Finishing up outfitting on a new/old Royalex canoe with vinyl deck plates, no carry thwarts and no through-hull-stem holes for painter loops, I realized me no like that arrangement.
The only place to tie off painter lines is around the molded deck plate carry handles; I’d rather not trust pop riveted deck plates if Z-dragging the canoe free. Hell, I’d rather not trust those deck plates when pulling the canoe ashore safe from wind and crashing waves, or desperately hauling waterlogged canoe to land after a capsize.
I could just drill some holes in the Royalex (a simple spade bit works fine on RX) and call it good. Or I could epoxy in $2 worth of Carlon conduit connectors.
P1070004 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Previously I just epoxied those conduit connectors in drilled stem holes, but this time I did a little cosmetic surgery first, sanding off the embossed lettering on the flange end, shortening the “necks” that go through the stem holes, and spray painting them black.
That’s all good, they look better and fit firm and flush in the stem holes once epoxied in place. I want just painter loops, so I can tie off whatever length line the trip demanded (I don’t like to leave high-quality line on canoes stored outside).
But, those painter loops also serve hand holds, and I wanted something more hand-kindly than just naked rope. In the past I have used 5” lengths of old garden hose or Tygon tubing. While those work, they are kinda slippery. FWIW do not use clear tubing, the “greenhouse” effect grows bacteria inside the tubing faster than a Petri dish in an incubator.
P1220469 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Also FWIW note that the spray cover occludes any possible handhold at the stems. Me really no likey that, and want a toggle on the stem loops at each end to grab.
Hmmm, what is designed as a non-slippery handhold? Bicycle handbar grips, and we had a few spares in the bike-box.
P1120025 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
Cut the flange and closed ends off those grips, run the painter loop line through and presto, perfect no-slip-grip hand toggles on the painter loops.
P1130029 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
One caveat on loop length; make sure your knuckles clear the tips of the deck plates.
P1130031 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
For lower, cut-water lining holes on a canoe without float tanks a piece of tubing can be sleeved/glued to the outside of the protruding conduit neck inside the stems.
P5260016 by
Mike McCrea, on Flickr
For canoes with floatation tanks just sleeve the tubing inside the conduit connectors. Conduit connectors come in various diameters; those shown have an inner-neck diameter of 5/8”, but there are larger ones with a 7/8” inner diameter.
Photo heavy step-by-step here:
https://www.canoetripping.net/forums/fo ... d-improvedIf your canoe has no painter line holes that may be the best, and easiest, outfitting touch $2 can buy.