Re: deck lines past the cockpit

Sure - I can see why they aren't needed there. I thought John was saying the opposite though - that not having lines in the cockpit area created the problem because of the knots. I probably mis-read him, though.

You didn't mis-read my comment.
If you run the deck lines from end to end, past the cockpit, you don't need so many knots, and the knot/adjustment can be on the back deck.
Whether you can run the lines past the cockpit depends on the shape of the boat. In a beamy fish-form boat, it's tough to keep the lines from getting under the coaming if you run them continuously. If the mid-section of the boat has a fairly stright sheer, it's easier.

One advantage of the webbing loops is that they are very low-profile. I used them on a couple of boats when I started building kayaks. On one boat I used the style with a slot in the deck and webbing anchored to a wood block, pulled through the slot; on the other I used the machine screw and washer style that Dan describes. With both, after time the webbing started to 'wrinkle'.

If you are placing knots or padeyes be particularly careful in the area where you will be stroking with the paddle - from the forward'catch' and then back to the front of the cockpit. At that point in the stroke the paddle blade will be well away from the boat and coming out of the water. Make sure that the padeyes are on top of the deck, not low enough to catch the paddle. (These comments apply if you are using a 'high angle' stroke style.)

If you have decided on the end toggle through a hole in the bow style, you can start the deck lines from the same hole and then tie them in a figure eight knot on top of the deck.

Another thing I often do is to run the deck lines through a piece of tubing just aft of the bow. This can be sued as a 'tensioner' as well as a carry handle, but it's there mainly to keep the lines closer to the centerline at the bow. Again, it depends on the deck shape whether this will be useful.

I've glued home-made glass/carbon padeyes inside my boats for years for tie-downs, hatch tethers, etc. . I've also had a couple pop off after time. I don't trust my epoxy technique to use glue-ons for deck safety line attachments, though they'd probably be OK for shock cords.