I've read through many good archived posts on storing things inside the cockpit. I am only interested in attaching two bungees to store a hand pump in front of the keyhole. I have a low deck so don't want a Northwater deck bag, netting, tube, or custom cut foam.
Adhesives and velcro have been mentioned. Drilling holes through the boat with nuts and bolts brackets are possible.
How about epoxy though? Can brackets that the bungees attach to be strongly secured by using the marine 2 part epoxy tubes sold in hardware stores?
Added: fiberglass boats. Before doing a permanent mount, I should try paddling with the pump duct taped there to make sure it does not bother me during a re-entry.
epoxy Is this a composite boat? If yes, then epoxy should work fine. I’ve seen some d-rings or loops attached to a round pad, made for gluing in, and that would be ideal. Not sure where I saw it - maybe someplace like West Marine or Hamilton Marine?
existing hardware? On a couple RM kayaks I attached things underneath the deck via the existing through-deck hardware, or at least via those holes with longer bolts.
Vinyl pads w/ buckles Northwater also sells the vinyl pads with 1/2 of a fastex buckle attached separately from their under deck bag. Add a couple of pieces of web to clip between them with 1/2 buckles on the ends and you’re set.
Existing Deck Rigging? If there is then just unbolt them from below and put on cable clips (name’s escaping me but the same little clamps that are usually used on the skeg/rudder cable tubes) to run your bungee through.
Flashlight brackets. I don’t remember where I saw them. Maybe Home Depot? They are stainless steel spring clips, designed for mounting D cell flashlights in various places. I remember thinking at the time, these would work for a stirrup pump. Ken…
Another option . . . When I made the Pygmy Tern 14s, I attached stainless steel D-rings (1/2") in a number of places by epoxying a 1.5" rectangle of fiberglass over the swivel tab holding the D ring. The hole in the tab is not used for a bolt, but I think it helps strengthen the bond of the tab to the deck. You have to be careful not to let epoxy get into the area where the D-ring swivels in the tab. These tabs can then have bungee attached, net bags, etc.
As a precaution to avoid even the remote possibility of being trapped in your boat by the bungee, if overturned, it is advisable to use very lightweight bungee inside the cockpit: so light that a kick of your foot can break it.
Also, consider that the bolts running through the deck,for the pad eyes that connect the upper deck bungees, can be used on the underside to secure nylon tabs with loops. You may need to replace with longer bolts, but simply remove the nut underside, add the looped tab and replace the nut. If you do this on four sides underneath, you can knot bungee and pull it through the loops to secure your gear underneath. So, I have looped lightweight bungee under the deck, to which I attach the clips on an under-deck bag, or any other piece of gear that suits the mission.
Finally, you can mix up some epoxy mud, adding enough sawdust to the epoxy to make it the consistency of peanut butter and fasten pad eyes underneath (sand first) by filling the bolt holes with the mud.
All these options allow you to avoid drilling more holes in your deck.
Epoxy use First, sand the web straps with some coarse sandpaper to roughen it up. Sand the contact points on the kayak to remove any mold wax. Then you could use 15 minute epoxy on both surfaces and press together. If you have real construction epoxy that’s even better. You would mix some thickening agent with it first to make it into a peanut butter viscosity.
I think I remenber… …that the folks at Kayak Academy out in Washington State outfit their boats with bungee cord under deck pump mounts by drilling four small holes in the deck. Anyone familar with this?
requires foam bulkhead the foam mount per Brian’s photos does require the personalized foam bulkhead footrest installation and stock footrest removal. Something may be I’ll do at some point.
Adhesive for D rings If you go the Northwater D ring on vinyl pad route, Marine Goop works fine for a composite boat. I’ve had a set like that glued into one of my boats for years. Unlike epoxy, if you ever change your mind for some reason, they’re removable without resorting to a grinder.