Severne Clay asked: >>>>>.After looking at the different "stock" deck rigging solutions offered by stitch-and-glue manufacturers, I'm considering borrowing a deck rigging idea from skin-on-frame boats for my Arctic Tern: drilling holes slightly smaller than the shock cord diameter directly through the deck and threading the shock cords so that they expand to fill the holes. Has anybody tried this and want to discourage/encourage me? Any other ideas? It seems like a very elegant low-profile rigging solution(nothing to hook your clothing during re-entry), and no more holes than other eye-pad or webbing contraptions.<<<<<< We have not only tried this we have been doing this for the shock cords in front of the cockpit of Mariner kayaks for over 20 years now. It works well (or we would have been doing it differently for about 19 years). The major benefit is that nothing sticks up (not even a knot) to bark your knuckles on when paddling. The only trouble it caused was the one time that the holes were accidentally drilled with a drill bit that was one size too large and then the holes let a little water drip in (until we epoxied them closed and re-drilled them smaller). The other main problem they have caused us is when an old customers who has finally worn out the shock cord and wants to replace can't figure out how to get that big thick shock cord with the even blunter splayed out end through that tiny little hole in the deck. So here is how to do it: cut the cord and then peel back the casing about a 1/2 inch and cut away the rubber strands (preferably leaving them just a little longer in the middle of the bundle. Slide the casing back where it was so that it forms a tit on the end of the shock cord. Melt the end of the tit so you have a small hard knob on the end that will still fit through the small hole you made in the deck (but test it first on a scrap piece to determine the smallest hole size you shock cord can slide through when it is stretched). Tie a figure 8 knot in the opposite end of the shock cord for a stop and put the tit end through one of the forward holes from the inside of the kayak. Grab the end of the tit that sticks out with a pair of pliers and stretch the shock cord as far as it will go and then slide it through the hole. Do the same thing going down through the hole on the other side of the kayak and then move the tit back a row and thread up from the inside again. We use three cords showing across the deck but you could cross the deck as many times as you would like this way by using a longer or shorter shock cord piece. The cord should not be stretched when it is in place but all the slack should be taken out of it. If the shock cord stretches out some over time or with use simply tighten it up and tie another figure 8 knot in the end and cut off the excess and melt the cover so it doesn't fray. In a wood skin I highly recommend you use the drill/epoxy/re-drill a smaller hole method that someone already mentioned. If the deck skin is thin you may wish to reinforce it some inside where you intend to drill the holes. We have used the black nylon eyelets on the rear deck of many hundreds of kayaks for over 20 years as well and I can't recall any having ever failed in all those years (and I personally don't hesitate to pick up a loaded kayak by the deck lines between two of them). Black is better than natural nylon color here because the suns rays can't penetrate the surface much through the black color to degrade the nylon inside. If the eyelets are farther away from a cockpit or hatch opening than you can reach with a socket wrench tape the wrench to a stick or vacuum cleaner tube (as we have) so one person can hold the nylock nut up in place while the other turns the screw. Make sure the screws are short enough not to stick out beyond the rounded cap of the nylock nuts (so they don't tear at gear bags) but long enough to engage the nylock part of the nut (so they won't come loose). Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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