cleats vs hangers

In the final stages of construction of a 15’ Bob’s Special canoe from a kit. The Kit came with cedar blocks for mounting (epoxy) to the hull. However I like the look of hangers and am thinking of this approach. The manufacturer of the kit has commented to me that hangers tend to swing while paddling.

Any comments/suggestions?

Whose kit?
Never heard of epoxying seats to a hull. Over time you may need to move them or adjust for length. How are you going to do that if epoxied?



I don’t understand the concern about swinging. Most of my boats have hung seats and with two points of attatchment on each side the seat does not move.



I don’t know if you are building a wooden stripper boat which seems most likely.

Truss
Use a truss-style hanger, and there won’t be any flex issues.

Trust in trusses
I’m with Steve on this one. I use trusses when I am installing seats and they are very solid. There is absolutely no fore/aft movement like may occur with seats mounted with dowels. I think it is a good idea to leave a little space between the end of the seat and the side wall of the canoe so that dirt and water are not trapped there, but if side to side movement is a concern I suppose you could wedge a little cedar shim in there, and that should make it almost like another thwart, i.e., very solid. I say cedar since it is not supposed to rot. But I have never noticed any side to side motion in my seats and personally, I wouldn’t worry about it.



I would be reluctant to mount cleats on the hull, but that’s just me.



~~Chip

cleats vs hangers
Thanks for the good advice and suggestion of the truss type hanger. This looks to be the best solution