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SPRAY DECK INSTALLATION GUIDE

Thank you for your purchase of our custom made canoe Spray Deck. These instructions are designed to show you the necessary steps to install your new deck. With so many hull designs on the market today it is nearly impossible to have one instruction manual that covers everything. If you have questions please give us a call, our hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday and the toll free number is 1-800-567-9283.

Your first step to successful deck installation is to read this entire manual before you begin.

Step 1: Preparation
First check that you have received everything correctly in your kit and that you have the proper tools and supplies on hand to complete the installation of your deck.
If your boat is:

Fiberglass, Kevlar or composite with built-in floatation tanks Your custom fitted deck Drill placement marker 20 loop patches 6 webbing loops 6 rivets, 6 washers 1 can of Vinyl -Tec adhesive 2 lacing cords (20') 2 deflector hoops	Roto-Molded Polyethylene, Twintex, aluminium Your custom fitted deck Drill placement marker 26 webbing loops 28 rivets, 56 washers 2 lacing cords (20') 2 deflector hoops
ABS / Royalex vinyl interior skin, without floatation tanks Your custom fitted deck Drill placement marker 26 loop patches 1 can of Vinyl -Tec adhesive 2 lacing cords (20') 2 deflector hoops	If you have chosen the optional Web-Ladder-Lock Attachment System Your custom fitted deck Drill placement marker 2 - 20’ webbing 46 rivets, 82 washers 2 deflector hoops

You will need for installation:

Acetone or de-natured alcohol to clean gluing surfaces
Narrow tip felt pen
Drill with 13/64” drill bit
Optional – sandpaper
Fine gage wire or heavy thread
About 2.5 – 3.5 hours to complete the installation of the deck

Step 2: Test the spray deck fit
Lay your spray deck out over your canoe. The bow end of the deck (underside) is marked with the label indicating brand & model of canoe the deck was made for. Also, check the direction of cockpit hook & loop closures, they should face forward. The bow and stern straps should be placed under the bow and stern caps. Use the adjustable tensioning end straps to snug it up and centre it fore & aft. You do not want to put a lot of tension on the deck with this strap.

Next, check the fit of the spray deck. When you tighten the spray deck across the boat, the gunwale should be in approximately the middle of the 3" webbing rub strip. Now check that the cockpits have been positioned correctly over the top of the seats. There should be about 1- ½” between the back of the seat and the cockpit.

Step 3: Marking the canoe for drilling
When marking drill positions on your canoe you will need to use the triangular drill placement marker. This marker ensures that all holes will be drilled 5.5” below the underside of the gunwale and centered between Tie Down Tabs.

Start marking the drill positions at the bow. The first hole will be marked 5.5” below the underside of the gunwale between the 1st and 2nd Tie Down Tabs on the spray deck. The second hole will be marked 10” from the first hole between the 2nd and 3rd Tie Down Tabs. The 3rd hole will be marked 10” from the 2nd hole between the 3rd and 4th Tie Down Tabs.
Now move to the stern and follow the same layout.

Now return to the bow and place a drill mark every 20" between every other set of Tie Down Tabs at 5.5” below the underside of the gunwale. See below.

Step 4: Drilling
Before you start drilling on the marks you have placed, check to make sure you won’t be drilling into anything. If you need to move a mark slightly to miss a seat support etc. A 2" variance side to side from the mark is fine. Drill holes for the loop patches using a power drill with a 13/64” bit.

If you have float tanks in your boat you will have to use the Webbing Loops in place of the bow and stern loop patches. These will also be drilled with a 13/64” drill bit, or you may forego installing the webbing loops altogether and place a loop patch beside the tank if the size allows.

To install the Webbing Loops drill into the float tank and use a pop rivet and one 3/8” washer on the exterior to secure the Webbing Loops to your boat.

