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Author	Message Text
justpaddlin	07/03/2018 05:44PM   Congrats on your Zephyr! Great boat. I just checked the two Blackhawks in my garage and both have the serial number etched on the right rear side, just below the gunnel, about one foot from the stern end. The etching can be really hard to see so maybe you want to feel for it first. My first solo was a Blackhawk Shadow 14. It was fiberglass and nice and light...and the hull dented from the tension of straps. Now I don't mind finding a relatively heavy Blackhawk. My Ariel weighed a ton but also seemed very stiff. I'm skeptical that gold tape means Kevlar. I had a Zephyr and an Ariel and both had gold tape and both were fiberglass. One thing Blackhawk did on Kevlar boats was to leave a small diamond-shape patch on the interior unpainted so one could see the Kevlar color...but I don't know if they always did it...they were known to experiment a lot. My Combi 15.8 is Kevlar. I'm new to this forum so not sure how to post a pic but if you want to see a pic let me know and I'll figure it out.
Surfman	07/04/2018 12:35PM   Thanks for the info. It is a joy to paddle and I am really enjoying it so far. I would love to get my hands on an Ariel someday but Blackhawks are a needle in a hay stack in Texas. I am shocked I ran into a Zephyr. I do not have a diamond painted in it so it could be the silver layup. I really am not too concerned about which layup it is as it is 40lbs either way. So it is either a heavy gold or a light silver. Post a pic of your Combi if you have a chance. I would like to see it.
pswith5	07/04/2018 04:55PM   Hey surfman, nice looking canoe! Are you from Houston? I was just there visiting my daughter 2 weeks ago. Did a quick search for members for a possible impromptu wingnite. But didn't see anyone who I recognized as a regular poster to the site. Maybe next time. Pete
Surfman	06/14/2018 10:08AM   Hi All, Just picked up a Blackhawk Zephyr in the Silver layup (fiberglass) with the ICS for $700. I purchased it from a really nice older lady who was the original owner and she kept very good care of it. It was purchased years ago from the old SouthWest Canoe Rendezvous that the Houston Canoe Club use to put on. As for condition it has a few chips out of the bow which you can see in the pictures and normal scratches. I also believe I put some fine spider cracks in it during transport home from the straps and the wind I hit. I don't over tighten my straps so either the gel coat is just a little soft or maybe they were there before and I just did not notice. Either way I am a bit bummed about that but they are not too bad. It weighs 40lbs exactly on a reliable scale which is slightly lighter than the weights I have seen published for a Silver layup with the ICS. I paddled it last night for the first time and it is a fun boat to paddle. I need to give it a good washing but I wanted to get some Watco on the gunwales before doing so. Please ignore the grime in the pictures. I did have two questions about it. 1. I cannot for the life of me find a serial number on this boat. I looked in all the common places including the right stern which is common for Blackhawk serial number etchings. Anyone have any idea of age or where else the serial number might be? I was thinking maybe it was a paper serial number plate. I know this may be difficult without a serial number. 2. I was looking at pictures of the Ariel and Zephyr. The stern tank on the Ariel is the one where the top of the tank is the deckplate. Every Zephyr I have seen is like mine where the tank is not part of the deckplate. Did the Zephyr ever have that stern tank like the Ariel? Thanks for Looking! Surfman
carmike	07/04/2018 09:18PM   I have a Blackhawk Shadow that is also missing a serial number....I've heard/read that it's pretty common. Nice boat!
Surfman	07/04/2018 09:21PM   Yes I am from Houston. I paddle the west and east fork of the San Jacinto river weekly. Let me know next time you are in town.
Surfman	06/14/2018 07:15PM   Somebody informed me that this might be the Gold Layup. Apparently the pinstripe decal on Gold Layups is gold in color and in the Silver Layup it is silver in color. I had no idea.
justpaddlin	07/06/2018 06:37PM   Hey Surfman, I recreated a photo gallery called "Blackhawk canoes" with some shots of my Combi 15.8 and also Shadow 15.8. Hope you can find it and hope you enjoy...I'm a new user here. I keep looking at your wood trim and trying to figure out if it's been modified or if it's just been stained...and has some detail near the bow that wasn't on all Zephyrs.
Surfman	07/06/2018 06:52PM   The bow and stern gunwales both have inlays of different wood. It is not stained and I have seen this same thing on a few other Blackhawks. It is a pretty neat detail. Blackhawk seemed to do all sorts of things like this.