> I think that screwing into either an endpour or the sheer clamps should be
> strong enough. Ultimately, how much force do you want to be able to apply
> to the lifting toggle, keeping in mind that the other link in this chain
> is your arm.

Thanks to Mike and Shawn for their quick responses --- good ideas.

As to loading the bow fitting, in particular: realizing that the paddler may be the other end in this "chain", think about the mass and the momentum of a flooded boat rolling in the surf zone. There's a lot of "load" there for any fitting. Guess that's what I was thinking about in my worst-case, pre-decking activities while building the North Bay. My biggest "unknown" is what kind of stain I can put on a fitting --- and I'm thinking of a stout 1.5 inch stainless steel padeye, proud of the surface, screwed into the endpour with flathead wood screws or, if I can find them, flathead sheet metal screws (to optimize the thread holding power) --- when it's screwed into an endpour of thickened epoxy. Just don't have enough experience with the stuff to gauge its ability to hold the screws (probably 1.5" or 2.0") versus, say, an oak block of the same dimensions. The question is more to the material's ability to hold the screws than it is an operational question, I guess.

Jack Martin