Full credit to AWBrown.

In a previous thread on how to portage gear he referenced "keepers" -using stretched bungee cords permanently mounted on the thwarts to portage paddles- this has the advantage of never having to fuss with Bdb or gear ties, and is a permanent mounted solution. It goes like this: when it's time to portage, simply slip the blade end of the paddle into the bungee cords. Pictures are below if this sounds too confusing.

I had never seen this and I think it's genius. So much so that I made my own and put my own twist on it. Here's how I did it:

I bought some 1/4" bungee cord on amazon in the color I wanted. I then mounted it UNDER and INSIDE the frames of the bow seat. This means that when it's not being used it's not visible. When it's time to portage I can reach under the seat to grab the bungee and pull it up, and slide the paddle blades through on the top of the seat.

I mounted it using 1/4" brass eye screws. I thought about drilling through-holes through the seat itselfbut I think this is better. I simply knotted the bungee cord so that the knots can't pass through the eyelets. I have some decent tension on them so that when I pull it up it will hold the paddles nice and tight to the top of the seat without rattling. I actually used 3 eye screws. One on each end and one in the middle to "divide" the bungee so that it can hold 2 paddles tight (one on each side).

I then mounted bungee loops under the yoke with the eye screws and my thinking is the same. I just pull up the loops, pass the handle through, and then pass the blades through the keepers under the seat. This works so well that I made one for the stern seat as well in case I wanted to portage another paddle in back. Also because of the tension the paddles are pretty rock solid. I have to field test this yet, but I think it will work well.

Here are a few pics. Note hidden bungees inside seat. You can see on one of the photos how the bungees are attached to the seat. Handle loops are attached below yoke and designed to be pulled up to hold paddle on top of yoke.

Nice idea. I like to carry paddles and fishing rods in the canoe on portages. Looks like it would not have a long fiddle factor when putting the paddle away.

Nice job! I'll probably have to stick with gear ties for the rental canoe though ;).

thanks for sharing a great idea! Beautiful canoe too. Did you build it?

quote MagicPaddler: "Looks like it would not have a long fiddle factor when putting the paddle away."

Thanks MP. That was the whole point of this. If the "fiddle factor" is the same as other methods then why not just use those. This is super convienient and much much faster.

Well done, and thanks for posting the detail and photos. I remember that other thread and also looked closely at how AWB had done his. I've had success with BDBs but always hate when they slip from my fingers and snap my hands or fall on the ground. I bought some 1/4 bungee cord last summer but have not installed yet. Will be looking carefully at your photos.

Great idea!

Here's a couple of additional photos. First is a pic of 2 paddles ready to portage- one bent and one straight shaft. I tested today and it works like a charm. Very easy and fast. Also holds the paddles rock solid- no banging or sliding around.

Second pic is from underneath the seat so you can see how it is fastened. Sorry but the lighting is terrible and the angle is bad- the outside eyelets are off the screen but You should be able to see how it's set up though. The arrows point to the brass eyehooks.

This is quite the portage pad, looks luxurious. Is that homemade?

I have been using BDB's to attach spare paddle and at times other items during portages. Works great to have them secure and not shifting or falling out. A permanent bungee sounds like a great idea! One thing I do notice is importance of keeping balance. A good balance point at the yoke can make the carry over much more pleasant.

quote fadersup: "This is quite the portage pad, looks luxurious. Is that homemade? "

Yes it is. The shoulder pieces are curved- that's why it's got some weird lines in this photo at this angle.