: ...forget about whether the rope is soft or stiff; it doesn't matter. What
: you need to do is to elevate the lines above the deck so you can get your
: fingers under them.

I like tight decklines anyway, so stiff vs. soft doesn't matter much. Soft becomes stiff when it's frozen anyway!!

Knots, beads, or bone sliders all work well to elevate those decklines. A fisherman knot looks really nice--I use a double fisherman to tie my spare paddle bungies and it makes it easy to slip my blades under.

: Flush lines may look nice to some eyes, but they are
: essentially non-functional when you're trying to get a grip on them with
: cold, wet gloved hands. Get 'em 3/8" above the deck and you can snag
: them when you need them. When it comes to a safety item like deck lines, I
: say "fashion be damned!"

: Another useful item is pull-tabs on bungees, so you can lift them off the
: deck. It takes all of 2" of webbing to make a good pull tab. Sew a
: snug fitting loop on one end and roll the other end over, then stitch it,
: to make a little nub you can get a grip on.

Good idea!

BTW, how's the 460S?

Shawn