Re: Paddle Park

Posted by Kurt Maurer on Jul 23, 2006

Whoops, been out of town for a couple days...

Lessee, John mentions that he and I have a little game we play, where we steal each other's ideas, then improve them in some obvious way to make the other guy feel silly the next time we get together. Lotsa fun. The paddle park he showed was his way on improving mine, and now that's how I do it too. John's a rat... he always wins.

Drill undersized holes, but not too much under, and seal the edges with CA (Super Glue) or epoxy. Roll back the covering on the shock cord end to expose the strands inside, then pluck about half of 'em out with a pair of pliers. Just grab and yank till they snap off and pop your fingertips good (ow). Then roll the covering back up, and you'll notice a nice taper to the end. I use a piece of green tape (fancy masking tape)to finish off the end and make it easier to poke through the holes.

If you do it right, the bungee will not pass through the holes unless it is stretched, and thus made skinnier. When unstretched, it seals its own holes. Cool! Finish with stop-knots on the ends, or make a complete loop so you can use the other half too. My paddle park doubles as a sponge park inside the cockpit.

John and I both apply practically all of our deck rigging this way any more, in fact. It's simple, lightweight, cheap, watertight, and best of all, it's super easy to replace the rigging when refinishing time comes around.

Laszlo, may the Great Spirit bless your endeavors!

Cheers, Kurt

In Response to: Re: Paddle Park by Jim S on Jul 23, 2006

Replies:

• Re: Paddle Park by rod h on Jul 29, 2006