# getting ready for the Grand



## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

needed a new table so here's what I came up with. All aluminum, legs store under table top, works in the kitchen, on the boat as a platform and 
serves as a loading ramp when strapped to the frame. painted black to catch what little sun we'll see launching on Dec 5th. its turning out to be quite a challenge to outfit a 18' Aire cat for a 25 day Grand trip, being the sole support boat for two kayakers.


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## Tom Martin (Dec 5, 2004)

Very NICE!


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

mrkyak said:


> needed a new table so here's what I came up with. All aluminum, legs store under table top, works in the kitchen, on the boat as a platform and
> serves as a loading ramp when strapped to the frame. painted black to catch what little sun we'll see launching on Dec 5th. its turning out to be quite a challenge to outfit a 18' Aire cat for a 25 day Grand trip, being the sole support boat for two kayakers.


Be sure to thoroughly document the rigging of your setup. I've got the same boat i want to take on the ditch


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## kikii875 (Oct 25, 2010)

Well done Mike. Have a great time, I wish I could join you. And Happy Birthday.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

thanks KiKii & Tom, I added a set of short legs for use as a cocktail table. this design is bound to be copied, just remember where you saw it first.

if you ever get a chance to buy a MSR Pavilion, do it. it the best group shelter ever made, which arent made anymore. we fit 21 folks in the river chairs and survived a incredible storm on the Green at the Cove. sides roll up for shade structure. with only three of us there's room for after dinner darts.

Avatard, the raft rigging is getting close. You're gonna love it


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Yeah but i saw a lot of ammo cans. They cant all be groover storage. How much weight are they?


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

the frame is 130" x 74". it has a diamond plate steel floor under the cooler and captains area. the first bay has 4 ammo cans, two for charcol, one is the river sauna stove, one is canned goods. an additional cross bar has been added to suspended them by their handles with the bottom of the cans being higher than the main floor. this allows air and water to pass under the boat easier. once the charcol is used they become the ash can and garabage cans. these cans can take any punishment thrown at them.

the second bay has the yeti cooler and three 5 gal water containers.

the captains bay has two boxes which will be for food storage and snacks.

Under the oar chair is a box I made to carry: fire pan, stove, repair kit, major first aid kit. hand wash stations,shower,dart board, board games, liquor and all the misc gear that just doesn't fit well elsewhere. I'm sure there will be room for food storage as well. 

the last bay has the kitchen box and a food storage drybox. propane tanks will be in the middle. I made a cage to hold the groover which straps to the frame. an additional cross bar has been added so the rear dryboxes are suspended and not resting their weight on the web floor. once the groover gets too heavy it will replace the propane tanks and the empty tanks will be strapped in the grover frame.

as usual drybags, chairs, roll tables, etc will be strapped down over the rear bay. haven't made the gopro mounts yet. 

22 days and counting..........


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

Looks tight and clean.

They might not fit as tidy but i like using 5gal bucket with gamma lid for the charcoal/ashes. Each bucket saves about 10 lbs. I have a steel chrismas popcorn tin that the embers get suffocated in at the end of the night so they can be reused next day (when doing wood). This sits in shallow pan of water to assist cooling

You can get 5gal bucket slings that will strap next to your groover and not take up any frame space. The buckets can even survive the occassional smack into a rock.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Can't risk a plastic bucket breaking due to cold or hitting the cheese grater (rock bottom right in Lava Falls). These metal ammo cans can handle trash stomping until they reach the density of a black hole. We'll burn what we can but still need a place for those 20 cases of empty Old Chub cans.


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

What size ammo cans are those? They look wider then the typical rocket boxes.

You will no regret bringing a few buckets, we used them for settling out water to filter as well as to keep our beer cold when we were too lazy to walk down to our drag bags... With a Dec trip, cold beer should not be an issue. You can always store then in the compartment with your LP tanks.


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## EZ (Feb 10, 2004)

I like that groover spot! Basically makes a 6th bay for The Goodness.

Hell, why even derig it? Just bring a shower curtain type setup to shield the beach from the crescent moon view as the user enjoys a great river view and easy pee access.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Ammo cans are 15" high x 9 1/2" wide x 18" deep. They have six latches that hold the top panel in place, they are steel and weight 8 pounds. I can't find identification as to their army use.


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## Faucet Butt (May 11, 2008)

What kind of stove system are you bringing? For a Dec. trip, it might not be a bad idea to bring along a jetboil or similar to bust out during the day to brew up cocoa or tea...

I'm not a big fan of lanterns but your light in the canyon that time of year will be gone by 6:00. Perhaps consider a small lantern or tiki torches (though not good in wind, more festive).


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## kikii875 (Oct 25, 2010)

EZ said:


> I like that groover spot! Basically makes a 6th bay for The Goodness.
> 
> Hell, why even derig it? Just bring a shower curtain type setup to shield the beach from the crescent moon view as the user enjoys a great river view and easy pee access.


I wouldn't be able to use the groover while it was hanging out over the water like that. I need to be able to brace my feet and get some good leverage.


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

kikii875 said:


> I wouldn't be able to use the groover while it was hanging out over the water like that. I need to be able to brace my feet and get some good leverage.


