Barbara Ryan Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 (edited) I am searching the internet for foot peg assemblies where the foot pegs are easily removable with no luck so far. I am happy with my foam pads but I am removing them to add another foot + of room in my cockpit for gear (short legs here) and then with camp all set up- when I want to go exploring in my unloaded boat- I am finding it hard to find something to take the place of the gear against the bulkhead in my cockpit to brace my feet against. I am thinking that maybe I need to find a big air bladder but goodness- if they made foot peg assemblies with easily removable pegs how great that would be! I have the rails in my Avocet LV that I am going to try using for camping this week- but I have to remove the first screw on each rail to slide the pegs back into the groove since the length of the screws makes it so that they intrude into the channel making inserting the foot peg sliding base, impossible. I wonder if you can somehow saw off the extra length of the screws that are in the way making sliding the pegs in and out, easy. ? Any ideas? Thanks friends! Edited July 30, 2023 by Barbara Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Berkovitz Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 I can share two approaches to this problem. Neither of them involve removable foot pegs, which sounds mechanically hard to deal with and as you say there aren’t stock parts for it. Also who wants to reconfigure their boat back and forth? Better to get used to one setup and get good at paddling it. 1. I had my front bulkhead moved rearwards by some 7 inches or so. This means that the cockpit is smaller and I now only need a very thin foam pad in front of the new bulkhead for my feet to rest on. But I got a huge increase in my front hatch from the freed up space. Big storage win and my cockpit experience is unaltered. I love it. Cost was several hundred dollars. 2. some people install a sturdy plate to go across the boat at ball-of-foot height where the pegs would be (with no foam pads behind this plate) . This has some of the same comfort and foot-freedom as a foam pad rig, but you can slide stuff underneath the cross plate to occupy the space in front of it. The plate needs to be made to measure but it isn’t complicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sylvester Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Why can't you just use the foot pegs and fit your gear between the pegs? I only use foot pegs and sometimes I will put water in front of the pegs with no problem. I assume you have the aluminum Yakima foot pegs? FWIW I only use Yakima foot pegs and don't like squishy foam under my feet for the power transfer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Snyder Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Barb, why not remove a screw and check if you can get a shorter one in stainless steel at the hardware that would work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Ryan Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 Hmmmm, all good ideas. This boat is very low volume so with the foot pegs in not much will fit between- and I plan to have my tent and sleeping bag ahead of my feet in dry bags. Having the bulkhead moved is a good idea however not enough time before my next little trip this week. The boat is 20 yrs old so I think I will save that for when I have one custom made. ?. I've been measuring and sawing PVC pipe today to try to get a strong bar the right length, hoping the edge will actually catch in the grooves of the Yakima rails that are there. Jim's idea of a shorter screw sounds good too. I wasn't able to get the screw out yet- it is really stuck- so trying these other ideas first. I will have to be sure whatever I do- it stays waterproof. ALSO thinking that if one were to somehow just saw off the first 3 or 4" of the top or bottom of the railing, to get ahead of the screw, you could just slip the base of the peg right in and slide it on back to where you want it. Don't need those first 4" of the railings anyway. But, have to be sure of no jagged edges of course. A bar across or shorter screw sound good right now. This is a grand experiment as I thought the Avocet was too small to camp out of but I had plenty of room in the Cetus last week for the 3 day trip- I think for 2 nights I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for your creative and helpful ideas friends! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetL Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Barb: i have a foam “plug” I custom built for my plastic avocet with a (varnished) wood backing that I built to rest against the foot pegs (plastic so can’t push off bulkhead directly). With trimming, you could probably make it work in an avocet LV. It’s yours if you want to try. It’s got angled “foot rests” but they coild easily be removed and then it will only be 2 inches thick if you don’t like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Ryan Posted July 31, 2023 Author Share Posted July 31, 2023 Thanks so much Janet! I really appreciate your offer. I don't really need more foam as I do have about 9" of custom fitted foam pads in my boat thanks to another NSPN friend. I do much prefer paddling with the foam to the foot pegs now. The issue is that to fit all my camping gear in I am taking out all of the foam. Your idea of having the wood on the foam is terrific. I could try to use just a board (about 17" wide