> Flush deck fittings are Good Things. They won't kick spray up into your
> face, nor will they ruin the lines of your gorgeous new wood boat.
> Deck-mounted hardware can be unsightly and fragile. I haven't found a
> commercial unit that quite fits the bill, so here is an idea for a
> good-looking, functional and watertight fitting that can be made to
> disappear into the lines of the deck design. This unit would be easy to
> make out of one piece on a lathe or drill press, but since my shop has
> neither here is an easy way to make it with only hand tools. .

We tried this at CLC a few years ago and found that the fittings held water and were a lot of work to make and install, and they were heavy. We came up with the idea to use flat webbing loops with a low profile screw and finish washer. This fitting is virtually flush (it only sticks up 1/32" above the bungy), weighs a lot less, and can be made and installed in 3 minutes. There's a shop tip about this (with a sketch) on our web site if anyone is interested.

Chris