a strap and hose
costs $20 ?
OMDB
Thule
I surprised they only cost $20.00.
Another option
– Last Updated: Jun-06-15 2:27 PM EST –
I attach cam straps to the bow and stern carry handles with a large carabiner clip and leave them there all season. That way you don't have to hunt for your straps and attach and remove them each time you paddle. While I'm paddling I tuck the straps under the deck bungees. If you're worried about any metal parts of the cam buckle scratching your kayak, thread the cam strap through a piece of closed-cell foam for protection.
The end of the strap has a hook that I attach to a hood loop in the front and an eyebolt (Walmart http://www.walmart.com/ip/REESE-Carry-Power-Eye-Bolt-Anchor-Point/31954787) under the rear bumper. No need to crawl under the car---the hook on the cam strap attaches easily to the tow eye. I leave the hood loop attached all season.
Now if I could only figure out a way to simplify attaching the two center straps.
for a thousand years
people died of polio and smallpox.
well done.
– Last Updated: Jun-05-15 10:30 AM EST –
the response, not the radiatori. I'm sure you make a fine al dente radiatori.
a question
I wonder if the opening between the hood and bumper is tight enough to hold that little bar if the canoe wants to come off the roof during an emergency stop.
This is probably also a good question for anyone tying bow and stern lines off to random and uninvestigated locations, such as the plastic grille.
Some good ideas here!
I do think the Thule Quick Loops would hold, and the bow and stern lines are not the primary lines securing the boat, but I also think straps bolted down under the hood are a better option.
And it would be great if a simple eye bolt could be attached handily under a rear bumper but many modern cars have at least a foot of plastic before you get to anything you can secure something to. Certainly in the case of my Santa Fe, the closest secure attachment point is at least 2’ under the rear of the car.
Tree
I really don’t think this hose can be pulled through an opening of a few millimeters, or the strap can break, based on the deceleration of the car braking - maybe if you drive off a bridge or hit an oak tree head-on, but then you have other problems than your canoe/kayak getting damaged. I may in fact get a sturdier 1/4in rope for that ratchet - the supplied one is only rated to 150lb, but the straps look plenty good to me.
Ease of use
Yep, I forked over the big bucks for these loops. Like I said, my goal is to make my life easier, and my wallet will recover in time. Compared to the violence it suffered from the boat, rack and paddle outlays - the wallet is currently in therapy for PKSD (Post Kayak Stress Disorder) - I don’t think it’s noticing the pain of the tie-down loops too much.
I’d be a bit afraid…
of the opening between hood and fender widening enough to let the hose through it…the sheet metail is not all that rigid. Probably not a problem, but I prefer actual knots to something solid.
Not about kayak damage
Bow and stern lines aren’t about keeping your boat from getting damaged in an accident. It is about when hitting that oak tree and your rack and straps fail the boat doesn’t launch off the roof of your car into the windshield of another car and thus into the face of another driver.
Just another line of protection from hurting someone else on the road.
Humor
I am being a little flippant to make light, as many do here. I realize that you don’t want your boat flying down the road without your car. These loops are plenty strong - if you wanted to crank up the tension on stout bow and stern lines, I guarantee the kayak handle screws/rivets will pull right through the boat hull before these loops will break or pull through the steel. If others still want to insist they are dangerous, fine. But they are safe and very easy and they are helping me and I that’s why I post on them - they could help other people too.
The kayak is the weak link
The kayak hull, made of plastic or thin composite, will yield, with the bow stern handle pulling the screws or rivets through the hull, long before the steel body of the car will yield to allow this hose to pull out.
awwww
be not offended. I appreciate the info…searched hi and lo for that ratchet.
You doahn keep searching. Then someone else takes up the slack…
would you be interested in a tension meter ?
http://www.gates.com/products/industrial/industrial-belts/tools-and-equipment/sonic-tension-meter-and-accessories
Yakima
also offers nylon tie-down straps for under hood installation - $5.95/pr + reasonable S&H @ ACK. I have two pair on my Jeep Patriot, front & rear, but don’t use for shorter boat(s) or shorter trips.
Eyebolt anchor point from Walmart
If you look around under the rear bumper you might find something you could attach a hook or eyebolt to. Look for this “eyebolt anchor point” in Walmart in the automotive section: http://www.walmart.com/ip/REESE-Carry-Power-Eye-Bolt-Anchor-Point/31954787
That will attach to a variety of holes in your frame. The rubber pad makes a very snug fit—has not come loose in the past year of use.
I Don’t
use them unless I am traveling more than an hour at high speeds. I have a Swift Saranac 14 in Kevlar.
Some People Spend Way Too Much
Dreaming up scenarios.
You can but straps and such in bulk. Add a sewing awl. You can make whatever you might need.
Trying to imagine
The scenario where my vehicle and another vehicle are headed directly towards each other and there would be a full grown oak tree in between us.
And if there were, wouldn’t the tree deflect the airborne boat?
And if it didn’t wouldn’t the other driver be milliseconds away from hitting the tree himself?
I use bow and stern tie downs but sometimes it’s just your time go.