: Hi Greg,

: I had thought about modifying my foot pegs with a cross brace between the
: pegs. You wouldn't happen to have a picture of a typical cockpit to help
: with a possible modification would you?

Hi Kent,

Sorry, I don't have any pictures available (I am away from home for the holidays). The skinboat deckbeams that I build are mortised into the gunwales. This makes them strong but of course, cannot be adjusted. I prefer this style of footbrace but keep in mind that unless you have a very low volume hull, a deckbeam style footbrace can pose the hazard of causing your feet to become wedged under it if you manage to hit nose first in the surf. One commercial English-made brace of this sort ("fail safe") was designed with a hinge to allow the beam to open if pulled back with the feet. I don't know if this product is still available.

If a rib is placed at the correct heel position (some folks in glass boats use a block of foam), this type of footrest can be extremely comfortable and allows plenty of foot movement, good for a change of pace if you are paddling for an extended period.

Greg Stamer
(Temporarily in Weslaco Texas)