: I am building the Merganser 17 and would like to use deck mounted handles on
: the ends of the boat rather then a loop handle.

: Any suggestions on the best way to mount handles to the deck that will be
: secure and strong? If the boat had shearclamps I would just use screws to
: mount to that but I don't have that option. Should I do this before
: attaching the deck to hull?

On my stripped spring run I installed a soft copper tube through the deck, around a dowel attached to the hull and back though the deck. This gave me a hollow path through which to pass a length of 5 or 6mm cord. Also, having the tube there doesn't allow water into the boat and allows you to replace the cord if needed.

I bent a 3/8" diameter soft copper tube around a 1 1/2" dowel to form a sort of ubolt looking thing. If you fill the tube with sand first, it will bend without kinking. I then cut a section of dowel and epoxied it from side to side in on the ends of the hull. Before I put the deck and hull together I drilled 7/16 " holes in the deck for the ends of the tube to poke through the deck. I cut off the ends of the tube sticking above the deck and epoxy puttied around the outside of the tube and the deck. If you look closely on the picture you can see the cord. Sorry I didn't have a better picture.

Mark de Araujo