Kayaking Arkansas » DIY Kayaking

DIY Kayaking – Drain Plug Installation

Kayaking Arkansas — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 21:29:16 +0000

After completing our Level 1 Kayak Certification at Cossatot River State Park, it was painfully obvious that I need to install a drain plug in my Old Town Vapor. My kayak is a good 10 lbs heavier than other kayaks its size due to the oversize cockpit and extra width in both the bow and stern. The oversized cockpit also alows for a lot more water to enter the kayak at a faster rate. This results in a good 160 lbs of water after a slow roll.

While shopping for deck rigging hardware at Academy Sports, I happened to come across a Pelican Universal Drain Plug. This is the exact same plug that Daniel and Crystal’s Pelican Pursuit 100’s use. They are really sturdy and easy to remove and replace. Plus, for $3.95 you can’t beat the price!

So, let’s install it:

DIY Kayaking – Paddle Keeper Installation

Kayaking Arkansas — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 19:55:32 +0000

Our next DIY project is a paddle keeper kit. This kit uses a bungee secured at both ends to the hull of the boat which is stretched over your oar and secured using a j-hook just below. This kit can be installed with the hook above or below the shock cord. I held the pieces in place and then let Daniel and Crystal try using them both by pulling the cord up and pulling the cord down. They both preferred to pull the cord down and over the paddle, so that is the method we used for these installations. My Old Town Vapor has a built-in paddle holder in the molded edge of the cockpit, so it didn’t require this installation.

You can purchase the kit from your local outfitter, from Yak-Gear themselves or you can purchase the pieces indiviudally from an online retailer of your choice. For links to the suppliers we have used, see DIY Kayaking: Deck Rigging Installation.

Here’s the steps to take to install your own paddle keeper:

DIY Kayaking – Deck Rigging Installation

Kayaking Arkansas — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 17:30:25 +0000

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: