jk hero / rocker water bottle holder mod

[okieboater]

Here is a water bottle mod I made. For me, this solved a lame water bottle holder on the hero / rocker. I passed this info on to EJ in a email and never got an answer if they planned to add this simple but effective mod to the boat.

I just used scrap foam

first get your seat adjusted for your paddle style

There is a standard thickness of foam that is perfect for the height of the JK center rod.

Use your own measurements to size two strips of foam to fit side by side over your kayak center rod

use your own measurements to cut a piece of foam to fit over the kayak center wide and hold your water bottle

use your own measurements to cut two sections of foam to cradle your water bottle.

go to lowes or home depot and get the velcro strips

velcro the foam setup to the center rod

velcro the water bottle to secure it into the foam cradle

see the photos for examples
also note the extra glue around the seat air tube. I have had these pull out several times. put on the extra glue around the flat part and along the tube and no problems since. This is a weak spot on the air tube design by JK.

I just used scrap foam. I am sure others can make a better holder than I have, but mine have worked just fine for over a year.

[Regud]

Nice idea! I think I might do something like this in my Hero.

[TJ]

But does it stay in when you are getting pounded in the big hole at Crystal? lol

[okieboater]

In a situation like that I am so glued to the front deck, there could be a bowling ball bouncing around down there and I would never feel it.

Or maybe when I am doing back flips in the Skull big hole in a prijon Chopper and my bud setting a few feet away in the eddy is laughing so hard he never takes a picture even tho I made multiple flips -----------

[TJ]

OK. Tell you what. I'll get set up in the RL eddy this fall at Westwater. You and Jimmy J drop into that hole in front of Skull again & I promise to get some really sweet pics of those cool Freestyle moves that Eric Jackson would kill to see.
Paddlingly yours,
TJ

[okieboater]

NO MAS, NO MAS

That was the worst beat down ever for me, No Intentional Repeats!!!!!

[GutIt]

Just curious?

Were you also lucky enough to have the added bonus of winding up in the Room after this rodeo throwdown?

[okieboater]

After what seemed like ten minutes but was less I guess

I thought I could blow thru the hole, got just about out paddling like mad
but
got pulled backwards by a big ole river hand, sucked down stern first to the bottom, beat around a bit then
shot up into either a forward or back complete end to end flip in the air,
back down, set up to roll only to get shot up flipped and back down,
I think this went on for at least 3 maybe more airborn flips then I pulled the rip cord on the bottom and got flushed out, not sure what happened to the boat but I ended up on the river left only one rock a person could set on. Giving thanks that I did not end up in the Room of Doom----

got a ride out on a raft with a long time real deal brain surgeon Doc. She looked at me but said"Dave, if you had a head trauma, I could help you but I know zero about shoulders" She did have good drugs tho and that got me home to Tulsa.

Ended up with pulled neck muscles, pulled shoulder muscles, torn tendons and partial dislocation all on the right side. Took me several years, lost count of the doctor and P/T visits and finally had to set out one season with all sorts of p/t exercises and tendon prolo therapy to get it back where it is now, which is maybe 80 percent.

I have seen kayaks just blow thru that hole but a big boat like a chopper is like raw meat to a pit bull dog in that baby. Since then I take the scenic route around the gnar and leave the hole riding to the big dogs.

Stay away from that hole unless the force is fully with you.

[SteveGabbard]

Lets see the beatdown

[okieboater]

I fully agree

TJ Hittle sat in the eddy with camera in hand and never pushed the trigger!!!!

[TJ]

Or at least that is what I said I did. Heh Heh. There are some things that are just too precious to let others see. Heh Heh. My precious.