Whitewater Outfitting for Solo Canoes

The Swift Method

© 2010 Swift Canoe & Kayak. This document is not to be printed, distributed, sold for profit, or used in any capacity
outside the Scribd document database without the expressed written consent of Swift Canoe & Kayak

Equipment Required

- A cordless drill with one 3/16th bit and one 5/16th bit
- Work gloves
- A 3’ Ruler (preferably metal or plastic to allow bending)
- P-cord (or similar small gauge nylon rope- minimum 150 feet per 16 ft canoe)
- 2 metal washers (1/2 inch diameter)
- Epoxy (e.g., Mondo Bond, Vinyl-Tech, etc)
- Six 1’’ D-rings (on vinyl mounts)
- One 2’’ D-ring (on vinyl mount)
- One set of thigh-strap rigging (Northwater or similar)
- Two 60’’ float tank bags (NRS or similar)
- Two cam straps (12-15’ length)
- Two adhesive knee pads

1) Beginning at the bow of your canoe, mark a drill hole 2’’ inwards from the bow/stern, and
¾’’ below the gunwales.

2) Using the 2’’ drill hole as the beginning marker, make consecutive markers every 3,’’
moving along the side of the boat, ¾’’ below the gunwales. Compensate for tumblehome as
necessary. Make sure the drill holes will come out BELOW the inner trim of the gunwales.

NOTE: Place the float bags in the boat to give you an idea how they will sit inside the hull.
Use the length of the float bag as a reference for how many drill marks to make. Make sure the
tip of the bag is all the way forward, underneath the end cap. Always err on the side of caution!
Better to drill too few holes than too many!

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3) Once you’ve made the drill marks, begin drilling the holes, starting at the bow/stern and
moving towards the center. Make sure to drill as perpendicular to the hull as possible. The
holes must be straight! Use your free hand to stabilize the drill like in the picture below:

NOTE: DO NOT drill the final drill marker on your boat. Leave this hole marked, but
undrilled, until you are CERTAIN you will need it. The fewer holes the better!

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The finished drill holes should look like this:

4) Repeat steps 1-3 for all 4 sides of the canoe. Remember to use the float bags as a reference
for how many holes to drill. The finished drilling on both sides should look like this:

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6) When figuring out how much P-Cord to use per float bag, follow these general guidelines:
- Feed the cord through the first 2 drill holes at the bow/stern of the boat (the holes 2’’
from the tip).
- Pull P-Cord through the holes to create “reins” and walk backwards behind the boat (if
possible). You want 2x the length of the boat in P-Cord on EACH reign (ex- a 16 ft
canoe= 32 ft of P-Cord PER REIN)
- See the picture below for clarification:

7) Pull one half of the P-cord back towards the bow and back through the front drill hole. Feed
the P-cord through the front loop of the float bag (if applicable) and pull the reins back to their
full length again.

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8) Take one of the reins and feed it through the next drill hole on the same side. This will bring
the line INSIDE the hull. Next, feed it through the next available hole on the other side so that
BOTH lines are on the SAME side of the boat. See the pics below:

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9) With both lines on the same side, take the line CLOSEST to the bow/stern and go PAST the
other line and into the next available hole. Feed it through the corresponding hole on the other
side of the hull, thereby putting one line on each side of the boat.

10) Now with one line on each side of the boat, take the line you just passed over and feed it
through the next available hole. Feed it through the corresponding hole on the other side of the
hull. This will bring both lines back onto the SAME side of the boat. Repeat this process until
you’ve filled all the drill holes. Remember to always begin with the line CLOSEST TO THE
BOW/STERN and go PAST the next line and into the next available hole. As you go along,
you will continually bring both lines onto the same side of the boat, then back across to the
other side, and so on, until you’ve filled all the holes. See the picture below for clarification:

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11) Ideally, the final drill holes will bring both lines INSIDE the boat (one line on either side).
If this doesn’t occur, drill a(n) additional hole(s) so that the line comes from outside the hull to
the inside. Be sure that any additional holes you drill don’t carry you past the edge of the float
bag.

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12) Next, stretch the float bag out as close to its final placement as possible so you can gauge
its length (it should be secured in place at the bow/stern by the P-cord line you fed through the
loop). Place 3 D-rings approximately 2-3’’ beyond the end of the float bag and disperse them
evenly across the bottom of the hull. Outline the placement of each D-ring with a pencil.

