We were fishing a local lake and using the trolling motor. As we cast along the bank, I heard a snap then a slamming sound at the rear of the boat and had the sense of something coming over my head. I looked to the rear of the boat to see nothing. Then I heard a splash in front of the boat and when I looked, there were rings in the water as if someone had tossed a rock. My fishing partner was no use, he was as confused as I was and we didn’t figure out what had happened until we put the boat on plane and the little kicker motor began flapping wildly behind the boat.

OK, something like this happens once every hundred years but we figured it out. The kicker was held up by a bungee cord. The bungee cord was weakened by the sun and snapped. The kicker fell, making the slamming sound as the upper half of the bungee launched over the top of the boat giving me the sense of something flying overhead. The splash was the half bungee landing in the water in front of the boat.

There are some inventions that outdoorsmen have learned to love. One is Velcro. I love the little straps and I use them for everything. Others are duct tape, zip ties, and, of course, bungee cords. The problem is that most bungee cords don’t last long. Most are made of rubber bands covered with a fabric with low quality hooks on each end. In outdoor use, they last about a year, then they snap, some creating the perfect storm of mystery like the one mentioned above.

Just Ducky has come up with what they call the perfect bungee and, while it might not be perfect, it’s as good as I’ve tried. Made in the USA of 100% polyurethane, the Perfect Bungee has a lifetime warranty. They come in regular bungees of different lengths, loop bungees, heavy duty truck bungees and they also use the same material in dog leashes, collars, and leads, as well as boat ties, which are like a bungee with a loop in each end, rated for 1,000 pounds these would hold most any boat to the dock and with the ability to stretch, they could accommodate changes in water level due to tides and river levels.

With galvanized hooks, they are resistant to fuels, ozone, saltwater, and most household chemicals. The straps have a stretch range of twice the length of the bungee and retain their shape and flexibility over a wide range of temperature extremes.

Image copyright Dick Jones