We were in need of some upgrades on our three current boats in order to carry more items with us and to make a few things more convenient while paddling. None of our boats came with deck rigging of any kind, so that was the first step. We headed to Academy Sports in Little Rock, AR. Why so far away? Well, because we were passing through on our way back from Cossatot River and because there is not a place within 100 miles of Jonesboro to buy these types of hardware. Curious isn’t it? We have a really nice river in our region of Arkansas for kayaking, the Spring River, yet not a single outfitter who carries anything other than a few kayaks and, if you’re lucky, a couple of rod holders. Even a visit to Memphis, TN resulted in puzzled looks.

We purchased the following items: Yak-Gear Double Paddle Keeper Kit, Yak-Gear Deck Rigging Kit, Pelican Universal Drain Plug

A couple of side notes: First, we decided to go with a bit larger spacing for Crystal’s deck rigging so we ran over to Quality Farm Supply (on Industrial Drive here in Jonesboro) and picked up another 12 feet of shock cord ($.79 a foot). This explains the white shock cord in the photos below. This was not part of the orignial kit. Also, after purchasing these kits at Academy and deciding to add a bit more to the kayaks, we found Duck Works Boat Builder Supplies online, a small boat bulder supply shop down in Texas. We ordered what we needed and promptly received our order 48 hours later with standard shipping. We highly suggest using them! From DWBBS, we ordered some additional nylon pad eyes, nylon j-hooks, two nylon heavy-duty 4.5″ cleats for the Old Town Vapor and a couple of nylon folding paddle clips (posts about these to come later). Also, we ordered some nylon shock cord terminal ends from Austin Kayak. Again, the order was received in 48 hours with standard shipping.

So, without further ado, here’s the first of our DIY series:

The Yak-Gear kit we purchased from Academy Sports for $16.

The kit included 8 feet of shock cord (see photo #1), 16 stainless steel 5/32 screws and matching locknuts, 6 aluminium 3/16 rivets with 1/2 grip, 8 nylon 3/8 pad eyes (see photo #2), 4 wire crimps (see photo #3) and 2 sections of large diameter heat shrink tubing (see photo #4).

First, you will need to lay out the pad eyes in the pattern you would like to use. The suggested width between each pad eye is 4". However, I would suggest you adjust the width between the pad eyes to provide the type of rigging you need for your situation. For example, on Crystal's boat we needed a bit more length so that she could carry a couple of water bottles, a snorkelling set, and a couple of other items (depending on what we have going on). So, for Crystal's boat (pictured here), we went with around 6" between each set. This required a bit more shock cord than was provided. For Daniel's boat, we needed the rigging to be as close to the cockpit as possible and very short in length. His rigging only required 4.5 feet of shock cord. For my Old Town I only had a small space in which to place the rigging since my cockpit extends half way into my bow section. I only required 4 feet of shock cord and 5 pad eyes. You can see the way in which the pad eyes should be arranged in the drawing above. Mark the center of each pad eye hole with a Sharpie and then drill the holes accordingly. Remember to drill the appropriate size hole for the hardware you are using. For our boats, we used rivets only. So, we used a 3/16 drill bit and 3/16 aluminium rivets.

As mentioned, we used pop rivets for our kit versus the screws. I like the finished look over the screws. If I had a little more time when we installed these kits, I would have ordered black, nylon rivets as well. This creates a small, black closing over the pad eye holes and looks very professional. We also chose to use aluminium backup washers along with the rivets for an extra layer of protection against the rivets pulling through the hull of the boat when put under a strain. To use a backup washer, you simply place the washer under the boat, over the rivet grip and all the way up against the surface of the boat. Just as you would with a normal washer. You must hold the washer in place while using the pop rivet gun. As you pull up on the rivet, the washer will become secured between the hull of the boat and the flattened rivet.

This is a complete set of pad eyes, secured by aluminium rivets and backup washers. We're ready to thread the shock cord through!

We're ready to thread the shock cord through the pad eyes. You can either use the diagram provided with your kit, the one I have provided here or one of the many different patterns available on the internet. For the example above, make sure you leave about 6" or so hanging from the first pad eye so that you have something to pull on when you are ready to join the ends (another option I have seen would be to use terminal ends to attach the ends to the hull versus to each other).

Once you have threaded the shock cord, pull the cord to stretch it through the pad eyes and create some tension. Again, how much tension you want is up to your intended use. For Crystal's deck rigging we use a lot of tension to hold everything in place. For Daniel's deck rigging we used very little tension so that he was able to use the rigging with ease. Once you have the right tension, slide the heat shrink tubing over one side and use pliers to crimp the two ends together. Trim any excess from each end.