Hi all, I want to redo the deck rigging on our boats because what we have right now is a little awkward for us and doesn’t hold what we want, how we want. I have a Robson Maui, my wife has a Robson Waikiki. I know not many of you are familiar with our brand, it’s a German brand that I don’t think has gone too far in the states yet, so here is a link to our boats for reference. http://www.robsonpaddle.com/touring-kayak.htm
So my question is: when I install the attachments for the rigging to the boat, what is best to use, screws, bolts, or rivets? I’m leaning toward rivets, but am worried that they may work loose…is this a problem? The reason I’m leaning toward rivets is because I don’t want screw-tips or bolt ends sticking inside the boat if possible, don’t need anything that may puncture a float bag or worse, rip a knee or something.
Any advice or something I may not have thought about?
screws
I’ve rigged a couple kayaks and always use stainless steel machine scews with nylock nuts and make sure i put them where i won’t bump into them, and that the scews are just long enough to work but not long enough to stick out much past the nut.
bolts
I use basically the same method as described above.
If there are places you can’t reach…
… to use SS bolts/nylocks (I use same) - then try the rivets shown here:
http://topkayaker.net/TopKayakerShop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=136&zenid=5c3ee64e9f6b6cda886f46a2ba77164c
The big star they make holds well and they’re anti corrosive. You need a fairly good hand rivet tool - as the cheapest of the cheap won’t finish the job. See picture at end of article below.
I put full perimeter lines and some other stuff on an SOT with SS/nylocks,nylon padeyes. I put carry handles on a fiberglass SOT using the rivets. Haven’t used well nuts yet - but they’d be handy for some spots too.
Related article:
http://topkayaker.net/Articles/Instruction/BasicMaintenance.html