I disagree.

The West Marine SS padeye's I use are only about 3/8 inch tall ... about the same as pretty much all others I've seen in either SS or plastic. I've had absolutely no problem with that height ... and in recoveries I don't get any more caught up on 'em than anything else on the deck ... regardless of if it's on my boat or on a loaner boat with lower padeyes and different rigging.

The way you've described the attachment of padeye's is not the way they're to be installed ... ya don't just drill a hole in the deck and drive in a wood or sheet metal screw. The proper procedure is to drill about a 1/4 to 3/8 inch hole in the deck ... fill the hole with dookie schmutz ... drill a hole for a properly sized threaded screw ... and screw the padeye down with a nut/washers on the underside of the deck. An added rubber washer between the padeye and deck in case of leaks is a good idea. This is how I install mine and they've been bomb proof.

Also ... it's not smart to keep your deck lines tight to the deck surface ... you need a little space between the line and deck so the lines can be easier to grab by a swimmer ... and don't forget the swimmer could be you!

Ken Blanton

: Deck line connectors that screw into the surface, stick up too
: high, the screws don't have enough to bite into in a kayak deck
: (1/4" soft wood, two layers of glass and epoxy)