enough about rack failure
just shrink-wrap the kayak to the car.
(I know a couple of structural engineers in this forum who can tell you all you need to know about the structural properties of shrinkwrap).
Guilty as charged
I have replaced tth open hooks on the stock units with small snap-hooks. And on one, I simply sawed off the ratchet’s hooh, installed a length of 1/2" tubular webbing, and at the other end I bent the hook around so that it cannot easily come off the anchor.
Jim
hammer the s-hook closed and
I don’t like using the S-hook to attach to things either, so I hammered the s-hook closed to form a tight loop and attached a marine grade, heavy duty stainless steel carabiner, which attaches to the tow hook under the bumper. I threw away the other s-hook and tied the rope off to a swivel snap ring to attach to the thwart or carry handle of the canoe. It is very secure at both ends. I have replaced my ropes periodically, which gives the added bonus of changing the length of rope actually needed.
I thought I was the only one that used
shrink wrap to keep the boats on the car.
bumper wear and ratchets
Posted by: seakak1 on Jul-09-07 10:05 AM (EST)
Expensive fix is to get a plexiglass bug deflector. Inexpensive fix is to put some electrical tape over the wear areas.
I agree. However, I just put some 6" pieces of pipe insulation on the lines and covered them with duct tape. They slide easily on the line and I can place them where I want when the line comes under tension.
I had an S-hook come loose from my bow-tie down. (Note: This is before I had a kayak rack - kayak was sitting directly on my roof rack with webbing going around the kayaks and under the windows.) The strap was pulled by my front tire and literally pulled my kayak off the front of my car. Luckily I was going slow and as soon as I saw the line go slack I started to pull over. No damage done. I don’t trust s-hooks anymore.
Long story short: I bought Malone seawings and everything is kosher now.
Absolutely NOT shrink wrap!
– Last Updated: Jul-11-07 12:41 PM EST –
Due to the bad UV and non-reusable (un-green) properties of shrink wrap, all knowledgeable kayak owners know to use clear Saran Wrap*, or yellow tinted Saran Party Wrap* to rack their boats. If you are reallllly careful, you can roll it back on the tube to be used over and over. Thank goodness I caught you guys in time!
*disclaimer---Ja, shouer. (translated--'please don't try this!)
aha thank you
plus the smaller roll length is easier to get under the car in between the wheels
Wrap technique
Do you wrappers
a) sit inside the car while a friend wraps the car and boat, or
b) Wrap the car and boat, cut a hole in the wrap and crawl through the window?
Jim
Carabiners
Sorry if I’m being dense, but are you saying that the carabiner attaches to the closed S-hook which is attached to the tow hook?
Not that I know much about it, but I’m not real keen on the S-hooks either. I was thinking about about getting carabiners instead, but I thought they could go right onto the tow hooks. Is there a reason not to do that?
Thanks.
My personal technique*…
Since my rack’s a strong one, I just wrap under the rack and over the yak’s a few times. This allows me to use the car doors to get in and out.
Then, since I’m a huge advocate of bow/stern wraps, I run two full wraps the entire length of the boat, down to the front bumper, under the length of the car, up the back bumper, back over the boat. Two full wraps is all that’s needed (some folks claim three…I say they’re idiots).
Then all I need to do to drive is hang my head out the window so’s I can see.
A giant scotch tape dispenser makes this soooo easy.
*disclaimer…don’t try this a home…we’re what you call “experts”.
three wraps is bad luck
any seaman worth his salt knows that
carabiner
– Last Updated: Jul-11-07 7:49 PM EST –
The rope on the rope ratchet thingie ties on to the s-hook. The s-hook is hammered closed. The carabiner attaches to the now permanently closed s-hook. The carabiner hooks the entire shebang to the tow hook.
Be sure you get the heavy duty carabiners...not the decorative ones in the camping section! And be sure to get a big carabiner...big enough to easily snap over the tow hooks. Little ones won't work.
Yup
After I wrote the above, I was thinking my tone was a little too strong. It implied I think my preference is inherently superior. I don’t. I like my method because it’s what I’ve done and it works for me. Web strapping under the hood, and ratchets on the safety lines are certainly valid. The choice comes down to a combination of what we prefer and what we have to work with on our vehicle.
I should get my ratchet setup out of the box that my Thule saddles came in, and try them out :).
Paul
Why do you need more than rope?
If you do, use stainless steel cable sections attached permanently to the vehicle. S hooks and carabiners fail.
fast and easy
The really heavy duty ones don’t fail. I think the carabiner is much less likely to fail than an S-hook or a plain rope rubbing against the edge of the tow hook.
If you are talking about the heavy
ones. Better yet are the locking links. My truck doesn’t have tow hooks…F-150. I tie to the round bars underneath, though I’ve thought about going ahead in installing short cable permanently. Fairly cheap and very good.
lotsa ideas…different things work for
different vehicles. What worked on my Camry, such as loading and tie down points, is different on my Sienna mini-van. What is it with car mfg now,anyway? My 2002 Sienna has tow hooks front and back. Actually has two sets in the back–a set underneath and a set by the trailer hitch. Duluth Moose and Puffingin tell me that their newer Sienna doesn’t have them at all.