Follow the instructions that come with your Ally Canoe. In addition to the instructions the following tips will assist you in the assembly process.
The Ally Canoe is a precision piece of equipment. All the pieces to fit together extremely easily if assembled correctly.
Tip #1 Get Organized
As shown in the picture, lay out all the pieces. For first time installers laying out the pieces dissolves some of the mystery associated with the assembly. And for seasoned installers laying out the pieces helps you locate pieces that are needed for various stages of the installation
The major components are:
- The cross pieces
- The longitudinal pieces
- The skin
- And the mat.
Tip #2 Installation of the Gunwale Rods through the sleeves.
The gunwale rods are distinguished from the other longitudinal pieces in that they are the same size pieces and not bound together at the ends like the other longitudinal pieces (the chine rods).
The person inserting the gunwale rod holds the gunwale sleeve (at the bow or stern) at its insertion point. A second person holds the gunwale sleeve about one third of the way down the length of the canoe and pulls the sleeve tight. This action produces a straight tunnel for the gunwale to be inserted into. Tip #3 Get the Foam Mat Seated Properly in the Skin
This is the most important step in the entire assembly process. If the foam mat is off (not perfectly centered) by even a minor amount, installation will be difficult to almost impossible.
Don’t even think about proceeding with the next step of the assembly if the mat is not perfectly aligned. If you do proceed with assembly (without centering the mat) you will most likely have almost completed the assembly process when you discover that the last cross ribs will not go in place. And the only alternative to completing the assembly is to start over. “Center the mat!”
After you have fully assembled the canoe, you will see how the mat is aligned in relation to the longitudinal pieces. If you determine the mat is centered (make this determination after the canoe is fully assembled) outline the mat onto the skin with permanent marker. Tip #4 Connecting the Gunwales to the Bow & Stern
After attaching the gunwale rods to the bow and stern members, press down on each of the bow and stern member (hold the part of the bow and stern at the place the keel rod is going to be inserted). This pushing down motion causes a rotation motion that further seats the bow and stern into the skin. At this point check to make sure the bow and stern pieces are deep inside the pocket of the skin and centered. Tip #5 Installation of the Keel Rod
After you connect all the chine rods to the bow & stern (the chine rods come in pairs) the keel rod can be connected to the bow & stern. The Keel Rod is a single longitudinal rod that runs along the bottom. The keel rod attaches to the bottom of the bow and stern pieces. Since the keel rod is going to take its intended form after the cross members are installed, it is going to bow up substantially. This is OK. Your gut feeling will be that the someone made a mistake and the keel rod is about 6 inches to long. Don’t worry, once the cross members are in place the extra length produces the arc the adds the rocker to the canoe. Tip #6 Don’t be afraid to Use the Rubber Mallet
The rubber mallet that comes with the canoe is used for pounding the cross members and the plastic clasps (that hold the cross members to the longitudinal pieces) into place. When pounding the cross member into place it’s OK to really pound the cross member into place. Be a little more careful in pounding the plastic clasps.
