Remove oar locks and storage clips Aqua Marina Aircat

[rgoers]

I just bought an Aqua Marina Aircat 335. I'm getting it ready for the water, lettering it, adding hardware, etc. I will also be adding some D-rings soon.

There is one annoying thing I do NOT like about the Aircat... They placed the oarlocks in the very same place I want to park my butt when operating the boat. Since I'm using a gas motor, I don't ever carry oars with me (besides one collapsible oar, as local law requires). So, I'm wanting to remove the oarlocks, and the oar clips, but I don't want to risk damaging a brand new boat.

This is a PVC boat. The oarlocks and clips are good quality pieces, and they are glued on there tight!!! Has anybody else removed theirs? What is the best way to go about removing those annoying useless objects?

[smallribber]

I have this boat and would not remove them. I found the best place to sit is on the floor, little video below.

I think those rollocks would be very hard to remove

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma21XdQr-nk&t=38s

[Steve509926]

Personally, I think you would damage the tubes trying to remove them from a new sib. Even if you didn't damage it, you would leave a mess that would need to be covered with a wear patch.
As a matter of interest, you say "Since I'm using a gas motor, I don't ever carry oars with me" don't gas motors ever breakdown?

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Personally, I think you would damage the tubes trying to remove them from a new sib. Even if you didn't damage it, you would leave a mess that would need to be covered with a wear patch.
As a matter of interest, you say "Since I'm using a gas motor, I don't ever carry oars with me" don't gas motors ever breakdown?

I sort of wondered the same

[willk]

Originally Posted by rgoers

This is a PVC boat. The oarlocks and clips are good quality pieces, and they are glued on there tight!!! Has anybody else removed theirs? What is the best way to go about removing those annoying useless objects?

You should be able to remove these with hot air* and clean up with solvent.
Given that you are in Ogden, Utah, perhaps warm the boat in the sun first and then use a hairdryer to heat up the adhesive and use a smooth rounded tool like a putty knife or spoon handle to lift the edge, warming underneath and continuing to lift the fitting away. MEK is the goto solvent but I seem to recall it being restricted in the US. A rafting supply outfit might be able to help? Be VERY careful to keep MEK away from any glued seams on the boat!! Don't use a heatgun unless you are very experienced - too much heat on a small area.
Assuming that the manufacturer has not sanded the contact area, the fitting may not leave much of a mark.

* If you are short of hot air then just post something on here about not having backup oars/engine/VHF/Polar Bear rifle and I'm sure someone will help out...

[Steve509926]

When I repaired the bow D ring on my sib, I initially tried to remove the securing pvc patch that holds it on the tubes. I used Di's hairdryer on a hot setting and tried gently lifting the edges with a wooden mixing spatula (type used for mixing epoxy). I soon stopped, I could quite clearly see that a thin layer of tube pvc was also coming away with the patch. It may be as willk said that the surface had been sanded before originally fitting, but I wasn't prepared to take that chance. I repaired it by overlaying another patch on top of what was originally there.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by willk

If you are short of hot air then just post something on here about not having backup oars...

Not hot air willk, I just don't get the connection between having a gas engine and not needing oars.

[rgoers]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Personally, I think you would damage the tubes trying to remove them from a new sib. Even if you didn't damage it, you would leave a mess that would need to be covered with a wear patch.
As a matter of interest, you say "Since I'm using a gas motor, I don't ever carry oars with me" don't gas motors ever breakdown?

Nah... I've bought two brand new Suzuki motors so far. One pull, that's all.

I do see you're from the UK. You probably boat on inter-coastal waterways. I'm land-locked in the state of Utah (USA). That means mostly small-ish reservoirs. No tides. No currents. Enough boat traffic where flagging down someone to give you a tow wouldn't be too difficult.

I do carry a collapsible oar in my boat bag, since an "alternate propulsion device" is required by law. Oars aren't much good on an inflatable anyway. I tried it ONCE. Never again... Inflatables are a closer cousin to a 'huge sail' than they are to a 'rowboat'.

[rgoers]

Originally Posted by willk

You should be able to remove these with hot air* and clean up with solvent.
Given that you are in Ogden, Utah, perhaps warm the boat in the sun first and then use a hairdryer to heat up the adhesive and use a smooth rounded tool like a putty knife or spoon handle to lift the edge, warming underneath and continuing to lift the fitting away. MEK is the goto solvent but I seem to recall it being restricted in the US. A rafting supply outfit might be able to help? Be VERY careful to keep MEK away from any glued seams on the boat!! Don't use a heatgun unless you are very experienced - too much heat on a small area.
Assuming that the manufacturer has not sanded the contact area, the fitting may not leave much of a mark.

