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Fiber-Thruster Printed From: ProfessorPaddle.com Category: The Class Room Forum Name: Open Forum Forum Discription: Discuss and Share your expertise on products or technique URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5223 Printed Date: 07 Jul 2026 at 9:15pm Topic: Fiber-Thruster Posted By: Ryan Subject: Fiber-Thruster Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 3:23pm I wasn't able to boat this weekend  so I built a fiberglass over-thruster in my spare time.  I've wanted to buy one but it's hard to justify $40 for a piece of plastic.  I've seen ones made of foam and the popular beach ball but this seems like a better solution. I ran across this post on Atlantic Kayaker that gave great instructions on how to make one out of fiberglass.  I pretty much followed their directions and it was pretty easy.  I have no experience with fiberglass but it's some messy/smelly stuff.  My intention was to take pictures through the process but I ended up just taking shots of the finished product. Check it out!!  I'm happy to help someone make one if interested.  It cost me less than $20. Top (link) Bottom (link) On the boat (link) Now I can't use the excuse of my skirt imploding for not being able to loop! I'm going to do some flatwater at Gasworks around 7:00 tonight to try it out if anyone wants to join me. Replies: Posted By: James Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 3:32pm Nice work Ryan that thing looks PRO for Sure!!! Can't wait to see the big ole loops! J ------------- Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 3:42pm Looks nice, lets get some instructions on making one of these up. Edit: nevermind, I'm a retard.... Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 3:44pm Here they are: http://atlantickayaker.com/2006/07/10/how-to-build-a-volume-enhancing-thruster/ Edit: Yotes is a retard. Posted By: mcolgin Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 4:01pm Dude, that owns! Nice job. You need to start selling them now! Posted By: water wacko Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 5:25pm Hey Ryan, I'll be down at the SRK sesh tonight from 6:30 - 8. I'd love to see it. ------------- "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." ~Howard Thurman Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 5:32pm right on, i'll head over there instead. I get tired of tourists taking pics of me from the "Duck" anyways. :) Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 11 Jun 2007 at 9:35pm So, yeah... it works real nice!  Loop!  Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 8:40am Nice, I started mine up last night. All the volume of the beach ball plus some leg room! Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 9:31am Yotes Some things I did that are not included on the linked instructions... - Drilled a hole at the top and put in a Rivet with some glue.  I have a hole for an overthruster already on my cockpit lip.  You may want to drill one into the boat if you don't. - This seems obvious but I sanded the edges to smooth them out and round off the corners. - After getting it in the water I really need to put a foam block on mine.  I was going to but in the process of shaping the foam.  It does not float and kind of ackward. - Duct tape doesn't seem to do the job to protect the edges.  It was starting to peel after getting wet.  I'm not sure what I'll try next. Post some pics when you finish it!  Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 9:38am Thanks for the tips, I had a few ideas for some mods. One was to put foam near the edges to keep it in place along the cockpit rim. One thing you might try to keep the duct tape from peeling is using a hair dryer or heat gun to melt it into place, kind of like doing a duct tape repair on a kayak. There's a good article on oregon kayaking about how to do that. I'll put up some pics when I'm done with mine. Posted By: dave Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 10:33am If I did that to my boat, could I do loops and bow stalls then? ------------- Nomad Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 10:57am I think you need a smaller boat.  i'm sure it's possible in a Teckno (maybe?) but it would be easier to learn in a smaller boat.  I could hardly get the bow down in a LL Pop and then bought a Crazy 88 and was cartwheeling in no time.  I've been working on the loop for a while now and after adding the overthruster I was starting to get some clean loops last night.  It's all about technique, practice, AND the right boat. Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 11:01am Too true. I was trying all last year to land a loop in my Sub 7, hopped into James's air last fall and looped it on the first try. That said, practice the move in your techno, then when you switch to a shorter boat the loop will be a lot easier to pull off. Posted By: dave Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 11:32am Ya, I know my boat is holding me back, this fall I will be buying something different................ ------------- Nomad Posted By: mcolgin Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 1:36pm Like Build a New Boat while you are at it! http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/video/3019809250100343814CoHoeL?vhost=home-and-garden&tag=nl.e415 Posted By: dave Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 2:21pm What if I don't have a papason chair? ------------- Nomad Posted By: dave Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 2:24pm Took more time to build a paddle than to build the boat.! ------------- Nomad Posted By: dave Date Posted: 12 Jun 2007 at 2:26pm Where do you find this stuff at? Crazy video. ------------- Nomad Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 13 Jun 2007 at 8:53am A couple of things I'll add to this..... You can save yourself a lot of time and trouble by using a dremel tool with a cutting wheel instead of a hacksaw (added bonus, the wheel does most of the sanding as it cuts). Also, if you're going for a lot of added volume (more dome shaped), add a few more sheets of the fiberglass cloth to give it a little more stiffness (I added mine to the bottom after the first three plys dried, this allows you to use some of the scraps from the first part). Sorry Ryan, no pictures yet. Giving it a test run tonight, might make some adjustments afterwards. Posted By: dave Date Posted: 13 Jun 2007 at 9:25am You have got to be kidding me, right? Are you going down the river, like the Sky or something? I would love to get a video of you doing Boulder Drop! ------------- Nomad Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 13 Jun 2007 at 9:35am I'm talking about the overthruster, dave, not the chair boat thing. And no, the skykomish is a bit too much of a drive for me. I'll be doing flatwater in the columbia. Posted By: Chuck e fresh Date Posted: 19 Jun 2007 at 5:23pm That  would be sick if you could add a thruster too that choat !!!!!!! ------------- There's no such word as can't!so stop making excuses!!!! Posted By: James Date Posted: 19 Jun 2007 at 10:26pm I say just buy a TYR Pool Bouy 5 bucks floats and lasts for eva!!! ------------- Posted By: Ryan Date Posted: 13 Jul 2007 at 11:53am Update... I've been using the my "fiber-thruster" for a while now and the foam I glued to the bottom to keep it afloat came off the other day.  I used the rubber cement stuff I bought about 3 years ago to outfit my boat.  It could very well be that it's old.  I did re-outfit my Huka this season and it's holding up fine so who knows. Anyhow, I slapped some (a lot) of ducktape over the foam and will see how that works. It does not float on it's own. (larger image) Remember, it's not pretty but works great!  Loop! Yotes, did you ever make one? Take some pics dude! Posted By: Yotes Date Posted: 13 Jul 2007 at 2:33pm Yeah, I made mine, I've just been lazy and haven't taken pictures.

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