Love my Dagger Kingpin. I purchased it used. The first day I took it out, I loved the performance of it, it spins and holds in a hole better than any boat I've ever tried. It makes Hellhole a pleasurable place to hangout. But, there is something asidious afoot with this boat - the webbing straps that secure the backband slip.
I disassembled the combing and put in the new buckles, and took the boat out for a spin. Great, no slippage, for the first two hours. Then, after that, slippage again. It appears that when you are thrashing around in a hole, the buckles tend to work lose, perhaps being pulled at odd angles.
Fast forward a year later, after yet another session where the buckles slipped again, I ended up sitting on top of the back of my seat. Still love the boat, but now, I was now renewed with a vigor to do something about this loathsome problem. What I decided to do was replace the webbing strap/buckle system with a ratchet system. I didn't want to install an IR ratchet backband, as that would put the ratchets behind me. I wanted to retrofit the boat with a forward ratchet setup like you see in a lot of modern playboats.
I'd read about people building their own systems. I decided to follow suit. I went on ebay and searched for snowboard ratchet straps for performing repairs on snowboard bindings. Found a set of new ratchet straps and buckles for < $10 shipped. Great deal. These showed up a few days later.
After dissembling the existing setup, the best course of action for attaching the ractchets was to attach them directly to the webbing via a nut and bolt with washers. I drilled through the webbing,
and used a small nut and bolt and washers to attach them, doubling over the webbing strap to provide a secure foundation to attach the strap and using loctite.
To allow the ratchet to slide back and forward OK, I had to increase the clearance available for the strap by filing away the slot that it would slide in until it no longer came close to touching the ratchet.
Then it was a simple case of putting everything back together.
TEST REPORT:-
I took the upgraded Kingpin out for the first time mid-July 2005, for some park n play at Jaws on the Nolichucky. The renovated backband performed admirably. It gives excellent support and no slippage. By the end of the session, I was noticing that the backband felt a little more rounded and sort of broken in. ie. the backband is now contouring to my back. This is an excellent sign that the ratchets are doing what is demanded of them. At the end of my session, I managed to break my AT2 paddle while surfing the hole. The backband didn't budge though. So far, excellent!