: But
: it also has two adjustable bungie cords in back that run through a D-ring
: that requires drilling into the deck just in back of the coaming. I'd
: rather not drill into the deck; do you have any recommendations for
: alternatives?

The job of the bungies is to pull the backband into place, and this
doesn't require a lot of force. When you are in the boat, there is even
less tension on these bungies. I use two little carved wooden padeyes
epoxied just below the aft coaming, which is a very strong part of the boat anyway. The only time I've had these fail was when I had to rig up a
backband in a hurry (on an old composite kayak) using the same system,
but as I had no bungy cord, I used nylon cord instead. This _doesn't_
work, since if your paddler catches the backband on his butt, there is no
give in the cord and the force on the padeyes rapidly climbs to a level
where they pull off. With bungy cord, this doesn't happen, as there is
plenty of stretch.

Of course, since no holes have been drilled, and none of the strength of
the shell has been sacrificed, even pulling the padeyes off does no harm
in the long term - you just sand the area back and try again, making sure
to get a good bond and not shorten the bungies too much. I have four
backbands attached this way (two wooden singles and the old polyester
double) and none of them have failed using thin (4mm ?) bungy cord.

A quick search through my construction photos shows that all my
back-of-cockpit shots were taken before fitting these, drat !

Andy