Check out this awesome invention. David Lustgarten decided he needed more foot support for his 1935 Sisimuit Replica Qajaq. So he invented these totally ingenious foot pedals. In his own words:
“I thought about a lot of ways to make the bracing; bolting to the gunwales, a rod across like a closet rod, etc. Instead, of course, I chose the most complex!! I built adjustable sliding pedals. Initially they included a sliding wire to lock them to the chassis, but the rod got in the way of the ribs; I would have had to embed them, and I had already routed the tracks so it would have gotten to thin down the middle of the chassis.
The hooks hold ribs. After these photos I shaped the pedals to get more pressure near the top, so most of the pressure is against the ribs exactly where they mortise to the gunwales. I was also careful to trim away where the lacing is; the hooks and chassis are shaped to avoid rubbing the lacing. They work great. I drilled a bunch of hole to make them lighter. Here are some pics. You’ll be proud to know that I used scrap wood; we had some BC fir from a renovation in which we had to match some molding. Mostly planed, with only minor rasping. No sandpaper; I promise!”