* If you are short of hot air then just post something on here about not having backup oars/engine/VHF/Polar Bear rifle and I'm sure someone will help out...

Awww cr@p! I'm always forgetting my polar bear rifle... It's the only one I have left. I lost ALL of the rest of my guns in a boating accident years ago.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by rgoers

Nah... I've bought two brand new Suzuki motors so far. One pull, that's all.

I do see you're from the UK. You probably boat on inter-coastal waterways. I'm land-locked in the state of Utah (USA). That means mostly small-ish reservoirs. No tides. No currents. Enough boat traffic where flagging down someone to give you a tow wouldn't be too difficult.

I do carry a collapsible oar in my boat bag, since an "alternate propulsion device" is required by law. Oars aren't much good on an inflatable anyway. I tried it ONCE. Never again... Inflatables are a closer cousin to a 'huge sail' than they are to a 'rowboat'.

makes sense.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Steve509926

Not hot air willk, I just don't get the connection between having a gas engine and not needing oars.

See, one of us google earthed "Ogden, UT" and the other one focused on setting the OP dude up for some safety advice.

I figured he'd just blow onto the other bank and walk home...

[willk]

Originally Posted by rgoers

I do carry a collapsible oar in my boat bag, since an "alternate propulsion device" is required by law.

I carry two, in case the first one breaks. Can't be too careful.



^ That's actually a lie, I carry two because having one useless POS extending paddle left my OCD in an unstable state, whereas having two of them makes me feel like a Voyageur.

[Fenlander]

Wood... that's what you need... there is no defence against pirate attack with an alloy and plastic fold up.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by willk

the other one focused on setting the OP dude up for some safety advice.

of course I did willk.

[willk]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Wood... that's what you need...

"Well, performance issues. It's not uncommon. One out of five..."

[rgoers]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Wood... that's what you need... there is no defence against pirate attack with an alloy and plastic fold up.

The only pirate attacks out here come from the giant waves all the surf boats create. If you're seated right, you can get quite a bit of air off these waves. If you're not seated right, these open bow inflatable catamarans will take a huge gulp of water, and you'll be sitting in 3" of water... which reminds me of my "other" safety device, (required by law, a bailing device). I chose to go with a hand operated kayak bilge pump, rather than a red Solo cup.

See? I can do "safety" as well as the other guy (except the other guy has two extra paddles, and I only have one... and a whistle).

[rgoers]

Originally Posted by willk

I figured he'd just blow onto the other bank and walk home...

There just might be some 10,000 foot peaks between me and home though. That's 3048 meters, for folks out your way. LOL

[User name]

willk is on the money, heat will take it off. I wouldn't bother with a hair drier though. Go straight to a heat gun and make sure you test the temp is closer to "uncomfortably burnie" instead of "melt your face off" before you go at the fabric.

I use a few different picky tools. A plastic trim tool used for cars is handy but the plastic tools will soften and bend from the heat too. I also have an old paint scraper that I dulled on the grinding wheel. It's way more effective but has more potential to damage the PVC if you try to bully it into coming off.

The fabric on these is pretty thin and I reckon it'll come off fairly easy. I fixed one of these for a friend (his floor was leaking) but his oar locks had the opposite problem to yours. They weren't properly fixed on and you could get your thumb under the edge so with any luck yours will want to come off too.

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by User name

willk is on the money, heat will take it off. I wouldn't bother with a hair drier though. Go straight to a heat gun and make sure you test the temp is closer to "uncomfortably burnie" instead of "melt your face off" before you go at the fabric.

I use a few different picky tools. A plastic trim tool used for cars is handy but the plastic tools will soften and bend from the heat too. I also have an old paint scraper that I dulled on the grinding wheel. It's way more effective but has more potential to damage the PVC if you try to bully it into coming off.

The fabric on these is pretty thin and I reckon it'll come off fairly easy. I fixed one of these for a friend (his floor was leaking) but his oar locks had the opposite problem to yours. They weren't properly fixed on and you could get your thumb under the edge so with any luck yours will want to come off too.

I am thinking this is not wise. Just leave as is and find a work around

[Fenlander]

>>A plastic trim tool used for cars is handy but the plastic tools will soften and bend from the heat too. I also have an old paint scraper that I dulled

Yep been there with the plastic car trim tools as they usually soften faster than glue. Best tool I have is a narrow flexy metal paint scraper that is nicely smoothed from scraping wallpaper from so many plastered walls.