: Deck lines are a stylistic choice, popularized by the British boaters. They
: become another "feature" to add to your boat.

I'll grant you that some of the patterns are more aesthetic than functional, but the presense of deck lines is a practical matter.

: I don't use them on my boats. I think they sound good when you're sitting
: home digesting dinner, but in real conditions they could as easily snag on
: your PFD as you try to climb on your deck.

What do you have hanging off your PFD? Besides, I respectfully suggest that a minor snag on a deck line is preferable to having your boat float away because you couldn't get a grip on it.

: Any of you really needed to grab your boat in REALLY rough conditions?

Yes, I have. More than that, I've needed to grab other people's boats as well during rescues and it's often easier to grab a deck line than a slipery plastic or 'glass cockpit coaming. Also, if you hold a victim's boat by the deck lines forward of the cockpit, you're less likely to get kicked or have your fingers smashed as they reenter. I realize that this isn't textbook technique, but it works.

Also, manhandling a boat into position for a rescue is often much easier and more secure with deck lines to grab onto. Ever have a boat slip from your grasp when you tried to haul it across your deck? Ever miss the grab loop as you slid an emptied boat back into the water?

: You're going to grab the cockpit or wrap your arms around the boat before
: your start plucking with your fingertips for a little piece of line, flat
: on a deck, god forbid you should have cold numb hands.

That's why I think flush fittings - or at least flush deck lines - are a really bad idea. Whether you use flush fittings or not, the deck lines MUST be elevated to be of any use. I can personally attest to how difficult it is to grab flush lines with cold, wet, gloved hands. When rigging lines on a boat, it's imperative to consider the worst case situation you may encounter. If you live in a climate of warm air and water, perhaps it's not a major consideration. Up here, the water is cold and we paddle in temps below freezing, so it's VERY important.

: Whitewater boats and native kayaks never had deck lines. Think they know
: something?

Whitewater boats don't need them and they can be an entanglement hazard. If you bail out, you swim to shore. Native paddlers did not exit their boats. If they did, they died. They also typically had enough rigging and other gear on their decks that if they needed to get a hold on each other's boats, they could. Descriptions of them rafting up and tying boats together are common.

: So put them on if you feel the need, but those of you out there wondering
: about deck lines should know they are not the safety consensus.

I couldn't disagree more. Deck lines are standard safety equipment on sea kayaks from every commercial manufacturer that I know of. Certainly, the execution could be improved on many of them. One could also argue that the majority of kayakers don't ever do anything "interesting" enough in their boats to need them. However, I suggest that they are a must on sea kayaks that actually get taken out to sea in anything other than warm, dead-flat-calm conditions.