: Following my post about breaking the deck of my kayak I've had a few comments
: about the bungee hold-downs for the hatch covers -- I had originally
: drilled holes in the deck, dragged the bungee through (hoping that the
: small hole diameter would keep it water proof with just a bit of silicone
: -- no such luck since the tension on the bungee shrinks the diameter) and
: then just looped the bungee over a screw set in the opposite shear clamp.

: Problems developed -- I couldn't produce enough hold down pressure to seal
: the hatches (later installation of traditional strap/buckle hold-downs
: showed that it was actually my warped hatch covers that caused the
: problem), second the bungees could be very difficult to release with cold
: fingers (painful if you lost your grip at the wrong moment)

: Now I'm considering going back to the bungee system since I like the look and
: it could work better than buckles.
: Solution - bolt down just one end of the bungee and then loop back and forth
: between hooks on either side of the hatch cover and then attach the free
: end of the bungee with another hook/cleat

: Any thoughts on good hooks? or other weakness/improvements?

: Mark

Hi Mark

If you're just using one line, a slight hook or problem w/ 't' rescue or panicked victim or other simple situations could result in a compromised hatch which you do not want. If you do do it, tie it in the ctr and wrap in either direction so at least there is some redundancy.

-mick