: Brian -

: How well do the sliders keep tension on the cords and is there a certain
: relationship between the length of the cords and the separation between
: the ends of the cords? In other words, is there some geometry to the whole
: rig or do you just fiddle with it till it's right?

I've been playing around with the spacing of the cords vs. the spacing of the holes in the sliders. The greater the difference the more the tension changes as you slide them. It seems that a 3:1 ratio works pretty well. Higher may work even better, but I haven't tried it.

: I've never been too fond of bungees but those sliders just look like they'd
: work themselves loose.

It's never been an issue. Perhaps it's that the end grain wood grips the cords well. I also make the holes as small as possible while still being able to fit the cord through. The wood swells a bit when it gets wet, which seems to improve the grip somewhat.

> I'll be rigging up my first boat in a month or two.

Give it a shot; you've got nothing to lose. The fittings are the same ones you would use for bungees anyway.