Bill,

Go to http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom and check out the albums on deck rigging and outfitting. You'll see what cords and sliders are. My experience is that bungee cord is largely useless, except for holding light items like a chart case, neoprene hood, etc. I won't trust it to secure my spare paddle or anything else critical.

I've thought about using netting, but it's just not versatile enough. It doesn't hold stongly and you can't read a chart through it easily.

I carry as little gear on deck as possible. Typically, it amounts to my spare paddle, chart case, 3mm neoprene hood and occasionally a GPS or throwing stick (if I feel like practicing rolls with it). Everything else I need is either on my person or inside the boat. I have a couple of deck bags (Seal Line and Dagger), but haven't used either in at least two years. I guess it's time to sell one...

I mount my pumps either under the foredeck (lots of unused space there) or between the right cheek plate and the hull, depending on the boat. The paddle float is stored in bungee loops on the back of my backband or behind the left cheek plate. I rarely access these items unless I'm out of the boat, so I see no need to keep them on deck. Smaller items are either in my PFD pockets or in the day hatch.

I agree that items on deck are vulerable to loss and I've seen (and been involved in) some pretty big "yard sales" in surf conditions. I've also seen and experienced what a liability that gear laden decks can be during rescues. Rescue training, more than any other experience, convinced me that when it comes to decks, clean is good.

Bungee is far from ideal for paddle float rigging, as it stretches and allows the paddle to move around too much. It also goes slack over time and rapidly loses stength. I simply don't trust it for anything structural or critical.

I've never used a drogue or a kite, but may try them someday. In either case, some type of quick release is mandatory.

Wrapping anything around the coaming is a bad idea. If it pops off, it will end up around your body and possibly around your neck. No thanks.

If you check out Webshots albums, you'll see that I don't use the standard 'box' rigging and I rig my boats in similar fashion. Making them identical can be difficult with commercial boats, since the number and location of deck fittings varies.

My preference is for lower volume boats. Although I do go kayak camping occasionally, I don't find that I need the room of an "expedition" boat. Large hatches are nice for loading, but huge volume isn't necessary. Unless you're going on long trips and/or are forced to carry all of your fresh water, a "day boat" will probably suffice for camping, too.

As you'll see from the pics, I'm a Greenland paddle user. I find no difference in my ability to move the boat vs. a euro paddle. I prefer the GP for it's versatility and ease of construction, among other things. A 'storm paddle" is simply a shorter version of a GP that's used with a sliding stroke. My storm paddle has the same length blades as my standard paddle, but the loom (shaft) between the blades is only 3" long. The point of the short paddle is that by sliding it back and forth on each stroke, you get the same thrust as a full size paddle, but there is no upper blade to catch the wind. I use mine mainly as a spare, since I don't find my full-length paddle to be a problem in wind and I feel more secure using it.

If you go to www.qajaqusa.org, you'll find lots of info on GPs and other Greenland kayaking related gear and techniques.

Phew! I think that's everything you asked. What's next?