decklines, on deck storage and padeyes



Deck lines and elastics are essential for kayak safety and storage on deck, but the padeyes are a pain in the neck. They either are too bulky or hard and can inflict damage when doing rescues.  I began with stainless steel padeyes on my first kayak, then progressed to nylon loops coming out of a hole on the deck. Now I have seen this great idea on the Black Pearl and am trying it out on my new Guillemot Fast Double. Its a small channel joining two holes on the deck,  flush with the deck,  very strong and not to mention waterproof.

Use electric cord to make a loop through the holes on the deck with the loop on the underside of the deck.The epoxy does not stick to the plastic and so you can pull it out easily once the epoxy has hardened, leaving a channel under the deck for you lines or elastics



this is what it looks like under the deck



make a frame of plasticine to hold the "dookie shmuts" in place while it sets



Once its hard you can remove the frame and trim off excess leaving a smallish bump under the deck



Now you can thread lines or elastics through the channel as you like. Make sure to round off the holes opening on the deck and seal it well with epoxy. {I havent done this step yet, for demo only}



And of course my favourite subject, I just love seeing parents bringing their small kids to play in their kayaks. The age when our kids still like to do stuff with us passes too quickly so I say get them in your kayak as soon as you can and maybe the love of it will pass on.