You know after seeing the workmanship on Joe Greenley"s kayak in his response to dwg 3, I just about went home and took the chainsaw to surfyak. I mean this photo is from about 6" away - and I still can't figure it out. Some of the joints are expressed w/ pigment and others I can't even see! I guess there are " them that can and them that wish ". I wish I could even understand how he did it. Take another look.

So cont'd from dwg3. The total is changing b/c I've added some along the way.

DISAPPEARING FITTING:

One of the irritations I have with all fittings, is that they are an intrusion on the lovely long lines of the kayak. But really, a kayak must have deck lines, grab loops etc. or it doesn't belong anywhere but a bathtub - Oh but those looooong uncluttered lines! - what to do??

Well, what about a convertible fitting? For reality it becomes a real fitting - strong and secure. For bathtubs and aesthetic enjoyment, you remove it and screw in a plug that comes from EXACTLY the same location. You should cut the plugs before you sand and fair the kayak, because when you chamfer the plugs and put them back in, you will have a little more wood to make a flush top and also a more imperceptible joint.

Now cutting the tight hole will be a bitch unless you're using a swinging strongback like me, but the idea is to take a good 3/4" holesaw and spin it against a grinder until it is will make an almost razor cut (plus). Then cut the hole, but the drill has to be fixed or you'll get a wobbling circle.

The rest of the procedure is to mount a block w/a 'T' nut (stainless, or try out a nylon one, or tap out epoxied hole, or real nut w/ a top plate, etc.) from below as described in the previous posts. For the fitting, take a 1" long pc of nylon readi rod, heat the end, mash it so it is flatter and wider, and drill a 1/4" or smaller hole (depends on deck line diam). Screw in the fitting so it is as flush or raised as you want it. For show unscrew it and screw in the plug. The joint should be quite fine, the grain and strip joints will match and you'll hardly notice it!

So this has some possibilities - but takes a bit of work. I'm off, but dwg 5 in 1 1/2 wks.

-mike