C-Forum

I want to add knee straps (in addition to thigh straps) to my Remix. I'm planning on drilling through the hull to place the upper anchor points.

Any suggestions on how high up the sides the place these anchor points?

I don't want to drill too low, but it will probably close (or below) the waterline anyway, so maybe it doesn't matter?

Drill away and use neoprene washers on the inside

The pull on the straps (from your knees) will be almost straight up, so you should have the strap anchors pretty low.

I'll add to Bob's suggestion about keeping the anchor points lows so the protruding bolt/screw heads are out of the way of the paddle shaft so they don't rub. Lower is better.

Thanks! Nice to have some confirmation before making more holes.

I have been using Neoprene washers. I've heard people also use marine goop. How does that work? Do you just smear it over the bolt on the outside?

I don't C1 much, but mine is set up with knee straps (snowboard bindings) and the outside anchor is at or just below the water line. Honestly, I wish they were just a little lower. I would stick to neoprene washers, and just deal with the minute amount of water that gets past them in a day's trip. I wouldn't do the marine goop on the outside, personally, because that would make changing the screws hard. The screw heads wear down over time from rock abrasion, and you will probably replace them at some point.

I've converted a c-1 to a kayak, but I've never converted a kayak to c-1.

However, I've outfitted a few c-1s with straps, and I always placed the outer strap anchors just below the seam line of the boat, just low enough so that the strap will restrain the upper thigh and hold it downward.

The disadvantage I see with mounting the outer strap anchors even lower, is that it will make entry a more fussy process, because the straps will be less inclined to stay open as one slides one's thighs under them.

The trick to the diagonal strap system, with the forward strap attachment on the bottom of the boat and just a little back of the knee, and the outer strap anchor a bit forward from the hip joint and just low enough so the straps have downward bearing on the thighs, is that the straps cross the thighs diagonally and provide a wide supporting pressure without having to draw them super tight. ALSO diagonal straps allow you to drop your knees in the bottom of the boat, and then easily slide them under the diagonal straps, while placing them outside of your knee blocks and into your knee cups. If the thigh straps are NOT diagonal, but go straight across the thighs, entry isn't easy, the straps may need to be loosened for entry and then tightened, and they have to be tighter to hold you in the boat while rolling.

I'm very tall, so perhaps that has led to my mounting the rear strap mounts higher, but even on my slalom c-1 with its 5.5" pedestal, the back strap mounts are still about at the seam line.

That makes a lot of sense. My thigh straps just happened to end up diagonal. But I will keep that in mind for the knee straps as well.

If the hull is thick enough, I would carefully countersink the hole from the outside and use a flat or oval-head machine screw through the hull. (That won't work with a cored material. Too soft...) I usually seal with silicone.

My Spark straps:

whatever you do, don't use straps! DO use snowboard bindings. If you install them right they stay in position.. so you can get in and out without touching them. HUGE plus in a c1.
And no, don't worry at all about drilling below waterline.

What Larry said. Times two on the snowboard bindings on your knees.

What part of the snowboard bindings do you use? Is it the toe strap (1) or the upper strap (2) ?

I just realized that was probably a stupid question. Surely, the toe straps wouldn't be big enough? I should look at one of these bindings in-person.

I beg to differ on the snowboard straps. Unless you use a separate quick release set-up, they are pretty sketchy IMHO, that's at least what I thought of them in the boats I paddled that had them in. The ratchets are NOT a reliable quick release IMHO in a pin situation.
I simply use 2" flat webbing and dive belt weight buckles as my quick release. Simple. cheap and reliable.
Also, as far as the upper anchor for the straps is concerned, I always found that the seat mounting bolts in most kayaks are in a suitable location for the upper thigh strap anchors.

TGG!

Thanks, TGG. Just to clarify: I already have one pair of straps -- what I'm calling 'thigh straps' -- that are set up exactly as you describe. What I'm talking about is adding a second pair of straps, lower down, to help hold my knees down.