Creative bungee

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Ron Mc
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Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

We got an 8" rain yesterday - could have kayaked in my yard, but instead, stayed in doing a little rigging.
I've showed before that I have bungee on the dashboard bar for pinning stuff to the bar, and out of the way in the cockpit.
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Time to replace, and I had just the right piece of 3/16" bungee left from the last time I bought cordage.
Last time I used two pieces of bungee through the slots in the dashboard bar, and knotted at each end, but since bungee rigged this way is full-time tensioned during storage, it doesn't age gracefully.
This time I got smarter, and used one loop of bungee with a sliding double cord stop.
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First thing I gain with this, the bungee is 100% relaxed during storage, so it will last longer.
There are 3 different places I can pin the loop across the bar to let me use it for different purposes.
I can also shorten the bungee by tightening at the sliding cord stop.
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Looped over the rod holder, it's a couple of inches short of being tight, and perfect for securing a large item, out of the way, in front of the cockpit - here an oversized fishing bag, but could also be a dry bag, small ice chest or gel-ice lunch bag.
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The other two positions are looped over the bar, pinned by the legs, where it's just slightly tensioned, and pinned by an outside wing nut under the bar adds two more inches of tension. Can also slide the bungee at the point it's pinned, making one side tighter, and the other side looser for more stretch.
This photo is probably easier to see than the last one.
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Here's the double sliding cord lock - I added wraps of polyimide tape on the other side of the knots, also, so the bungee living inside the cord lock won't get frayed.
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I also had a large Ronstan shock left over, and slid both bungee ends opposite ways through the lashing side. The shock is a slick sheaveless block, shackle, or fairlead, this size is 7mm - will take a 3/8" line. Line or bungee easily slides through either side of the shock as if it was rolling on the sheave of a trolley block.
It's out of the way here - better here than stored in a cigar box - and an example of how I could use it is quickly staking out 3 boats.
Stake out one boat, slide the bow line of the third boat through the shock, and cleat the line on the staked boat.
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Can also use it as a fairlead going to the Z-cleat (bait bucket), or simply tie off a line with a bowline knot.

Editing this post. I first had a 1/4-inch shock cord fitted here, but couldn't find a good double cord lock. Finally found one and swapped the 3/16" black bungee loop for the 1/4-inch. Easily packs a small gel-ice cooler in front of the dashboard bar.
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Last edited by Ron Mc on Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:38 am, edited 4 times in total.
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kneekap
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by kneekap »

Anytime you can can figure out how to un-tension a bungee or shock cord, that's good. Obviously a longer life and they work when you need them on the water.
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

Very good point.
This is my no-holes trolley fully relaxed for storage
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and tensioned for travel
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If you want to get creative, even a bungee like on the foredeck keeping my bow line can be rigged relaxed with a 1/4-inch cord lock at the knotted end, and tighten it at the cord lock when you want tension.

When I get the parts next week to finish rebuild of the skeg on my daughter's boat, I'm planning to do that on the shock cord that functions as the self-deployment spring on the skeg. I'll use two 1/4-inch cord locks in series on the knotted end, so I can tension it only when in use, and relax it in storage. I'll post photos on that thread when it's done.
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Re: Creative bungee

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ron: You're like me, and have lots of good sources for stuff. I like your link to boltdepot. Cool!
One of the best bungee items I have ever used is a product invented by Inland Sailboats in Dallas in the 70's, called Cinch-It. I've been using them for almost fifty years. It's a 1/4"bungee cord sewn to a plastic jam cleat. They used to make them in many lengths, with a sewn loop in the other end. I used them for sail ties, deck lashings and everything else. I recently found them at Mariner Sails & Kayak in Dallas. They're about $3.50 each. I have found a couple of online sources, also. They let your bungee cleat to itself, and is infinitely adjustable for length. I still have a couple I bought before I sailed away to the Caribbean in 1987! When the bungee dies, you can tie a new piece of bungee on the cleat and use it for ever.
I sent my wife to Mariner Sails and got three, and my neighbor immediately wanted them! Great product.
Like you, I could be kayaking in my yard, today. IslandJim, in Rockport
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Ron Mc
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Re: Creative bungee

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TexasJim wrote:...One of the best bungee items I have ever used is a product invented by Inland Sailboats in Dallas in the 70's, called Cinch-It. I've been using them for almost fifty years. It's a 1/4"bungee cord sewn to a plastic jam cleat. They used to make them in many lengths, with a sewn loop in the other end. I used them for sail ties, deck lashings and everything else. I recently found them at Mariner Sails & Kayak in Dallas. They're about $3.50 each. I have found a couple of online sources, also. They let your bungee cleat to itself, and is infinitely adjustable for length. I still have a couple I bought before I sailed away to the Caribbean in 1987! When the bungee dies, you can tie a new piece of bungee on the cleat and use it for ever....
Jim, that sounds like a useful tool - I keep one dry bag with tools and cordage (and first aid kit) for who knows what - won't know until you need it.
Would love it if you'd post a link to those on this thread.
ps - that dry bag happens to be mylar sail cloth - I love bags made from the stuff.
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Re: Creative bungee

