"I did a last-minute custom outfitting job on my old Chesapeake before I went to the West Coast Rendezvous. I added full-depth cheekplates (epoxy filleted and glassed behind for strength) instead of the foam pads I had in that location. The cheekplates allow me to store pumps, sponges, and paddlefloats secure and out of the way.

Also visible is the wooden deck cleat, just glued in place. I also added a cleat in the center of the foredeck.

Additionally, I rounded off the inside of my coaming to make it more comfortable and to save wear on my sprayskirt--the inside edge of the coaming was pretty sharp, and right above my knees, it actually stuck up and made a crease in my sprayskirt due to the coaming lip curving down on the outside--leaving the inside sticking up.

You can see the deckline and bungees mounted with the standard nylon "CLC loops". Ahead of the cheekplate are the Inuit "Smiling Male" and "Frowning Female" (not visible to port), which are supposed to protect the kayaker from water spirits. At the bottom of the hull are velcro strips for holding the carved foam seat down. At first I used contact cement, but in the perpetually wet environment under the seat, it tended to peel up. I glued the edges with epoxy! I've never had problems anywhere else with (Weldwood) contact cement, though."

Shawn Baker