No, no, no ..... blue tape sucks, that's all there is to it, sorry. I'm quite a reasonable man about most things, but never with blue tape. It's a conspiracy.

Acorn nuts, on the other hand, is an excellent idea. But alas, I am going to shoot it down also (didn't wake up in much a mood this morning, did I?) Fact is, I use SS nylon insert stop nuts, or lock nuts, or whatever you call 'em, so they won't accidentally work loose. Not worried about it happening in actual use, but rather, while in transit high upon the racks. All that road buzz and vibration, y' understand. Besides, I cut screws down to exact length needed as a matter of routine practice, and dome the ends on the belt sander for a nice finished look, easy threading, and snag-free existence. If I really wanted to improve the seat mounting I'd go to four screws insteada two. But I just go to the traditional canoe stance on my knees when I'm going to be doing lots of leaning the boat.

Incidentally, there are lots of options for seating arrangement in canoes; mine is set up race style with a sliding pedestal-mounted tractor seat and foot brace. The foot brace is not only good for pushing against, but also for hooking toes under for boat control, and easy lay-back for passing under obstacles like low bridges, foliage, etc., etc., which is why a tube is used instead of individual pedal type things (the sliding seat and foot brace are patterned directly from Wenonah Racing outfitting).

As for the SUP thing, I've been trying to figure out the appeal of those things unless used in a surfing environment. I saw a buddy laboring his way across a lake one day while I was in my Merlin, so I grabbed my long paddle, stood up, and paddled over to him ..... ostensibly for a little jaw jackin' (that's how we talk in Texas), but secretly to compare performance. I'm telling you, I could practically literally paddle circles around him, there just wasn't any comparison whatever. And in the meantime, I was carrying a nice ice chest full of frosty cold water, a tackle bag and a couple fly rods, whatever other miscellaneous crap I toss in the boat (and when you have a canoe, it's always way too much because you can), and a comfy seat to perch in any time I cared to also. I'm still wanting and waiting to give a fair hearing to the virtues of SUP'ing, but so far, nobody has even really tried. Malcolm?

The bird's mouth method for making paddle shafts is just the thing for making SUP-type paddles, by the way. Mine is light as store-bought and every bit as strong. Cost ~$20, some assembly required. See: http://mysite.verizon.net/NGC704/paddles/