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13) Using 80 grit sandpaper or similar, lightly scratch the area inside the D-ring outlines. This
will allow for better adhesion with the epoxy.

14) Lay a thin layer of epoxy over one of the scratched areas.

15) Put a thin layer of epoxy onto the bottom of one D-ring.

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16) Put the D-ring onto the outlined area, aligning the strapping PARALLEL to the gunwales.
Press down on the D-ring mount to prevent air bubbles. Repeat for each D-ring. The final
placement should look like this:

17) Next, inflate the float bag to about 80% capacity. Take the forward-most cross line of P-
cord and pull it backwards through its drill hole. Feed the line through the CENTER loop on
the float bag and then feed it back to its original place. The lines should be back to their
original completed position, with both reins coming INSIDE the hull. The only difference
being that the final cross line has been looped through the center loop of the float bag.

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18) Take one of the P-cord lines (both should be facing INWARDS into the hull) and feed it
through the corner loop of the float bag on that side, then through the corresponding side D-
ring.

19) Pull the remaining P-cord forwards towards the tip of the boat. Make sure the P-cord is ON
TOP of the existing cross lines.
NOTE: Do not pull these lines tight until the epoxy has dried. Give at least 18-24 for drying.

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20) Repeat step #19 for the other side. The final setup should look like this:

21) After the epoxy has dried (18-24 hrs after installation), you can now tighten the lines. Loop
a cam strap around the first P-cord line at the tip of the boat (the line 2’’ from the tip). Next,
loop it through the center D-ring and feed it through the cam. Tighten as necessary. Cut off
excess strapping and burn the tip of the line with a lighter to prevent fraying.

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22) Beginning at the bow/stern of the boat and moving inwards, tighten each P-cord line
(similar to tying a shoe or a skate). If necessary, temporarily tie the lines off to maintain
tension.

23) Change your drill bit from 3/16th to 5/16th and drill a hole directly at the bow/stern of the
boat, ¾’’ below the gunwales. See the pictures below for clarification:

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23) Feed both reins (which you should have looped around the 2 outer D-rings and laid
forward over the cross-lines) through the hole at the bow/stern. Feed the reins through the ½
inch metal washer and push the washer tightly against the hull.

24) Tie off the remaining P-cord at the washer. Cut off any excess cord and burn the edges to
prevent fraying. Inflate the float bags to their full capacity. The finished product should look
like this:

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 Thigh Strap Installation

1) Take a 2’’ D-ring and align it directly in the center of the boat, directly below the
FORWARD-MOST edge of the seat.

2) Outline the D-ring with a pencil, and with 80 grit sandpaper scuff the area within the outline
(same as with the float bags)

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3) Apply epoxy to the outline on the hull, as well as to the underside of the D-ring. Use gloves
to prevent getting epoxy stuck on your fingers.

4) Place the 2’’ D-ring onto the outlined area, pointing the strapping parallel to the gunwales
(same as the float bags). Give the epoxy 18-24 hrs to dry.

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 5) Loop one side of the thigh-strap rigging around the forward-most crossbeam of the seat.

6) Loop the other side of the thigh-strap rigging around the 2’’ D-ring below.

7) Repeat this process on the other side of the seat. The completed rigging will look like this:

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NOTE: If you do not want to place the strapping around the seat, you can also install 2’’ D-
rings to the side of the hull between the seat bracing. See below:

8) Outline the placement of 2 knee pads as per your preference (or that of the customer). You
may want to draw a pencil outline once you’ve found the ideal placement. A common setup is
to place the kneepads at approximately a 20 degree angle, using the D-ring strapping as a
guide.

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 You have now completed outfitting your canoe! The finished product should look something
like this:

DISCLAIMER- Swift Canoe & Kayak, its personnel, and the authors of this article are not
responsible for any loss or damage incurred upon the user(s) and/or their boat(s) from
attempting to apply the methods and techniques described within this article. Any and all
damage, injury, or malady that occurs as a result of applying the techniques described within
this methodology is considered the liability of the user. If you are unsure about any of the
procedures described within this article, please consult with a professional.

© 2010 Swift Canoe & Kayak. This document is not to be printed, distributed, sold for profit, or used in any capacity
outside the Scribd document database without the expressed written consent of Swift Canoe & Kayak

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