Day 8, Skin on Frame River Touring Kayak: rigging and accessories.
I spent years getting the cockpit for this boat perfect so I’m not touching anything there, but I am experimenting with some alternate deck line arrangements and a drain plug.
I’m leaving the bow and stern tied with English bridle leather straps because it gives me the strength of rope so I can carry, rescue, or tow a loaded boat with confidence, but is a lot more UV resistant and is less floppy which makes it easy to quickly stow a Greenland paddle on the front deck. It’s also a little bit grippy which is nice for holding things on deck in place when you’re getting the stuffing beat out of you in a fierce foam-ball.
For the lines near the cockpit though I’m experimenting with using the pad eye and bungee system that I’ve developed for my pack canoes. I can’t really say much about that because I can think of a lot of potential upside’s and a lot of potential downsides and the only way to really judge is to see how it functions and wears over time.
I’ve added a drain plug to this one which hasn’t been something that I’ve been keen on in the past but feels appropriate on this boat. Once again time will tell whether that’s actually a good idea. I’ve never accidentally left the drain plug out of a boat that didn’t have one.
Looking forward to taking it for a spin.
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