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ron & others: If you Google Cinch-It Bungee, you will get lots of hits, but Blackburn Marine's site will show you the Cinch-It Bungee. Also, if you open Mariner Sails' website, in Dallas, and look up Cinch-It, you will find their listing. They are $3.07 each. I think they will mail them. Don't buy one! They're the most handy temporary lashing you will ever use. No metal parts to hit you in the eye, like most bungees(that happened to me). If the bungee is too short, or you wear it out, you can tie another bungee on the plastic jam cleat. Infinitely adjustable.I have one for my kayaking pants waistband. I never understood why the market pretty much limited itself to the saiboat group. Better marketing before the patent expired would have made the inventor a bunch of money. I still have a couple that made 30,000 ocean miles with me on my boats.
YMMV, TexasJim
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

yes, nice tie-down - thanks again
https://www.mariner-sails.com/isi-inc-cinch-it.html
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Re: Creative bungee

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TexasJim wrote:ron & others: If you Google Cinch-It Bungee, you will get lots of hits, but Blackburn Marine's site will show you the Cinch-It Bungee. Also, if you open Mariner Sails' website, in Dallas, and look up Cinch-It, you will find their listing. They are $3.07 each. I think they will mail them. Don't buy one! They're the most handy temporary lashing you will ever use. No metal parts to hit you in the eye, like most bungees(that happened to me). If the bungee is too short, or you wear it out, you can tie another bungee on the plastic jam cleat. Infinitely adjustable.I have one for my kayaking pants waistband. I never understood why the market pretty much limited itself to the saiboat group. Better marketing before the patent expired would have made the inventor a bunch of money. I still have a couple that made 30,000 ocean miles with me on my boats.
YMMV, TexasJim
Jim,
Took your advice.
A system to hold milk crate in the sternwell without stretching the sternwell bungee to kingdom come.
This also makes it easier to get into the milk crate with no crossed and heavily stretched bungee over the top
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Left the sternwell bungee relaxed, and ran a pair of Cinch-Its through the line guides in the Harmony tie downs that normally function as the crossed-bungee clips.
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Cinch-It on one side. I did have to cut the rubber ends off the cinch it shock cord to get them through the Harmony line guides, so I wrapped them with polyimide tape first.
The Cinch-Its are barely snugged, and the crate is rock-solid - it will slide a little to its bump-stops front-back, but you can't lift it 1/4-inch.
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Close-up of the Harmony tie down - normally the sternwell bungee would be crossed over the crate and clipped on the outside of this block.
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So to take up the slack in the uncrossed sternwell bungee, used one Dutchware Swivel Biner to pinch the bungee behind the crate.
Could actually use a pair of these little things.
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and quarter-inch cord stops at each end to take up the rest of the bungee slack at the back
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tough to get good light on the cord stop - even with my ring flash (and gamma transform on the image)
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So I can easily use the bungee and the rest of the sternwell for drybag, lunch bag, etc.
The sternwell bungee now will last a long time, because its not getting stretched to kingdom come.
The milk crate is solid and easier to access.

Without the milk crate, staged to travel.
I added a second Swivel Biner - they don't care whether the sternwell bungee is crossed or not, they do their job, and swivel to reposition themselves without any attention.
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by TexasJim »

Nice, Ron! In the olden days(70's), they had Cinch-Its! in 2, 3 & 4 foot lengths, and the tail end had a loop sewn into it, so you could just run it around whatever and hook the cinch cam into the end loop. If you didn't want the loop, you could just cut it off. Very versatile, quality, product. Like I said before, I have a couple I've had since the late 70's! I've never figured out why everyone and every boat shop doesn't have them. Glad we've exposed others to them.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

I looked for the plastic bungee loop hooks alone to make my own - it's easy to find the metal crimp clips that let you form a loop in bungee (though sewed is definitely nicer).
I saw the same loop hooks somewhere weeks ago when I was searching 1/4-inch cord stops - they showed up on one sail shop's plastic hardware - now I don't remember where that was, and can't get them to google up for anything. So if you run across them, post a link.
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Re: Creative bungee

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We're going to be launching from a dock next weekend. While you can stage gear and hand it from the dock, somebody has to be the last guy in. I kinda pride myself in being able to launch my boat single-hand fully rigged.
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Scotty rod holders will usually hold your rods through this (and maybe a hurricane), but I figured out if you're using a rocket-launcher, you've got to have some kind of rod leash. So I looked at everything out there.
I like no metal, flexible, out of the way. You can spend $10-30 for one of these things. Decided to see what I could cobble together from parts on hand.
3/16" bungee, basically scrap, but cut and stored with nicely seized ends - maybe two feet of it; two double cord locks, swivel snap hook.
ImageTo put it on the rod, slide one cord end out of the cord lock, over the rod, and back in.
Even easier, slide the loop up the rod before you mount the reel. Twist the loop and put the new loop over the reel foot, attach the reel to the rod, snug it all up, and it's completely out of the way of the reel function.
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The cord lock gives you the option of fairly quickly removing the leash if you have a big fish - you kind of have to be holding the rod in the same hand that's using your thumb or finger to squeeze the cord lock button - second choice, disconnect it at the snap hook with one hand.

