Bradford R. Crain wrote: > This summer I managed to pull the grab handle out of the bow of my > kayak. I was dragging the fully loaded boat up onto a beach and stressed > the aluminum rivets beyond capacity. I should have known better but was > being impatient. No injury resulted except to my ego. This is something that bugs me. I often hear paddlers say that you shouldn't lift a kayak by its toggles. Heck, as far as I'm concerned, if the toggle can't hold the max design weight of the kayak comfortably, it isn't designed right. Why put on a "handle" if you aren't supposed to use it? On my kayak (and many others) the Brit-style end toggle passes through the hull where the end-pour is. That's solid resin covered with glass. The limit of the strength is the rope the toggle is tied with. That's easy enough to make strong. Flimsy kayaks without end pours and screwed or riveted handle are just not adequate. I covered my toggles with softer plastic to make it stickier than the plain ABS. I've dropped another kayak when my wet hands slipped on the same kind of toggle. However, just sanding the toggle rough will do it. Mike *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Sep 26 2006 - 21:48:10 PDT
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