If your boat is hull is make from Roto-Molded Polyethylene, Twintex or aluminium it will require Webbing Loops for all contact points, in this case you will use one washer on the inside of the hull and one outside of the Webbing Loop. (see diagram)

Step 5: Gluing the Loop Patches to the inside of your hull.
Before bonding the patches to the canoe you must first clean your canoe thoroughly using acetone or isopropyl alcohol, to make sure you are working on a clean surface. This is best so that the bonding adhesive will seal completely.

If your boat is made of Kevlar or fiberglass you will have to sand the spots where glue will be applied. Regular sandpaper and a bit of elbow grease should do the job. Be sure the surfaces are clean and flat before bonding.

To glue patches, use the disposable brush and spread adhesive over the patch side with the loop on it. Also apply to the surface of the canoe surrounding the hole the patch will go through. Follow the instruction on the glue container for best results.

Cover patch and corresponding canoe surface at the same time. Allow 5-10min for the adhesive to become tacky to the touch. Use a fine gage wire or heavy thread to pull loop through the hole. Once loop has been pulled through ensure backing is sealed evenly to the canoe surface. Allow the adhesive to set for 4-8 hours to help ensure proper bonding

Step 6: Lace up your deck
Starting at the bow lace through all tabs and loops with a bowline or similar knot. To tighten properly, pull from bow to stern a 3’ or 4’ at a time on either side just as tightening a big pair of boots. Fasten at the stern using a knot or hitch such as a Truckers Hitch.

Next place the cockpit deflector hoops inside the webbing pockets on the underside of the deck. Place ends of deflector hoops into each pocket, it may be necessary to trim down the length of the deflector hoop to ensure a good fit fit. Cut a little off at a time until it fits securely and the cockpit closes properly with the hoop anchored with the Velcro tab.

Congratulations you are now ready to hit the water with your new custom-made spray deck.
Please write or call us with any comments about our program.

Installing Webbing Ladder Lock attachment system to your boat
How to attach 1” webbing around the perimeter of your canoe.

With the spray deck in place, determine how far below your gunwale the webbing should be installed. It should be just low enough that the tightening straps can pull the cover taunt from gunwale to gunwale but not too much lower. Take an average depth below the gunwale and mark where the webbing should go with a pencil or tape.

Step 1: Test the spray deck fit

Lay your spray deck over the canoe. The bow end of the spray deck is marked with the label indicating the brand & model of canoe the deck was built for. Check the direction of cockpit Velcro closures – they should face forward. The Bow and Stern End-Straps should be placed under the bow and stern caps. Use the End-Straps, adjust the tensioning to snug up and centre the spray deck fore & aft. You do not want to put a lot of tension on the deck with these straps.

Step 2: Attaching the 1” perimeter webbing to your canoe hull.

The installation kit included with your order includes a 35 foot length of one inch webbing.

This webbing is riveted to the outside of your hull around the perimeter of the boat approximately 5.5” below the underside of the gunwale. Use a 3/16” diameter drill bit.

Drill the first hole in your canoe approximately 9” from the end of the bow (between the first and second webbing straps on the Spray Deck). Drill though the hull so the webbing is 5 ½” inches below the underside of the gunwale. After drilling, melt a 3/16” hole in the webbing, now place a washer and rivet through the webbing and into the hull to hold the webbing in place. Now land-mark the next drill location.

Note: Do not close the rivets with the rivet tool at this point.

Continue drilling the holes one-at-a-time approx every 10” between the webbing straps attached to the Spray Deck.

You will be holding the drill in one hand and pulling the webbing tight with the other hand. As each hole is drilled, pull the webbing and melt a hole matching up with the hole you just drilled into the hull. Insert a rivet into the two holes BUT do not close the rivet - This will hold the webbing in place. Now continue down the length of the canoe drilling every 10” between the 8” X ¾” webbing straps (see photo above).

Work your way down one side of the boat, then the other. When you get to the starting point the two ends of the webbing will overlap for the first two holes. IMPORTANT: Do not close any of the rivets until all the webbing is in place.

Now you can start to close each rivet making sure to place a washer on the interior of the hull.

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