Side handles not enough for you? Nrs sells shitter footbrace bars on page 21 of the catalog. Or just face backward towards Rower

I've never seen an ammo can that size and that lightweight


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Three burner partner stove is going because of its reliability, blaster one burner with stand and a couple of jet boils. With only one raft there is redundancy with practically all critical gear. Most all night activity will be in the MSR tent pictured. I'll be taking two small single mantle lanterns which use backpack stove gas canisters, two hand crank lanterns, a Kelly luma pivot led base camp lantern, Coleman lantern that takes 6D cells (with six extra batteries) and a couple led headlamps. A K-Tor hand crank generator for charging iPad and gopros. I use a small deep cycle 12v battery to power the iPod/marine stereo system on the raft. It has an inverter which can also provide USB charging.
With only three of us the Grover will probably end up on the beach next to the raft or inside the river sauna tent in which case a small propane tank and a mister heater would provide instant warmth for those chilly morning visits.

For all you play boaters out there my two kayaker friends who are joining me are from Germany. They seek out big waves around the globe, check out their website
Time4charity.com


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

If you are the only raft, you may want to beef up on the LP. The photo shoes three 10lb bottles. On my 16 day summer trip we went through almost two 20lb bottles and all we were doing was cooking and heating wash water with them on a four burner partner.

I went searching for those ammo cans. Best I cold find, they are 30mm cans and not easy to find with the six latch system. I'm going to keep searching, I would love to get my hands on two. They would be much cheaper than having two boxes built.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

I just used those for the photo. actually we'll carry two 20 pound fiberglass and two 10 pound fiberglass tanks. maybe a 5 pound metal tank for the grover.

keep those ideas coming I dont want to miss anything.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

mrkyak said:


> With only three of us the Grover will probably end up on the beach next to the raft or inside the river sauna tent in which case a small propane tank and a mister heater would provide instant warmth for those chilly morning visits.


In my experience, even a closed groover tent is noxious after a day or two of use. A groover in an enclosed heated space is going to be nasty!


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## Avatard (Apr 29, 2011)

lhowemt said:


> In my experience, even a closed groover tent is noxious after a day or two of use. A groover in an enclosed heated space is going to be nasty!


Maybe to you. Some of us boaters feel differently. 

I personally got to experience the groover beetle out in force this fall. One word .... AWESOME


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Grover deposits will be frozen each morning, so a little heat to warm the spirit can't be too awful.


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## 1hydro (Jun 19, 2012)

Wow,nice rig.
Have a great trip.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Thanks hydro
If you missed my other threads check them out:
River stereo and river sauna
They were both part of getting ready for the grand.


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

mrkyak said:


> Ammo cans are 15" high x 9 1/2" wide x 18" deep. They have six latches that hold the top panel in place, they are steel and weight 8 pounds. I can't find identification as to their army use.


It must be January and I have nothing else to do but search for rocket box sizes, but I found them. You have 30MM ammo cans (M592) with the exterior dimensions of 9.5" x 14.25" x 18.5". The 20mm cans (M548 ) "Rocket Boxes" exterior dimensions of 8.25" x 14.25" x 18.5". Where can I buy such cans you may ask... All over it seems if you google "M592 ammo can", Here's a place that sells them for $19 + shipping.

Finally I can sleep at night.


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## David L (Feb 13, 2004)

TriBri1 said:


> It must be January and I have nothing else to do but search for rocket box sizes, but I found them. You have 30MM ammo cans (M592) with the exterior dimensions of 9.5" x 14.25" x 18.5". The 20mm cans (M548 ) "Rocket Boxes" exterior dimensions of 8.25" x 14.25" x 18.5". Where can I buy such cans you may ask... All over it seems if you google "M592 ammo can", Here's a place that sells them for $19 + shipping.
> 
> Finally I can sleep at night.


With your arms around your new ammo cans, safe and secure under the blanket?

Good find.


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## cataraftgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

TriBri1 said:


> It must be January and I have nothing else to do but search for rocket box sizes, but I found them. You have 30MM ammo cans (M592) with the exterior dimensions of 9.5" x 14.25" x 18.5". The 20mm cans (M548 ) "Rocket Boxes" exterior dimensions of 8.25" x 14.25" x 18.5". Where can I buy such cans you may ask... All over it seems if you google "M592 ammo can", Here's a place that sells them for $19 + shipping.
> 
> Finally I can sleep at night.


Man, I've got to bookmark that place. It's outdoor containers heaven 
Thanks for the link.


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## mrkyak (Jul 11, 2005)

Not the exact ammo can I'm using
But those will suffice for gear storage.


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

cataraftgirl said:


> Man, I've got to bookmark that place. It's outdoor containers heaven
> Thanks for the link.


If you order from them, post what they charge for shipping. I agree great prices unless they stick it to you later.



mrkyak said:


> Not the exact ammo can I'm using
> But those will suffice for gear storage.


Darn it, back to sleepless nights searching for ammo cans...


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

My search for those extra wide rocket boxes continues... I think I found them: The CNU 405, Ammo Can Grade 1 [AAC4051ZZ] - $48.00 Product Dimensions: (Length)17.5 inches x (Width)10 inches x (Height)14 inches.


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## denachuck (Jan 12, 2012)

Lexington Container shipped my 2, 2.5 gallon scepter water jugs and 4, 3.5 gallon buckets with lids for $50. Expensive but fair. Quick service too.


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