Critical Mass

[Harry]

OK, so I picked up my shiny, brand new Critical Mass yesterday (first one I've ever seen). It's definitely a good looking boat, I'm looking forward to paddling it.

However, I have some outfitting concerns.

The safety O ring has 2 plastic arms coming off the bottom that are obviously there for stability. However, the front end is placed exactly so as to dig into my heels when sitting in the kayak. Absolutely no possibility of paddling with it like that. I moved the seat forwards, but it's still uncomfortable to get in and then I have that much less cockpit room for getting out of the boat.

The other problem is that in the cockpit, next to my knees, are two little flaps of plastic that extend into the cockpit. I've no idea what they are actually for, since my knees are against the hull wall (similar to my old Big Gun). They just make it that much harder to get in and out of the boat.

So, solutions.

Can I move my seat all the way back? This would solve the problem with the O ring, but I have no idea about how the handling will be affected. Where is the best place to have the seat?

Can I cut those little bits of plastic out? They don't seem to have any discernable use, so I'd be happy to just get rid of them.

Any feedback would be much appreciated.

cheers

Harry

[tim]

As far as the plastic tabs.... Cut them off, you don't need them. I have the same problem with my CM and the bow ring, only my heels dig in with the seat all the way back. In fact, the seat all the way back is a great position; the boat seems to be easier to roll and boof with the seat back. This is different from just about every other "corran-designed boat"; usually they handle best with the seat all the way forward. Handling is still solid CM handling..... Put it all the way back, you'll like it

[chrispedley]

I had those bits of plastic sticking out on my old CM-never quiet worked out the point in them...


For the O ring, try gluing minicell around the bit that sticks out to make it soft to the hull of the kayak-i did this and it worked nicely-took away the sudden edge of the plastic anyway.

Enjoy your boat-they rock!

Chris.

[TonyZ]

All good answers, try the seat all the way back first, then the mini cell cover up on the Ring to defeat the heel issue. As for the extra plastic on the cockpit; its there for added surface area when affixing pads or customized thigh foam. They work rather well, simple idea, but not for all, so it is also easy to cut out.

The best thing in the world to outfit your boat with is Foam, its simple, comfy, light, and moldable. All the plastic add on thigh braces, etc. add weight to the boat and flex. flex in return reduces performance. You push against the thigh brace, the thigh brace pushes against the boat, then the boat responds. Take out one level of that and you get instant responce. Seems minuscule, but it does make a big difference. I've said this before; the reason other companies put so many outfitting gadgets in the boat is to put 100 different body types in the boat snug on the showroom floor. But paddling perfomance on the showroom floor is the same for everyone, so the only way to truely know if it is a good fit and prefomance for your body type is to demo. Just a reminder, below is a link to our Demo Centers

http://www.donkeyflip.com/dfportal/DemoCenters/tabid/60/Default.aspx