Rockpool Deck Fittings ..... wow...

J

JohnAbercrombie

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A friend sent me a couple of boat pictures - Rockpool kayak which is only a few (2? 3?) years old. Broken fitting which was retaining the deck perimeter safety line.

It looks like a plastic fitting which is just glued into a molded recess in the deck.
One of the first things that popped up in a Google search was a 2023 review from SeaKayakPaddler.co.uk which mentioned:
The deck fittings are Rockpool’s excellently innovative recessed and externally fitted fittings. As well as reducing weight these reduce the potential for leaks.
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I suppose the good news is that the fitting did not come unglued from the boat.
The plastic cross bar just broke.
Absolutely not easy to repair.
WHAT were they thinking???
Rockpool deck fitting 2.jpgRockpool deck fitting 1.jpg

I'd appreciate suggestions on how to fix this. Thanks.
 
I wonder what type of glue they used. My first thought is strategically heating up with a heat gun an seeing it it's possible to dislodge.

Always a bit risky as you don't want to damage the surrounding area. I've had success when removing glued in foot peg studs by draping a damp towel on the hull opposite, so as to prevent the area from getting too hot. Obviously a metal stud is going to absorb the heat more readily than the broken plastic nubs.

Another method would be trying to wiggle a dull metal tool (butter knife?) under the broken bit while gently heating the tool.
 
The other thought would be to e-mail Rockpool. They might even send a replacement frangible fitting.
 
CPS said:
The other thought would be to e-mail Rockpool. They might even send a replacement frangible fitting.
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I thought I remembered the meaning of frangible. :)
A material is said to be frangible if through deformation it tends to break up into fragments, rather than deforming elastically and retaining its cohesion as a single object. Common crackers are examples of frangible materials, while fresh bread, which deforms plastically, is not frangible.
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I have long wanted to try a Rockpool Kayak, notably the GT or the Menai. Everything I have heard about them, is that the workmanship is superb, but there are only two dealers, to the best of my knowledge, in North America, both on the East Coast. Thus it is a bit of a surprise to read of this "glued in deck fitting" and that one has broken.

My first thought was to go out and look at my Northshore Ocean 17 kayak and look at the deck line fittings, which are the same as Valley fittings.

IMG_3865.jpeg


I measured it and it is exactly 3 cm across.

1725839092170.png


I wonder if this might fit as a replacement for the broken Rockpool fitting. If so, your friend might put in two, the one oposite, just to keep the symmetry intact. You can get these fittings online, or perhaps the Wilderness System fittings which look very similar. Just a thought.

Cheers, Rick
 
SalishSeaNior said:
My first thought was to go out and look at my Northshore Ocean 17 kayak and look at the deck line fittings, which are the same as Valley fittings.


I wonder if this might fit as a replacement for the broken Rockpool fitting. If so, your friend might put in two, the one oposite, just to keep the symmetry intact. You can get these fittings online, or perhaps the Wilderness System fittings which look very similar. Just a thought.

Cheers, Rick
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Thanks, Rick. Those solid plastic fittings with a single bolt inspire a lot more confidence than a glued on plastic bar. :)
I shot Rockpool an email; I'll report back when (or if) I hear from them.

If it were my boat, I'd probably replace the plastic bar with a piece of aluminum (or stainless), with a machine screw at each end. But, ugly and oh-so-heavy.. :)
 
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CPS said:
The other thought would be to e-mail Rockpool. They might even send a replacement frangible fitting.
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I sent an email to Rockpool on the weekend. I received a 7-word reply this morning:
Could you send me your address please.
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So, either they are sending the goons with the cricket bats to visit me, or they are going to send me more frangible parts. :)
 
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An envelope with a dozen assorted sizes of plastic bars arrived in the mail today. Correspondence with Rockpool indicates that methacrylate is the adhesive of choice for bonding these to the deck.
I know that aircraft parts are 'glued together' (composite wings, etc. ) nowadays, but a couple of dabs of adhesive to hold a plastic bar to the deck gelcoat just seems to be asking for problems.
IMG_1291.JPG
 
Don't underestimate the strength of methacrylate! It's what holds all Delta kayaks together...
 
Splonger said:
Don't underestimate the strength of methacrylate! It's what holds all Delta kayaks together...
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Thinking abut the load vs gluing area -it's easy to see how there can be a big load on one of the deck fittings.

Are the deck fittings on Delta kayaks also glued on? Or were you referring to the hull-deck glue seam?

I've glued a hatch rim with methacrylate, and that worked OK but the glue area was probably 50 times the area on one of those Rockpool deck bars.
 
I mean, the glue held and the part failed, so that's a point for methacrylate.

I don't really like it as an adhesive unless it's a plastic substrate, such as the ABS on Deltas. Usually I opt for epoxies, which are admittedly a bit slower to cure and can be fussier to work with.
 
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