Air 60 Cockpit Width Fix.

So you want to make this sweet new big boys toy fit you properly? Well here's what I did to make it fit perfectly.

Step 1: Remove Components. You will need a large Phillips head screw driver and a 7/16" socket with ratchet handle; a deep socket is best. It is easiest if you pull the seat first, bend and force it out, it'll come. Remove the bracket holding the strip of plastic for the backband and the whole backband with it. Then using the socket, remove the two nuts on the bolts that go through the boat. Getting the screwdriver to hold on the screws as they are positioned can be a trick but it does work, it's not too hard.

Step 2: Modification. At this point you have all the parts out of the boat and you are ready to do the mod. The biggest portion of the mod is cutting the right angle bracket that was attached to the underside of the deck next to your hips. This bracket is going to go in with the flat portion that was facing toward the center of the boat, facing away from the center. You need to cut off the portion that will end up sticking into the cockpit when the bracket is mounted as far toward the center as possible. Use a hacksaw and cut through the diagonal supports and the flat portion that will contact the underside of the deck. It should look like this:

Step 3: More Modification. This step is optional. You can drill out the rivets connecting the ratchet strap and the plastic strip to pull the plastic mounts from the plastic strip. You don't have to pull these plastic mounts off, but if you have access to a pop rivet gun and some pop rivets you can go ahead and do it.

Step 4: The hold out straps. This is what is actually going to hold the strap to the outside rather then the inside of the cockpit. You need to cut a piece of one inch flat webbing to length and burn holes in it so it can loop around the bracket like this:

Now that you have the loop around your modified bracket, insert the plastic strip from the backband as shown below. Make sure that there are two layers of webbing between the top of the bolt and the plastic. It may come undone otherwise. The pictures below show the final situation of the strap. Below left: From front of bracket. Below right: Looking at bottom of bracket.

Step 5: Reinstallation. Put the bracket in with the plastic strip from the backband to the outside of the bracket. The bracket should be going back in turned 180 degrees from the original setup. Make sure everything is seated properly and tighten the whole muss up. Go tight enough that the black rubber washers squish a little but not too much.

Disclaimer: This is a fix for a problem with outfitting from Riot. I have nothing to do with Riot. I paddle their boats and sell them. If you don't feel comfortable doing this modification, don't do it! I take no responsibility for anything that happens as a result of this modification. I use it in my own personal boat and it allows the boat to outperform the stock boat by leaps and bounds. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me directly at kayaker@tds.net or call me at Carl and John's Paddlin'.