I enjoy outfitting my canoe. So I thought I'd share.

1st is just contact cementing in some closed cell foam for your seat. You can use a small propane torch to add a finished edge to where it's been cut to shape. Of course be careful about the cement fumes and flames, and practice on some of the pieces you cut off first, it melts fast.

In the pic you can see how the edge might turn out. Plus it shows some broom handle clips I added under my seat to hold my paddles while I portage.

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Here's another view of how the paddles are set during a carry.

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Next pic is my bowline. I used an old broken graphite ski pole and epoxied it into my bow above the floatbox. Lower would have been better but I didn't want to mess with the integrity of the floatbox. Some graphite powder colored the epoxy black and some silica powder stiffen the mix to stay without running.

While the endcap is off slip in a lenght of velco to hold our line. Leave the soft fuzzy side so it will be against the rope, otherwise the hook side will snag the rope as it's pulled out.

Yes I have a QJ sticker, just isn't on yet.

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Next is my fishing rods. Broom handle clips again. I positioned the rods under my gunnels for safety. Plus I load my food barrel in the front too, between the rods. The rod socks keep the fishing line from getting caught on my barrel harness straps as I load and unload. Foam water pipe insulation holds the rod tips fine. My boats long enough I can push a 6' 6" rod forward and get the rod handle over the thwart while in the boat. It's kind of awkward if it has to come out all the way from underneath the thwart.

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Close up of a broom handle clip and fishing rod. I add a velcro strap cause the rods can drop out if I'm not so gentle setting my boat down.

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I enjoy seeing how other paddlers personalize their canoes!
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My red 'Wenonah Moccasin', CCS cover, bow and stern lines, seat mods.
Beaver's home built 'Merlin' with lots of special touches.

I did go right thru the float tank, PVC tubes and RTV adhesive. Have not detected any leakage or problems.

butthead

Finally it's just a GPS, rod holder, and map case. The rope through the rod holder is to keep it from getting lost while the boats upside down on a carry. Good spot for a carabiner to hold a nalagene bottle. Map case can be flipped to view back side as I travel.

I attach my tackle to my footbrace with my lip gripper, hemostats, etc.

You can glue in D-rings too. Hope you guys enjoy and share your ideas too. I'd like to see them. I don't claim any original ideas, but thought it would be a fun post.

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B_H It's suppose to be better for lining if it's lower like you did. Easier to pull to the side without the chine catching and rolling the boat. I like your covers, but wonder if Q is where they're needed.

Any trouble on carries, loading and unloading??

You can see I had knee pads, but removed them. Foot entrapment trouble, too tight for safety. Now I cross one leg under the other, wedge both knees under my gunnels, while one foot extends to touch the footbrace. Feels pretty solid that way.

Jim, I've done a bit of lining and I think lower is better. The cover is very usefull, really helps in wind, will hold packs/gear inside and keeps them much dryer. Only dumped once and the cover kept the canoe from filling, after getting to shore there was only 2 to 3 inches of water in the boat [the cockpit was rolled open]! Cover stays on all thruout the trip, just a couple of snaps and the gear/bags are out.
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Nice mods Jim!

butthead

B_H I got a chance to use covers on a far north trip. We didn't do any carries. But I can say they help keep you warm too. The skirt can be lowered or raised as the wind picks up and dies. We ran some nice drops. I was in over my head while kneeling in the bow on one. Just came back up and kept paddling.

CCS's website pics of Cliff and the covers looks like the Steel River. The boats in your pics would be perfect for that. Nice CI CII, small stream connecting the lakes. Blue walleye, the color kind of came off on your hands. That's my size 10 1/2 ruler.

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Nice ride, Jim!  Beaver and Butthead, too.  

I originally wrote "Butthead and Beaver" but changed it because that just didn't sound right  ;)

S_D Maybe someone will add some ways they "pimp" their rental boats.

Now THAT would be worth seeing!

