Mike,

... or you could scrap the cheap plastic padeyes, make your own out of wood and just epoxy them to the deck. I made mahogany rails for mine and they work wonderfully and give it a nice custom touch. You can look at a photo of mine to show how they look. It is posted on the Redfish Kayak site at: http://www.redfishkayak.com/images/hanks-at.jpg

Edgar and Judy Kleindinst also built custom wood rails for their kayaks. Their kayaks are very nice. I really like the hand carved turtle padeyes.

I think this method looks nicer and is easier than drilling through that beautiful deck that you worked so hard on.

Whatever method you choose, be sure to put them on the center deck panels and not the side deck panels, so you don't bang your nuckles on them while paddling.

Mike