If you have enough snap hooks, which I didn't, you could put a snap hook on each end, with a very short bungee loop around the rod, and disconnect the closest snap hook.

Where to clip the snap hook - easy, my trolley line, where it glides- that changes the leash from 2' long to 8' long + stretch.
This way, it will easily reach across and all the way around the boat.
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Cheep - didn't cost me anything from spare parts. Can also feel safe about trolling with the rod - it's 100 lbs to break the bungee.
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found these in Ger, Fr, UK and Australia - these would be a great quick disconnect on the rod end - a loop with a clam cleat - I'm going to keep looking
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Also may break down and put a small paracord buckle at the rod end for a quick-release.
Tinkering with a scrap piece of paracord, it slides beautifully around rod and reel foot, letting you easily position the hardware out of the way - so I'm definitely going to find a half-inch paracord buckle and change the end of this rig - that will make it a $5 investment. A handful of buckles and a little more scrap paracord will also let me make multiple tips for quick-switching out rods on the rocket launcher - be back later...
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ps - any of you guys with cool bungee ideas, please post them.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Sat Dec 29, 2018 11:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

here's the result of my $5 investment - quick release at the rod end.

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I used the bend knot for round turn with two half hitches on each end of the paracord
http://www.theensign.org/uspscompass/co ... rtwthh.htm
got them good and snug, then tightly wrapped in polyimide tape.
The bungee end was even simpler - loop it through 3 times and snug with the double cord lock.
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un-clipped
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it's out of the way for fishing
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The first tip I made was too short for the baitcaster, and perfect for the spinning reel - the shorter the better.
I need to make one more tip using a bit longer paracord, and can quickly swap out two rods on the rocket launcher (or as many as I make tips - my $5 got me 10 side-clip paracord buckles).

all done
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by TexasJim »

I've finally figured it out. Ron Mc doesn't own a TV! texasJim
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

once I got out on the bay, decided I didn't like having a rod there after all
but I did use the rod keeper to keep my fly rod behind me secure

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Re: Creative bungee

Post by crude4u »

What are the little black beads that the paracord passes through and where can I find them?
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Ron Mc
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Re: Creative bungee

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crude4u wrote:What are the little black beads that the paracord passes through and where can I find them?
they're double cord locks - easy to find the 1/8" and even 3/16"
https://www.amazon.com/b/ref=dp_bc_5?ie ... 7545028011

next to impossible are good 1/4" cord locks, but I found some from a hammock supply
https://hammockforums.net/store/index.p ... 0ce4e02747
doesn't really work like a normal store, but if you e-mail the guy, he'll eventually get back to you.
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by crude4u »

would you recommend the 3/16s?
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Re: Creative bungee

Post by Ron Mc »

1/8" bungee has a breaking strength of 100 lbs, but the stretch rate on 3/16" is a lot lower.
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Re: Creative bungee

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Brought this back up, because rocket launcher in the rear, rod leash in the rear, and quick clips on 2 rods worked great last trip
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whichever rod wasn't in use was clipped to the rod leash, out of sight, and out of mind
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Re: Rod leash parts

Post by Ron Mc »

Ron Mc wrote:I don't use a rocket launcher in this position, but it was convenient for this photo
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I ordered a few more of the parts from Amazon, and made up some more rod leashes.
If interested, I used 3/16" bungee for the leash, 550 paracord or 650 coreless paracord works for the rod-end.
(the flat coreless 650 paracord is also easier to work with)
I've made up more rod ends than leashes.

To install the rod end, I slide it up from the rod butt, put the reel foot in with the reel pointing backwards, then twist it to forward, so the rod end wraps both the reel foot and the rod.
Works on baitcasters, spinning reels and fly reels, though the baitcaster rod ends need to be a little longer.
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Of course I use my favorite thin acrylic tape for seizing ends on bungee and cord knots.
Grainger is OOS on 3M 5-yd spools, and found this equivalent in lifetime supply on Amazon
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07TT ... UTF8&psc=1
It's also excellent for wrapping bungee and cordage before you cut it.

The knots I used on the paracord ends are Round Turn with Two Half Hitches (x2 ends)
http://www.theensign.org/uspscompass/co ... rtwthh.htm

Here are the parts I used from Amazon:
1/2" paracord buckles
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MS ... =UTF8&th=1
these toggles
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X1 ... =UTF8&th=1
and these swivel snaphooks, 3/8"
https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Hardware ... ts&sr=1-11

I have them set up to glide on trolley lines, and they're all long enough to reach all the way around the boat with the rod attached.
Or clipped to hard points, make a longer version to get around the boat.
If you want them to really stretch, instead of 3/16" bungee, use 1/8" bungee (has 100-lb breaking strength).

I clip around the female paracord buckles on Dutchware Swivel Biners for a place to clip the rod leash when it's not attached to a rod.
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I also use the male paracord buckles and 1/2" velcro strap to keep up with spare rod ends on my milk crate.
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