Do it Yourself: How to install deck fittings on a sea kayak
If you plan to use your kayak for anything other than casual paddling around the lake, and especially if you have long-distance kayak touring in your future, you will want to add a lot of accessories to the basic boat. Much of the gear that is essential to safety and comfort while sea kayaking is carried within easy reach of the paddler on the deck of the kayak. Unfortunately, many kayak manufacturers fail to see the importance of this and do not make provisions for securing such gear before selling the boats to the end users. Deck fittings, in the form of eye straps, cleats, and other tie-down points, are all too often noticeably absent on recreational kayaks. Such fittings are easy to install yourself, however. All you need is an electric drill, a tape measure, a screwdriver and a wrench or socket set and some silicon sealant. Here’s how:
Since places to tie gear to are the most important deck fittings you can have on your kayak, we will use the basic eye strap as an example for the installation process of new fittings. Eye straps are simple little loops of plastic or metal formed into a U-shape and featuring two flattened ends with holes for screws. You can get such eye straps from kayak retailers, marine supply houses and some hardware stores. For each eye strap, you will need two stainless steel machine screws and matching lock nuts. The best locknuts are the kind with nylon inserts. Once tightened, these nuts will never work their way loose on their own. Choose machine screws the same diameter as the holes in your eye straps and just the right length to go through the deck of your kayak. They should be long enough to leave enough room for the nut on the inside but there should be no extra length protruding that can injure your legs or feet or snag gear bags stuffed inside the boat.
Deck fittings can change the appearance of your kayak, so before drilling any holes, think carefully about the best location for your new eye straps and use your tape measure to lay out the locations so that they are evenly spaced and symmetrically organized in relation to the centerline of the deck. Some of the items you will want to secure on deck are: spare paddle, paddle-float rescue device, bilge pump, compass, extra PFD and perhaps a small dry bag for carrying such essentials as your lunch and a camera. Think carefully about how each item should be placed before drilling for the eye straps that will hold these things down. Once this has been decided, choose an appropriately-sized, sharp drill bit for the job. Don’t drill the holes oversize; they should be just big enough for the machine screws to pass through. Use one of the eye straps for a template to correctly locate the holes, marking them with a pen or pencil before drilling.
When the holes are all drilled, you are ready to mount your eye straps using the hardware you bought and the silicon sealant as a bedding compound to prevent leaks around the screws. The sealant comes in a squeeze tube like toothpaste. Choose the clear variety and it will be practically invisible under your deck fittings. Squeeze out a small dollop on each hole, working with only one eye strap at a time. Carefully place the fitting over the holes and push the screws through from the top. Then reach under the deck through the kayak’s cockpit or a deck hatch and start the locknuts by hand. Some of the silicon will have pushed though the hole, so you will get it on your fingers. This stuff is messy and gets smeared everywhere in a hurry, so have some paper towels handy to wipe your hands. Use your wrench or socket to hold the nut securely, and tighten the deck fittings from the top using a screwdriver. When both locknuts are snug, check for excess silicon that has been squeezed out from under the fitting and the holes and carefully wipe it off with more paper towels.
That’s all there is to it. Once you have your new deck fittings properly installed and sealed with silicon, you can then use them as direct tie-down points for your gear or run a length of elastic shock cord between them to make handy bungee straps. As you gain more experience as a kayaker, you will likely think of other places you will want eye straps or deck hardware, and with your new knowledge of how to do these simple installations, you can customize your boat to fit your needs exactly.
