I have never had a cam strap
problem in over 10 years of using them. I always use NRS.
NRS
I like NRS straps best, they last a long time and the pointy part goes through the buckly easily. Too bad they don’t have the rubber cover anymore.
To prevent slipping, throw a half-hitch (or two) around the buckle after tightening the strap.
I do a half hitch also …
– Last Updated: Feb-07-11 11:27 PM EST –
...... not a real tight one just snug and make sure the strap stays flat with no twist or curling .
I think it's enough should the strap ever try to slip or loosen a little it can't slip much before tightening again on itself . I figure if the canoe ever does get to moving up there , it won't be moving much at all with that half hitch stopping more strap loosening ... and I imagine I'll know if the canoe is moving . Hasn't happened yet but we know it "might" one day !!
I just pull the remainder of the strap inside and close the door on it (no wind wipper left outside) .
This last season I stated using two straps at the front bar . 1st one straps the canoe to the bar as normal . The other grabs the canoe's seat from underside and goes in each door openning , then tightens inside the auto (it's my backup in case of catostrophic failure like rack seperation or loosening , 1st strap failure , etc. . In effect it pulls down on the canoe and rack . I've mentioned this a couple times here so far because I think it's a good idea and maybe others might want to think about it (makes me feel better anyway) .
My canoe is loaded as such that it does not stick far forward of the cab and I'm not using front tie downs any more since the backup strap .
I used to use a rachet strap (a 2-1/8" big yellow sucker) when I was using foam car top/gunnel blocks . That 2" rachet strap went from chasis frame , up over the top at the foam blocks and down to frame again (and yes it could of easily crunched the canoe if not careful) . I figured it was tight enough when the foam blocks squished down and roof top started to puddle in some , lol !! Seriously , you goota make sure those foam blocks are as close to the edge of the roof top (in my case the rear truck cab) as possible with this thin tinned sheet metal now a days ... right .
Well, nobody’s said it yet
so I guess I will: Why not just get rope and tie it down? Sure, you have to learn a couple of knots, and really know them or else your boat will come flying off. But if you know them right, it works just as well as anything else, is just as fast, cheap, and (arguably) cooler.
yep , ropes are cool …
… still using them on the back with T stand .
and less prone to wind noise
rope
More difficult for most people to get ropes tight opposed to straps. If your boat comes loose from the top of the car, how cool is that? Also no nylon rope, stretches too much.
Have seen several boats destroyed using ratchet straps, bad idea.
Bill H.
In my experience
webbing doesn’t slide as much as rope. It has a wider surface area in contact with the boat.
cam straps vs. ratchet straps
I was looking at the diagram in the Thule Stacker system. It’s showing just 2 straps holding 2 yaks. It shows them going over the top of both yaks from the Stacker, down past each end of the cockpit on the yak and then around the load bar. What holds the inner yak in place? Just tension from being sandwiched between the Stacker and the outer yak? Or would you use a pair of straps for each yak?
I agree! Use a simple…
Jam knot & it will stay tight until you loosen it.
Paddle easy,
Coffee
5/16 polyester braid < $1/ft.
3,000 lb. breaking strength and I’ve never heard of a properly tied knot failing.
The “cool” part is being able to lash your boat onto your car and leave while others are still fiddling with their straps.
stacker use
When going 2-deep like that I always put a strap around each boat. Maybe that’s not as important with whitewater boats. I always do it with the long boats I haul though.
Agree on the ropes…
I’d rather depend upon my knots than upon a mechanical device, even one as simple as a cam.
If sliding is an issue, you are doing…
– Last Updated: Feb-08-11 11:21 PM EST –
... something wrong. The purpose of the tie-down over the boat hull is not to "grip" the boat by means of friction. Tie-downs WILL keep the boat from moving side-to-side on account of being anchored close alongside the boat (but even better with truly efficient use of the ropes or straps as described below), and end-to-end on account of the tapered shape of the boat (because you can't shove a wedge into a loop of fixed size), and usually in conjunction with the rack contact area in the case of kayaks. I used nothing but rope for years and years, and on rare occasions used straps just this year. I never had a single problem with rope and don't consider straps to be any better. For canoes and similar boats, since I don't have gunwale blocks, I often use an extra pair of loops on at least the front crossbar, and sometimes the rear one as well. One extra loop starts on the right side, circles the boat and ends on the right side (as far from the edge of the boat as possible), while the other does the same thing on the left. Such a pair of loops will totally eliminate side-to-side boat movement with barely any tension at all. It's a matter of making your tie-downs resist movement in the only direction that makes sense, in-line with the orientation of the strap or rope. Friction against the boat rack itself may be needed with just two tie-downs, but it's not needed between the tie-downs and hull. Friction is not even needed between the boat and rack if you take advantage of a few extra ropes so that you don't need to accomplish anything other than a straight-line pull with them.
I agree with that too.
I can secure a rope and tighten a trucker’s hitch in half the time it takes to thread straps.
Only boat I ever saw fly had been
attached to a trailer with…
drum roll please…
A rope.
Jim
Just stirrin’ the pot!
^'zactly
It’s a poor mariner that doesn’t know
and trust his knots.
Call me old-fashioned.
knots and straps
I know and trust my knots. But when it comes to securing kayaks to my truck, I just find that cam straps work better. They slip less, I can undo them when they’re frozen, and I can make them tighter because the force is distributed over a wider area of the kayak.
I do tie a half hitch under the cam to prevent a mechanical failure of the buckle.
the problem with ropes
i like them, but i don’t trust all of the other people i paddle with to use them, and when loading up boats, anyone can use a cam strap. i’m mainly a whitewater paddler, and it’s not uncommon for us to run shuttle with up to 6 boats on top of a vehicle. if you only ever have your boat on top and you are the only one that will tie it down, then ropes are great, but if someone else is handling the duties, you’re better off having straps available.