Restoring a
Phoenix Boat Company
Poke Boat Company
Phoenix Poke Boat Isere
STOP! STOP! STOP!
Three years after the refinish
described on this page, the paint on the top deck was a mess.
I tried something else, but two years after that, the
interim "fix" was
a mess, too.
Too much sun? Too much weather? Is it
the paint or the polyurethane that screwed up? I think it was the poly, but
don't quote me. Anyway, the deck paint is broken up and peeling and it's going
to be the devil's own skin to remove and try again. So, not like anything here
is warranteed, but follow the rest of this story at your own risk. And let
me know (davidcortner@pobox.com) if you find a good way to paint a boat made
from thin fiberglass.
|
Photos and Notes about the Promising
(But Ultimately Unsuccessful!) 2004
Restoration follow:
The local hardware store put me onto their favorite brand of slow-drying
enamel and a decent brush. This is Image brand antique white.
With one coat on, I taped the seamline temporarily and lived with it for a
couple of days. I also pulled out the Yakima footbraces, cleaned them up, and
repaired some damaged threads. Stainless steel, brass, and Teflon replace
rusted low-grade hardware to hold the adjustable footbraces in the hull.
48 hours on, and I still liked the scheme. Valspar's American Traditions
dove gray is the hull color. [The hull paint is holding up great after 5 years.
DC] I took the boat into the basement workshop so the last coat of antique
white could cure at leisure in a dry, cool, constant-temperature environment.
I had some doubts about the durability of the paint -- it felt soft even
after a few days. A few coats of clear, satin polyurethane took care of
those misgivings. The seam tape is 1 1/2 inch electrical tape from the
local Lowe's Home Improvement Center.
I added shockcord deck rigging. It's cheap, useful and the signature of a
touring boat. Inside are new flotation bags. A heavy-duty nylon cockpit cover
will keep the kayak from becoming an arachnid hotel again. Don't put much
stock in impressions of size from this photo -- it's a bit of a funhouse
mirror because it was made with an extremely wide lens. The stern of the
kayak is only 4-5 feet from the camera; I'm standing well beyond the
cockpit, and the bow is several feet beyond me. The Isere is 14'9" bow
to stern and tips the scales at 35 pounds, give or take.
June 11: One good boat deserves another. I've brought my Phoenix Slipper out
of storage (that is, it was stacked beside the same
garage). These two used to seem the ying and yang of kayaks, the
Kucinish and Cheney of boats, but now the stage has expanded and
they're both middle of the road moderates. The Isere is shorter
and far simpler than full-tilt touring boats, and the Slipper is much
longer and deeper than 21st Century slalom / play boats. The gamut of
available boats may have extended past both kayaks in the last several
years, but the hulls of these two are still very different. This is going to
be fun.
Sources of stuff:
The boat is still made by the same company, but the company has transformed
itself from the Phoenix Boat Company of Tyner, Kentucky, into the Poke
Boat Company of Berea, and is now known as Phoenix
Poke Boats, Inc. When
I bought the kit, the company operated out of an old schoolhouse. Now they
have less funky digs. (Odd boating trivia: these guys had a small display ad
in The New Yorker for years.)
Float bags came from R.E.I.
The cockpit cover ("super keyhole" size is too big, but it cinches down nicely)
and a new spray skirt ("large" cockpit size fits perfectly) came from Backcountry.com
in Salt Lake City.
The deck rigging (20 feet of shock cord and several padeyes) came from the Northwest
Outdoor Center in Seattle. Note to myself: if you're ever looking for more of those little
plastic or metal loop things to hold deck rigging, the word is "padeye".
STOP! STOP! STOP!
Three years after the refinish described on this
page, the paint on the top deck was a mess. I tried something else,
but two years after that, the interim "fix" was a mess, too.
Too much sun? Too much weather? Is it the paint or the
polyurethane that screwed up? I think it was the poly, but don't quote
me. Anyway, the deck paint is broken up and peeling and it's going to
be the devil's own skin to remove and try again. So, not like anything
here is warranteed, but follow the rest of this story at your own risk.
And let me know (davidcortner@pobox.com) if you find a good way to paint
a boat made from thin fiberglass.
|
|