'new' Bell Morningstar

[Tsuga8]

@BobMills did you ever move forward with your modifications?

I've paddled my Morningstar a bit more now, and have decided that I'm too short (5'6") to make good use of the center seat with the hull width there. I've soloed it a bit sitting in the bow seat facing backwards and feel like the boat performs well enough that way. I plan to remove the center seat and maybe even the stern seat to reduce weight. If I get really crazy I might try to take the bow seat off the sliding track and just hard mount it. I suspect I need to put in a thwart where the stern seat is for structural rigidity, maybe using the forward holes to try to center it along the length of the keel.

Hopefully a rear thwart and center yoke, along with the bow seat, is enough structural integrity for a 15'6" composite boat? Thoughts, anyone?

 

[Alan Gage]

Hopefully a rear thwart and center yoke, along with the bow seat, is enough structural integrity for a 15'6" composite boat? Thoughts, anyone?

I'd say that will be plenty strong.

Since it's an asymmetrical hull have you considered removing the front and center seats and then adjusting the position of the rear seat forward? This would be the same effective position as paddling in the bow seat backwards but the rocker would not be reversed.

Alan

 

[Steve in Idaho]

Tsuga8, did you ever do anything about the dry inside kev layer? I think this has been suggested as a treatment for "Bell blush" and should be good for that starved inner layer as well.

System Three Clear Coat

My primary poling canoe is a Millbrook Coho. I ordered it without seats, and it weighs just over 40 lbs empty. When I want to paddle it, I use this.


It just happens to wedge perfectly out of the way under the yoke when I'm not using it. And when I am using it, my weight and the texture of the floor keep it from moving around. I have no desire to ever mount a seat in that boat.

By the way - I am in need of a pole racing slalom boat that's a whitewater boat, highly rockered and snub-nosed and wanting to turn on a dime. If you ever decide to unload that Souhegan, we should talk.