Perception Eclipse Sealion

I bought this Perception Eclipse Sealion along with a Perception Shadow. Both were in great condition although both rudder blocks and clevis pins were missing, along with the Eclipse rudder rest. The seat-backs, deck roping and bungee cording on both boats were shot and needed replacement.

The Perception Eclipse Sea Lion was modeled after the Aquaterra Sealion and the design improvements are clearly evident in the Eclipse.  This is a larger volume boat made for touring.

But time to get to work

As with all these restorations a good power washing and all the deck rigging, bungee, hatch strapping, seat-back rigging and broken hardware needs to be removed to see what I’m starting with.

All in all I was impressed with the condition of this boat and was better to appreciate the lines–– much improved from the Aquaterra Sealion. This is an LV Touring boat and looks fast on the water under full cargo. I was excited about this one.

With my other restores, I always felt the deck rigging on boats of this era were inadequate, not meant for modern deck pods the likes of Gearlab, so I wanted ot make sure this boat had what was needed and used 1/4″braided yacht line. Although it meant having to remove every cording grommet–– stripping a few salt caked stainless screws in the process–– it was well worth the effort. The 1/4″ braided yacht line around the entire deck felt substantial. I also used a good quality 1/4″ bungee (Boat Owner’s Warehouse located in Stuart FL) and not the stuff I had once previously purchased through Amazon, shipped from China that looses its elasticity after about an hour in the sun.

One of the challenges on both these boats was how I was going to deal with the missing nylon rudder blocks and stainless clevis pins. These are not items readily available for discontinued models and I did not want to spend $100.00 on replacements available through Topkayakers.com (my go to place for parts). Fortunately, I had already fabricated one of these in the past, finding a 1 sq. ft of nylon block on-line in the thickness exactly needed. As for the stainless clevis pin.. well.. not an easy thing to find in the diameter and lenght needed without ordering a custom fin at a price I could not afford on a flip. Then I got the idea of using Carbon Fiber rods. Not only could I find one in the exact diameter needed (10 cm), but I could cut to length and it made a perfect bond into the nylon like a glove. This is something I will use in the future because it is super strong and easily replaceable. Rudder blocks on vintage boats are usually the first things to go. I have yet to find a vintage rudder boat without a missing or cracked rudder block. But then again, it’s why I usually find these boats on the market at discounted prices.

This was by far the most fun I had with rigging to date, where all the rigging ends and cord joins were pinned and dressed under shrink-wrap.

 

 

Time to start on the Perception Shadow–– this one going to my neighbor