Stowing a painter line to the top of a flotation tank.

[Mnoutdoorfunguy]

I thought that this might be of interest to anyone who has an interest in stowing a coiled painter line on top of the flotation chambers using the vent plug.

This provides a low profile and secure place to coil the painter without drilling any holes.

I used the loop portion of a 3/4” Mini Hangman Swivel Hook as the loop to attach the shock cord. An eyebolt would work as well.




Materials:

2 loops cut from the snaphook

2 snap hooks

2 #8 machine screw, 2”, stainless

2 #8 stop nut, stainless

2 #8 washer, stainless

2 lengths of 1/8” shock cord

2 Zip Clips or other cord end

2 cord locks




Run the bolt through the hole in the plastic loop, then through the hole in the vent plug, add washer and nut. Do not over tighten so that the venting is still functional.

Reinstall the plug, add the loop of shock cord, clip the snap hook to the free end of the shock cord and attach the cord around the rope.

Pretty simple and easily removed.

By the way, this was done on a Wenonah MN II.

 

[Guest]

Nice clean solution for a canoe with end tanks and those winky deck caps.

What is the procedure if you need to grab a painter line in a hurry?

 

[Mnoutdoorfunguy]

To get the line into use, just pull the entire coil from the shock cord. There is enough stretch in the cord to do so.
Otherwise, unfasten the shock cord and it will stay attached to the canoe.

 

[Guest]

I kinda figured the 1/8” bungee would release the painter without fiddling with the cordloc. I like the cordloc feature for tightening the bungee down; either back down after painters were yanked free, or as the bungee inevitably stretches over time. Or when using different length painter lines.

For canoes with dinky end caps and no float tanks I like an under-inwale plate. Glued in place with thickened epoxy cord, wedged underneath to hold it.

PB081333 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

PB081332 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

Or machine screwed and flange washered in place. Beats coiled tall and snaggy on a 3” deck cap.

P1200427 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

P1220443 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

The handle on the painter line in that photo is a spray cover adaptation. With the spray cover in place the carry handle thwarts are awkward to access, near impossible quickly, and sometimes I want to grab something more hand kindly than just painter line.

 

[Guest]

I do it that way, but store it under the deck or thwart so branches on narrow channels won't catch on it.

 

[Guest]

Mnfunguy, thanks bunches. You got me thinking about the bungee pattern installation on those under-inwale plate extensions.

PB081333 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

That is a single length of bungee, run diagonally back up underneath the painter plate. It is tricky to get tensioned just right during the initial installation, and is not very efficient for altering tension if switching to longer painter lines or thicker rope between trips. I like the cordloc concept.

I don’t leave most of my lines on in storage, but prefer to select painter line length, diameter and strength for trip expectation.

One bungee tension doesn’t fit all choices without excess stretch. At best, after I have stretched the bungee over a longer or thicker coil, I can add a knot to one end to re-tension the bungee across shorter/thinner painters. That re-knotting to take up stretched out bungee only works for so long.

If I used two pieces of bungee, with a couple inches of extra bungee length, passed through a beefy cordloc on the diagonal bottom and left dangling below, I could loosen or tighten the bungee for whatever stretched out or painter line length/strength coil tension was needed.

Thanks, I need to redo the bungee on a couple of under-inwale plates. And, once the existing bungee is due replacement, replace the painter keepers on some big vinyl deck plates that use that same over/under/over one piece bungee pattern, using the two bungee lines and excess adjustment length dangling through a cordloc below.

P4060720 by Mike McCrea, on Flickr

I’d still have the diagonal under-deck bungee available for painter storage on narrow branch-grabby explores. In all honesty I rarely think beforehand to stick the painter hidden down there, at least until a limb has hung up on a deck mounted painter line. Coulda, woulda, should. And didn’t, maybe one advantage of a below inwale painter plate, recessed below the sheerline.

Not just for grabby branches; in headwind wave and spray having that tall wad of painter line sticking up in the bow can be a deflected lapful.

 

[Mnoutdoorfunguy]

Mike,
Very clean, functional solutions for different bow and stern configurations.
Thank you very much for the photos and descriptions.