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Installing deck rigging

M

meredith

Paddler
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
13
I'm ready to finish my wooden kayak with deck rigging. Pygmy supplies 3/16" hardware and simply tells you to drill and brush with epoxy (which I have not found to work well). CLC tells you to drill and fill and re-drill. I'm wondering if anyone can provide more advice on this approach. Specifically, I'm concerned about drilling a hole too big, and concerned about getting said hole to fill well with epoxy. Any advice or suggestions?
Thanks for the help
 
Drill & fill & re-drill works well enough I think. Drill the holes slightly oversized, fill with thickened(?) epoxy then drill them out again. When filling with epoxy, back the hole with some masking tape to hold the epoxy in place. Gently heat up the area around the hole before you add the epoxy then remove the heat so that the area is cooling down which will help "suck" the epoxy into the pores of the wood. You want it quite warm to the touch, but not hot. That will also thin the epoxy allowing it to wick farther into the wood, and the epoxy will cure more quickly.

If you are worried about your hole being off-centre when you re-drill it, make sure you use a sharp bit, or a brad-point bit (they are pointy and you can pinpoint the start of your 2nd hole).

I gather that with your approach the cord needs to be sized just right so that it barely fits through the hole without allowing much leakage? My approach on my cedar strip guillemot was to use webbing to create soft padeyes, but essentially the process was very similar. I created an oversized slot, filled it with thickened epoxy, then created a new slot within that now-reinforced spot. The webbing padeyes had a melted flattened base and I smeared the base with latex caulk (never use silicone because it interferes with finishes - OK, I just read my blog post and it says that I did use silicone), then put these through the slots from the bottom so that about a 1" webbing loop protrudes above the deck. 9 years later they have held up very well.

http://pawistik.blogspot.ca/2007/05/see ... -work.html

Cheers,
Bryan
 
Bryan covered the bases on this thoroughly. Pygmy's swipe some epoxy on the bare wood method works well enough for a boat protected from wetness while in storage, but fails if the boat is stored outside.

Herewith what I do, pretty much what Bryan does.

I usually double the diameter of the hole required for the fastener or line, drill to that with a brad point bit if I have one in the size required, and USE BACKING to prevent splintering when the drill bit penetrates the other surface. A small bit of masking tape inside to prevent drips, quick dab of mixed resin to fill the wood pores, then a squeegeed on dab of resin mixed with filler and some glass fibers (optional for holes under half inch D). At the green stage, clean off the excess with a scraper to make it flush (ditto inside), and drill the fastener hole, using a pointed awl or ice pick to force the bit o run in the center. Backing is optional.
 
I just redid the deck rigging on my strip boat and added some new holes- 1/4" drill and then a q-tip with epoxy to seal the wood. I have used thickened epoxy in the past to build up a tougher interface for the bolt. I use Marine Goop on the bolts to fill the hole when I install the hardware and it has been pretty leak tight.
 
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