: I'm considering a foot pump for my Outer Island. Is yours a Beckson? (Beckson
: is the only one I'm aware of.) Could you briefly describe its
: installation? Does it replace footbraces, or does it mount between them?

I didn't know Beckson made a foot pump, actually. I have two Hendersons --- the original in the Pintail, and the second, carefully scaled down and installed in the North Bay. The only other manufacturer I was aware of is Bosworth and their "Guzzler" series.

In each installation, I mounted the pump to the forward bulkhead; on the North Bay, I rebuilt the bulkhead, positioning a nine mil bulkhead about six inches aft of the normal design point. That gave me optimal foot position for the pump with a foam footrest plug surrounding the pump. I've never been happy with footpegs, and have always used foam for footrests. It limits the number of people who can paddle your boat, but, if you're already in the ninety-somethingth percentile for height, you can make add-on foam plugs for visiting paddlers. An option is to mount the pump on a so-called "failsafe" footrest that Valley Canoe Products sells, or to build some significant stucture to hold the pump between or in connection with fixed footrests. For a kayak with rudder pedals, dunno --- I'm sure it could be done, but I have never thought it through.

Jack Martin