and North sequence of Bell canoes, but it took me until now to recognize the wizardry of those other monikers.

That Mystic was born under a bad star and cursed from day one.

Not only does the HIN start out with the usual Bell DOH, the sound the original owner made when it nose dived off the trailer and bent in half before ever being paddled, the HIN ends in FOOO, the original owners utterance when he discovered pieces of Plexiglas cupola speared through the sides.

Best of luck to the new owner who wants to race that hexed hull.

 

[dougd]

Finally had the guts to tackle stage one of fixing the nasty arsed gash in the hull. Took a lot of thinking things through. Hate when i get stuck on one idea and can't see around it. I do think this will work out fine though, not pretty but solid for sure when I'm done.

http://scooter-bangortoportland.blogspot.com/2018/03/what-to-do-with-bell-mystic.html

 

[Steve in Idaho]

...Not only does the HIN start out with the usual Bell DOH, the sound the original owner made when it nose dived off the trailer and bent in half before ever being paddled, the HIN ends in FOOO...

Potential new nickname for ya, Doug?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foo_fighter

I just noticed....On top of all this mysticism and accursedness, this canoe also seems to be inducing a time warp.

October 2018

December 2018

Doug, does it hurt your back when you sneeze?

 

[dougd]

No time warp Steve, just bad math on my part, heck, I'll have to count on my fingers to see how old I am on my next birthday! As far as the sneeze goes, first one was a doozy, tears to the eyes! Gotten better since then. Worst was when I broke my back and sneezed for the first time, fell to the floor balling like a baby! Now that one hurt!!

 

[Guest]

Doug, does it hurt your back when you sneeze?

I think it hurts most often when he has to crawl under an 18 foot canoe stuffed into a 20 foot long shop in order to get to the beer fridge on the other side.

It might help limber him up if he left the propane heater on and came down to find the shop at a pleasant 112F.

Hot yoga boat work. Just a thought.

 

[deerfly]

heck of project. Hard to believe someone could beat it up so bad.

By buddy has a see through merlin he wants to bring over so I can help him repair some small kludgy patch work from the previous owner. Nothing like what you're up against. Anyway, those things sure are pretty until they need fixin'.

 

[dougd]

Deerfly, I seem to gravitate to these kinds of fixer uppers. I've actually fixed up a couple other worse off boats but this one rates up there as a big project! I sure would have liked to have seen it fresh outta the showroom but never did. heck, I'll probably never even paddle it, haven't yet!

And Mr. McCrea, there's just enough room for me to squeeze by at the ends so no leaning over! I don't have enough girth to warrant that! ;-) Now you on the other hand.......

 

[Guest]

And Mr. McCrea, there's just enough room for me to squeeze by at the ends so no leaning over! I don't have enough girth to warrant that! ;-) Now you on the other hand.......

I acknowledge my shortcomings, er, wide comings, working in a crowded shop space. If the easiest path involves me having to go all the way upstairs to get a beer from the kitchen, I am getting two.

I will be doing so soon, my shop is about to get crowded again. At least one of our two tandem canoes, the Cronje and the Revelation, need to be sold to someone who will paddle them. Other than loaner use every few years neither sees much water time, and it is not right that they should both be rack Queens.

It is supposedly Spring, and smells of amphibians outside, but it is barely 50F, and windy, not quite the perfect time to wash two big tandems. However, there is more snow in the forecast, and I can not stand working on dirty canoes again.

Time to hit the hose and go Brrrrrrrrr.