from rail to rail) maybe. AM I missing something about your idea here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanetL Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 I dont think you’re missing anything! The foam keeps the wood in the correct spot (so no need to attach it to the boat) and the wood backing keeps the foam rigid as you push off. It was just an experiment but it worked well (sold the boat, for other reasons). I sized my foam thickness to have the pegs at the very farthest slot (so as to have more foam, less space to fill with water after a swim). You’d want to do the opposite for maximum storage capacity. So maybe wood and 2 inches of foam, would give you 7 inches of storage back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Barb: Some random thoughts:, Moving the bulkhead is an ideal solution, but it is a very ugly, hard job that will cost a bunch, as Joe indicated, if you hire someone to do it. If you do it, I bet you swear never again. It sounds to me as if you are overthinking this and contemplating solutions that are beyond what is needed, but understand messing with boats is fun. The simplest solution is Jim's which is to remove one of the bolts, take it to a decent hardware store and get one that is short enough that the peg will slide out on the aft end of the rail.. If it is hard to remove the bolt, which is typical, get a 3/8" PH #3 socket, spray the bolt inside and out with penetrating oil, wait, use a long handled socket wrench, and you will be able to get it out without much trouble. It should be easy to camp 3 days using an Avocet LV. It was designed to be a weekend boat for smaller paddlers after all. In comparison the Cetus should be good for at least 10 days as it is an expedition boat and far more than most of us will ever need...unless one wants to bring along the full accoutrements of "civilization". I admit to being a contrarian on this topic. A 20 year old kayak from Valley or P&H is likely very well made, especially compared to many today, and if it works no need to replace as it will have many more years of solid service in it. I would be very reluctant to put a sleeping bag or tent in the cockpit. The tent should fit on one side of the skeg box and the fly on the other. If not, maybe it is too big? I would only put things in the cockpit that I did not care if they got wet. Ed Lawson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sylvester Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Ed is correct on things getting wet. Maybe time to re-think your plan? Why not put your tent in a drybag and let it sit lengthways down the hull between the pegs? With a short line and a small hole in the bulkhead you could secure it forward. Maybe back the screw out just enough to allow the peg to slide by and then you can re-tighten in place and not lose the position? Alignment and starting the screw could be the pain. Rails are aluminum and could strip out with a misalignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prudenceb Posted July 31, 2023 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Use your Cetus to go camping! That's why you have it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterB Posted August 10, 2023 Share Posted August 10, 2023 Yes, moving the bulkhead rearward is a great thing to do, both for increasing the space for dry gear in the (watertight) front compartment and for lowering the volume in the (often wet) cockpit which is a very good thing when the cockpit needs to be emptied of water (eg capsize & wet exit or general landing & exiting in splashy surf mayhem): way less water to evacuate. The only issue though, is resale value: if you have shorter- than- average legs: you don't want to move the bulkhead too far rearward that only people with short legs can use the boat. But then again, the Avocet LV is usually prized by smaller paddlers. I've relocated a couple of bulkheads and found the job to require patience but otherwise on the easy side relative to many other loathsome fiberglass repair jobs. There's decent access to the whole work area, especially with those big Avocet oval hatches ( a Romany would be another story).But you do need to be handy with power tools, fiberglass work, and general shop skills. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Hill Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 "This boat is very low volume so with the foot pegs in not much will fit between-" Maybe I am misunderstanding, but if, while loading, you move one footpeg aft as far as it will go, you can snake gear between the two offset pegs, then return the peg to where it belongs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Ryan Posted August 15, 2023 Author Share Posted August 15, 2023 True!! Not much room for anything but THAT is a GOOD IDEA TOO Nancy! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EEL Posted August 15, 2023 Share Posted August 15, 2023 Nancy: Thank you for that hint. It is one of those great ides that when you read it you slam your head and say , "How did I not think of that!" Ed Lawson Who has spent too much time trying to wedge bags in front of foot pegs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara Ryan Posted August 16, 2023 Author Share Posted August 16, 2023 Haha! I agree Ed. It takes a village and so glad we have this forum and experienced and creative friends here to brainstorm with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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