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Pad eyes

Blackhawk

Paddler
Joined
May 27, 2020
Messages
52
Location
New York
Well, as I wait for the varnish to dry I can spend time obsessing over details that won't add any more time to this build.
Looking at the provided plastic pad eyes the seem kind of cheap after so much time on trying to make this boat look good. Has anyone used anything else?
Thanks.
 
Folded black webbing loops, through-bolted with washers and machine screws is a common type - I see that a lot on Pygmy boats.

Pygmy deck rigging.jpg
 
Ahhh... I already drilled two holes for the pad eyes, so I either stay with what I have or some other two hole hardware.
I know from sailing most fixtures are either brass or stainless. Not with kayaks? Is there an issue with that? Not sure which would look better. Stay with the standard black, brass staybrite or stainless.
 
Ahhh... I already drilled two holes for the pad eyes, so I either stay with what I have or some other two hole hardware.
I know from sailing most fixtures are either brass or stainless. Not with kayaks? Is there an issue with that? Not sure which would look better. Stay with the standard black, brass staybrite or stainless.
I think the black nylon padeyes look best on a kayak. They are strong enough to do the job and if you hit your paddle on one, the paddle will survive just fine.
I have re-rigged Mariner kayaks that were 30+ years old and the original black nylon padeyes were still good. Current production from China may not be so durable?
mini-DSCN5376.JPG


Caution! If your padeyes take flat head or (preferably) oval head machine screws (i.e. if they have a countersunk hole provided) you can split the padeye if you over-tighten the machine screw. Also, though it usually looks like a #8 machine screw 'fits', I have seen #8s pull through the hole under strain. #10 fasteners are usually a better bet. Nylok nuts. Lexel sealant.
 
For places where you haven't already drilled a pair of holes, SeaLect deck 'buttons' are a possibility, and they only need one hole.
https://sealectdesigns.com/groups/3184-kayak-deck-line-guide-slotted-round

1595899165759.png

You do need to arrange lines so that the load is taken on the machine screw, not the plastic 'arm'.

Finding a supplier can be tricky, though a decent chandler should be able to order them for you.
 
Any chance of making a 3/4" ovalish hole and placing the padeyes under the deck so that the padeye just comes flush to the surface of the yak, so that it can be easily refinished when necessary down the line without having to remove the fittings. [just jam/drip wax or clay or plasticing in the hole.
You'd have to premake a bunch up first off the yak with inset and integral nuts and then pull in place after they're made. Wood hole edge would have to be sealed. You'd see bolt top, some wood, oval hole, some wood, and bolt top. . . might be interesting and possibly easier to use than some [some] of the stainless steel bar approaches on some yaks.
 
Definitely not in the category of 'while I wait for the varnish to dry', Maroske fittings would also be a possibility, though the holes for the padeyes are probably too close together for Maroskes.
Also easier to do before the hull and deck are joined.
I'm not a fan of Maroskes, but many are.
 
I think the basic provenance is actually Hutchinsonian where he proposed resin mush in tennis ball halves adhered to the underside of the deck where required. I forget when and how the aperatures were made - probably initially with tubes.
 
I think the black nylon padeyes look best on a kayak. They are strong enough to do the job and if you hit your paddle on one, the paddle will survive just fine.
I have re-rigged Mariner kayaks that were 30+ years old and the original black nylon padeyes were still good. Current production from China may not be so durable?
View attachment 8723

Caution! If your padeyes take flat head or (preferably) oval head machine screws (i.e. if they have a countersunk hole provided) you can split the padeye if you over-tighten the machine screw. Also, though it usually looks like a #8 machine screw 'fits', I have seen #8s pull through the hole under strain. #10 fasteners are usually a better bet. Nylok nuts. Lexel sealant.
I hadn’t considered that difference between kayaking and sailing. I will leave well enough alone and stick with the ones provided.
 
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