The '93 Boat
We saw this boat for sale, and since we found out a bit of the history surrounding it, we couldn't resist buying it and doing a bit of renovation. As far as we have been able to find out, he boat was one of only a few built for - and won the 1993 world rodeo championships on the Ocoee, Tenessee (it was still called rodeo back in those days!). In 1999 it was bought from Back Country Ski and Sport in Blacksburg, VA by a paddler who subsequently sold it to us.
Prior to the 1993 competition, several of the European competitors got together and designed a shortened slalom boat with increased rocker, and several were made, we think by different manufacturers. We have another one of these back in the UK that might have been made by the squirt boat maker Valley. We have been told that this boat was made in Germany though, but the boat bears the P&H logo. P&H was a British manufacturer, and made mainly slalom boats and sea kayaks (and the Gorilla Grip brand of paddles). The first C1 that we owned was a chopped slalom boat that was a prototype for this boat, formerly owned by UK paddler Steve Block.
So, during the fall of 2011, we got it into the workshop and had a look at what needed to be done. Struturally it was in fairly good shape for an 18 year old boat, with only a slight fold near the tail and some worn seams. The surface was fairly badly degraded from UV damage though, and the internal fittings were a bit on the basic side. The painted P&H logo was also in need of some attention.
Internal fittings
The first thing that we tackled was the fittings. We took an angle grinder to the cockpit rim, and took out all the foam, straps, and ground back to the kevlar fabric. A new stiffer cockpit rim was then added using hoespipe as a former. To make sure that the hull would be rigid enough without the foam saddle, we installed a stiffener rib along the centreline, and extra layers in the interior of the chines to better absorb any knocks. The existing ethofoam foam pillars were shaped and the ends covered to make rigid pillars.
Surface finish
A small repair was needed on the stern, and we replaced the seamtape on the ends. The existing surface finish was badly flaking where it had been exposed to sunlight, so it all got sanded off and the boat re-coated with a UV-stable epoxy (West System with 207 hardener). After re-doing the P&H logo, the boat was starting to look a lot better...
Completed boat
Finally, we installed a rigid seat, and here it is, the finished renovation job!
All images Copyright Shaggy Designs
info@shaggydesigns.com
Updated: 03 November 2011
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