When running the new deck rigging on my VCP Skerray RMX, I was playing around with ideas. One I thought was interesting, and thought I'd share it the board.
The recessed fittings just afore the cockpit that the bungee is run through are spaced close enough together as to preclude getting your fingers under the deck line. It's probably not a big deal, because the cockpit coaming is grabbable and in the same general vicinity. However, I figured if I ever really need to get a hold of my boat in a serious situation, the more points the better.
I went to HD and bought a length of very beefy reinforced PVC tubing. I cut the tube to lengths just greater than the space between the recessed deck fittings, and ran the deck line through the tube. The result were "arches" that make easily grabbable loops of the deck line. I kept the loops pretty low profile. That is, I tried to make them large enough to be able to grab in a situation, but small enough that they won't snag or interfere with my stroke.
I'd also note that I made a point to use a very heavy duty tube. As thick as it is, my 4mm line just barely fit through. I tried using a thinner tube I already had on hand, but when I pulled the deck lines it would deform the tube and create unwanted slack throughout the rigging. I have pulled quite a bit on the current setup, and it is holding up quite well.
Photos at:
http://community.webshots.com/album/281419423yrCwrC
Thoughts, comments, or questions are welcomed and encouraged. I feel pretty good about the setup, but if anyone sees something wrong I hadn't thought about, let me know!
Edit: Link amended. Let me know if it still doesn't work.
Good Idea
I couldn’t download your photos but I can visualize what you did.I like to grab the deck lines in front of the cockpit when doing assisted bow to stern rescues and always found it hard to get a grip on most boats.
On my Pintail I just skipped the middle recessed fitting of the group of three in front of the cockpit and placed a 3/4" wooden ball in there for a spacer to raise the line up bit.
And I’m ready for spring,are you?
Cheers
Bert
New Link Needed…
Go into your album as a “visitor” as opposed to the “owner” in edit mode. If you use the link from the latter, other folks can not get to the site and will get an error message.
sing
Yup, just skip the center fittings
There’s no need to run the perimeter line through all the fittings and it’s pretty pointless to do so. Regardless, elevating the deck lines is a very worthwhile thing to do, however you accomplish it. for a few more ideas, take a look at my Deck Rigging album on Webshots at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom
Oops
Will do! I hadn’t even thought of that.
Okie
I think it works now.
http://community.webshots.com/album/281419423yrCwrC
That one should work. Thanks for the tip sing.
Good timing!
I was just about to replace the deck line on my Skerray RMX. In the rescue classes I’ve taken, tight, ungrabable (especially with gloves) perimeter lines were a problem on several boats. Your innovation looks like a good one to try!
My Aquanaut
has the same arrangement. I was looking for an alternative, and your idea looks like a winner. I also like the idea of plopping the boat right in the middle of the living room floor to work on it.
good point
I dealt with the same issue of too-close perimeter line deck fitting by stopping the perimeter line at the foremost of the closest foredeck fittings. This allowed me to run shock cord through the fittings just in front of the cockpit and lengthwise tot he keel such that there are now short shock cord lengths to secure things like sunglasses, paddle techers and such.
Jed
Nice work
I like the fact that the raised loops won’t catch on anything or damage anything if you hit them with a paddle or your hand. I have some black plastic tubing that I may try a similar setup with.
Now you need to elevate the paddle bungee on the foredeck so you can actually get a paddle under it in a hurry. Doing the same with the deck bungees makes them easier to grasp with gloves on. If you don’t want to elevate them, adding pull tabs made of webbing helps.
Pintail
I did the same between the forward pair to facilitate slipping GP under.
Yeah, that bungee triangle on the bow…
…is pretty useless unless you store a Euro paddle on your foredeck with the blades toward the cockpit.
Older Pintail
Ours is the old Pintail. No triangles. Just a recesed fitting on either side just forward of the hatch.
Cockpit bungees are just three lines going straight across (doesn’t have the larger triangle there either). I may eventually swithch to sliders since we both paddle GP now. Back deck setup is hard to describe - all short sections. Needs looking at - but she doesn’t keep anything back there so no big deal. This Pintail has no dayhatch either (no pump - nothing).
I’ll have to look at mine
It’s a '93 and I could swear that it has a third fitting both behind and in front of the forward hatch, but I could be wrong. I know that the deck rigging on Pintails has changed several times over the years, plus you can specify custom rigging on new boats.
As for the lines on the foredeck, you can easily set up 2 pairs of lines with sliders, as long as you don’t route the perimeter lines through the middle fitting of the three on each side of the deck. You can see this setup in my Deck Rigging album on Webshots at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom
The pics are of Anas Acuta decks, but the Pintail is similar. If you want to see Pintail pics, I can shoot some and post them.
Centerline fittings
Ours has no centerline fittings forward (I can’t find the paperwork - think it’s a '91 or '92?) Otherwise same as in your Anas foredeck shots. I will eventually redo the bow loop and may go to sliders like yours then.
May go to more of a bungee triangle aft too. Right now there are two short segments right behind coaming (too close to be very useful) and another pair just aft of those right center and left fittings in tow rows). With no day hatch/pump I suspect it different than most. Going to a triangle from the rear pair to the center fitting behind the coaming would make it easier to actually stow something there (if ever needed - I doubt it). Cord/slider would be nice there too - but he fittings on either side are twice as far apart as the ones forward of the cockpit. I’d need to tie short lines on either side to bring the lines the sliders are on closer together or do two sets of sliders - long ones outboard and more normal ones inboard.
The rearmost pair of fittings are an either side of the skeg hole - so adding a stern loop for GP there is not ideal. I may tie something between the grab lines more aft - and use a combo of tubing to keep spacing and bead to lift.
It’s easier to just stow paddles forward where there’s more room and length anyway. We keep nothing else on deck save some rarely used paddle leashes.