carbon eyelets

I plan to use the carbon eyelets for my bungee cords. I have read the directions several times. MarkN has them on one of his boats and I like the look. Any downside to using them?

Mike

 


5 replies:

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RE: carbon eyelets

No downside. Should be sanded and varnished over just like the rest of the kayak. Just sand a good area, epoxy them down and go with it. The only trouble I had was from cheating, used 5 minute epoxy to save time. Ended up redoing everything that was glued with it. Good Luck. JRC.  

RE: carbon eyelets

i think there is a downside....

for rigging,  i try to avoid any fitting that 'protrudes' from the deck and that has a hard/sharp edge..and i would put these eyelets in that category.  

these kinds of fitting can really tear you up or snag you in certain rescue situations.  also i would not go with a deck fitting that was not through bolted into the hull.

most high-end kayaks have recessed fittings to avoid injuring or snagging a kayaker...particularly when they have to climb up onto the hull in a rescue.   imagine wet skin and your body weight being dragged over this fitting.   that is the test i would use for anything on my deck.

also, deck rigging should be secure and never be in danger of breaking off.

fwiw...i do use these fittings inside my kayak for internal tie downs (keeps stuff from rolling around inside the hull).  

i will admit, they do look cool....but i would focus on function and how these will work in the worst situation.  not the best.

anyway....that's my 2 cents.

h

RE: carbon eyelets

   Thanks for the responses.

Mike

RE: carbon eyelets

I have used the carbon eyestraps on two builds now, my Wahoo and my wife’s Frej.  The major downside is cost.  At $9 each putting ~16 on a boat adds expense.  The only other negative is that they are an obstacle when varnishing.

On both boats, I added eyestraps forward of the seat for a dry box, and one just under the forward deck for a paddle lease.  On the Wahoo, I also added a pair on the aft bulkhead to hold my hydration bladder during races.  My wife did not want hip braces on her Frej, so I ended up using these eyestraps mounted inside the hull for the forward backstrap attachments.

I do not believe that there is any danger of these eyestraps breaking off.  CLC says “Carefully bonded, you will tear the deck off your kayak before these eyestraps will come loose.  We've tried.”  I tried to pull one off of my Wahoo and it was stronger than I am. 

I have not experienced any snagging issues with these eyestraps.  The edges are beveled and they do not have any sharp edges.  They are certainly less of a snag issue than the screw/strap attachments standard on CLC boats.  I agree that recessed fittings would be more elegant.

RE: carbon eyelets

   Thanks Mark, it looks like winter is settling in so I will have a few months to think about this before a spring launch.

Mike

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