JJS,
I like your "mods". The broom clips are an idea I thought about, but since I'm a rental guy, it will have to wait until I'm a buyer ;)
I use a similar rod set-up, but use golf club "tubes" instead of the foam.
I like things "neat" when I'm traveling.
Has anyone given a thought too epoxying one of those flat refrigerator type magnets to a sidewall as a lure holder when your trolling and switching baits until you get a "keeper" :question

S_T I've seen some foam glued to the inside so you could hook lures to it as you change'm.

Try this link for the "spare paddle clip". It's broom handle clip attached to a plastic clip that will fit a thwart. There's a pic at the bottom of their accessories page. Lot of stuff racers use, but might be useful. Good people too. Kind of a Mom & Pop racer supply store.

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Thnaks for the link, JJS.  

I think I'll pick up a couple of those clips.  They sound faster and easier than velcro strips or BDBs.  

That butt pad looks pretty nifty for a solo (or loaner) as well.

More ways for me to do my part to rescue the economy... ::)

Yup, thanks JJS ;D

 That's a nice site, the prices are very reasonable!
 I like that clip idea as well. I use a piece of water line foam to hang lures on now, but down the road on my own canoe, I'll look for a more permanent solution.

wrote on Mar 1^st, 2009 at 3:23pm:

S_D Maybe someone will add some ways they "pimp" their rental boats.

 Does this count as 'pimping' your rental boat?...
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Definitely. Looks like a happy crew too.

I see the Skipper and Mary Ann...where's Gilligan??

At first glance it looked like the boy and girl in last picture were holding the canoes together with just their legs!
I'm assuming the canoes were lashed together somehow?
I had a buddy step into a canoe along a ledge with one foot instead of both and sitting down. By the time we reached him, he was about horizontal with the water and screaming in pain ;D
That's the image that came too mind viewing that picture at first glance!

Jim where did you find your rod holder, and who is the maker? Looks decent and little weight....any thing you dont like about it?

I like it. Can drop out when the boat is upside down, so I just add some parachute cord run through it. To remove the rod you don't have to slide it out, just pick it up. It's the Berkley Quik-set.

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Thanks for the info and the link!

When you guys drilled the holes in the kevlar for the bowlines, did you have any trouble with the kevlar strands binding up or anything else to deal with? I think I'm going to try this on my prism.

Paddlin_Bill wrote on Apr 7^th, 2009 at 4:42am:

When you guys drilled the holes in the kevlar for the bowlines, did you have any trouble with the kevlar strands binding up or anything else to deal with? I think I'm going to try this on my prism.

If the layup / curing was done properly, there should be no strands to twist up on a drill bit. If you do get this "dry glass," it is a structural defect and the factory should replace the canoe (if you didn't void the warranty by drilling through it). You should be able to get right through it without any trouble.

At least, that's my take. I'm not experienced with kevlar, but I worked in a composites factory making wind turbine blades for a little over two years. Repairing dry glass and cosmetic defects for final inspection was my part of the process.

Anyone ever done something similar to a Royalex canoe?

[smiley=dankk2.gif] I bought a Bell CJ at a garage sale! ccs covers coming soon! These are great Ideas, thanks again! I just found this site,gotta go to work

Akula-
There will be dry fiber.  Kevlar is impervious to resin, it "surface" bonds with it, the fiber itself does not get saturated. This is the main reason why kevlar canoes are lighter, they require significantly less resin.  Repairing kevlar is more difficult than glass, if you sand through the thin layer of resin the fibers will fray and your attempt at smooth becomes fuzzy.

Solus wrote on Apr 7^th, 2009 at 3:03pm:

Akula- There will be dry fiber.  Kevlar is impervious to resin, it "surface" bonds with it, the fiber itself does not get saturated. This is the main reason why kevlar canoes are lighter, they require significantly less resin.  Repairing kevlar is more difficult than glass, if you sand through the thin layer of resin the fibers will fray and your attempt at smooth becomes fuzzy.

Interesting. Forget what I said then.