Fitting a flag

There are a few variations on how to carry a flag. Some paddlers like to have the pole attached to their lifejacket while others prefer to have a pole mounted on deck. A simple method is to fit a fishing rod holder and with a plug that fits the hole, mount the flag pole that way. To keep the drilling of holes through the deck to a minimum, fit a platform clipped to the deck with a fitting mounted on it. The following shows this method.

This shows the PVC platform mounted on deck. The PVC has been heat formed (hotair gun) to the curve of the deck and closed cell foam glued under it. Note the left hand clip has been unclipped to show how it fits to the near loop.

The PVC sheet plastic or plywood platform has a hole drilled in it, large enough to take a tap fitting diameter-reducer (below).

This is the fitting that takes the hose push-on fitting and is screwed on to the tap. They may be one of the two threaded diameters and the fitting above (reducer) needs to be the right one to fit the size of male fitting you use. This (the male fitting) must be brass for strength as the plastic ones are just too weak though the Reducer can be plastic. You can use either size pair of fittings.

The fitting that a hose goes on to takes the flag pole.

As the pole is smaller in diameter, it will need sleeving with two diameters of tubing or wrapped with duct tape to increase the diameter.

In this case the outer one is a short length of garden hose with a smaller diameter piece of rubber hose inside.

The fitting is made so that the clamps compress the hose against an inner piece of plastic. This needs to be cut or drilled out. The clamps will now press against the garden hose, inner tubing and pole.

Do fit some form of flotation, foam tubing or block of foam. I have a perfectly good pole and flag somewhere at the bottom of the harbour.

It is suggested by some that the flag material show be stiffer than nylon material to stop the annoying fluttering noise. Alternatively, sew in a diagonal stiffener from the bottom pole corner to the top out corner. Use fluro material. It is common to use yellow and orange to get the best visibility in most lighting conditions. Orange above or below yellow means beach open or closed in surf club language so you can decide if it makes any difference to your arrangement.