To get the rope inside the tubing, I use a sewing needle to pull a length of fishing line through the end of the melted and tapered rope, lead the fishing line through the tube (suck it through with your mouth if braided, push through if monofilament), and pull the rope through. Takes little time, and works a treat. Also, the rope bits, with their pull through lines, can be re-used in the next set of fittings. Once the glass and filler is set up, I first pull the rope out of the tubing. Then I trim one end of the tubing flush to the deck surface before pulling through from the other end with a pair of vice grips.

What I like about the vinyl tubing is that, in my limited experience so far, it always comes out cleanly. In the dozen fittings I put in my last kayak, every one worked perfectly, leaving a mirror smooth channel inside the fitting. Digging broken or melted glue sticks out of a fitting doesn't sound like much fun to me.

Happy stripping,

Allan Edie

: I just put 8 Maroske fittings into the deck of my current project,
: using mini glue sticks and fiberglass sleeving with West Epoxy.
: Even though I coated the glue sticks with PVA mold release, it
: was very 'stressful' pulling the sticks out. A couple of them
: broke and I was lucky to get the stick to come out by puling on
: the opposite end- the sticks I got from the local craft 'big
: box' store are not very strong and break quite easily.
: Next time I will use vinyl tubing, I think. I have plenty of coax
: and other liner material to keep the tubing from collapsing.

: Cheers
: John