Brian,

I built a Sea Tour 17 EXP and had trouble with the 1" plywood frame at the fwd end of the cockpit. I am overweight and had trouble getting in the small space. Gave that one away. The next boat I doubled up the frame at that position and cut the 1" width to 1/2". I wouldn't want anything that increased the size of the #3 frame.
On both boats I have used Nick Shades foot brace shown in his original Stripbuilt kayak book. Very adjustable, more comfortable than pegs. I eliminated the notched adjustment board and just installed a line of 1/4" dia button head fasteners (set in oversized holes in epoxy) into the keel line. I also use a SS rod (1/8") instead of the rope.

Different boats may work differently, but I really dislike foot pegs on my stitch and glue Pygmy Osprey Std.

Marc

Marc: I have an idea for footbraces that are easily and infinitely
: adjustable and wanted to do a reality check before I get too far
: down this path.

: Since we are building Yost's fuselage method we have plywood
: stations that will remain in the boat. The instructions call for
: 1" of plywood between the inside edge of the chines and the
: openings in the center. Station 3 is at the front of the coaming
: and station 2 is just beyond the feet. I was thinking of
: building out the top corner area between the gunwale and top
: chine of stations 2 and 3 so that I can cut a 3/4" square
: hole through the stations to run a piece of (slightly less than)
: 3/4" square stock through them to attach the foot braces
: onto (I would probably have to build up the area of the square
: stock around the foot brace). I was thinking of putting a pulley
: in roughly the same position on stations 1 and 4 and attaching
: cord to the square stock and using something like a cam lock to
: lock the cord in position.

: Has anyone tried/seen something like this? I know that there will
: be issues to be resolved (like keeping it from poking through
: the skin near stations 1 and 4...) but I'm sure I can solve
: them. What I want to know is will I compromise the integrity of
: my stations if I attempt this? What if I fiberglassed the wood
: around the hole? Would it be better to use rectangular stock
: (1/2" x 1"?) of a tougher wood for the slider bar?

: In this area this boat will be strictly a recreational kayak and
: nobody in their right mind wants to roll a kayak in the
: green-brown water of the local creeks so there shouldn't be huge
: stresses on the foot braces themselves.

: Unfortunately I don't have my blog for this project set up so I
: can't post a picture of the area in question on one of the
: stations (anybody know a good, free, blog site? this would be my
: first blog).