Well, on Thursday I received a T9 frame I bought on the German Ebay. My plan now is to restore the frame and find a new skin. I already own an AEII, which I have ended up paddling solo most of the time, so I decided to buy a single kayak. I have never paddled a T9 before, let alone seen one! So my first request to you wise people is to help me identify the kayak correctly. Is this really a T9? It may seem like a silly question but now that I have to find a new skin, I need to be sure that I have identified the kayak correctly! The seller inherited the kayak and had little knowledge of the subject.
Some pictures here:
http://lapalida.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/my-new-old-klepper.htmlI have further questions. The right T-fitting that holds the backrest seems to be twisted (see pics above). Do you recommend replacing this? I cannot see any cracks or other obvious signs of damage. The backrest can be attached properly with no problems.
In some pictures of other T9's I have noticed a little metal piece at the pointed end of the coaming, something like a hook(?) that keeps the two sides of the coaming together just above of metal horns on rib 3. This little hook-like piece seems to be missing from my coaming (see pics). Is this piece important? Suggestions on where to find it or how to improvise a repair?
In general the frame seems to be in fair condition. All the metal fittings seem to be really fine, except for the metal hinges on the stern piece, they are a bit corroded at the base, but feel solid and with no play. Any ideas how to deal with metal rot?
The seat seems strange (see pics). There are four holes near the corners that I'm not sure what they are for. There is a metal clip at the front of the seat to attach it to the floorboard, but there are no other clips. The seat rocks from left to right at the back, and my feeling is that it would break while paddling if I try to use it. The seats on the new AEII are very different.
The rudder is also quite different from that on the AEII (see pics). There is a chance that the seller sent the wrong rudder, as the one I received in the box was different to the one shown on the Ebay listing. There is no whole in the rudder to attach a string to lift/drop the rudder into the water. There is also a cilindrical extension with a hole on the rudder bracket that would seem useful to hold a flag?
My plan now is to sand down all the wood pieces, then apply marine varnish. Any suggestions on sanding (like sand grain) and type of varnish (brand) to use for best results? I also want to polish all the metal fittings to make them look shiny!
Best,
Mario.