Re: mounting footbarces

Posted by LeeG on Sep 21, 2004

1.gluing and screwing wood footbraces isn't desirable because it's normal to have to shift your seat position around an inch or two,let alone make the kayak available for different sized people. With permanent wood footbraces you're stuck,,permanently, with major surgery necessary to install adjustable ones. Methinks they are a hangover from the Yare/Severn where revolutionary accessories like adjustable footbraces were not a part of the kit and a couple pieces of scrap and screws finished the design. Unless you are the ONLY person using the kayak and know exactly where you want your feet to be it's not a good idea.

2.DON"T glue the aluminum or plastic footbraces on. That's what the screws are for. The substantial reinforcements recommended (two layers 3" 9oz tape) in the book are a hangover from a time when hulls might not have any glass on them and the two part hulls like the Yare/Severn were already stressed so putting holes into stressed curved wood would likely elicit cracks in 'rough' use,,or when a big person pressed between foot braces and backband.

If you've got a 4mm hull with 6oz glass on the inside and outside then it's probably fine as long as the 1/4" holes are well soaked/sealed with epoxy. If you anticipate rough use or big people then putting in a square piece of the 3" 9oz tape, or just another 2" diameter patch of 6oz is plenty. Laying up long lengths of 3" 9oz tape the length of the rails from hole to hole is a waste of tape between the holes. There's no stress there requireing that kind of reinforcement. In fact if you were to butt the footbraces right up against the bulkhead it's totally unnecessary. The only time I've seen footbrace hole stress is from holes that were not sealed or 4oz hull glass was used and the tighted screw head compressed the wood a lot. The comment in the KayakShop Book must be from a 3mm hull or totally unglassed hull.

In Response to: mounting footbarces by Mischa on Sep 21, 2004

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