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.
In reality, I think it’s a tie.
(pardon the pun) Either works just fine and it’s good to have viable options.
A vote for cam straps
Make your own in any length you might desire :
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1451
http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfid=1450&pdeptid=1039
When shuttling boats, inevitably the boats will be different sizes and you’ll have to make it work to get home.
because
On ABS canoes it’ll leave a divot where it crosses the hull. Straps spread the load out. Nylon stretches a lot when wet and tightens when dry. I like rope for tie downs over straps.
s-hooks
what bugs me the most are ratchet mechanisms with s-hooks used for bow/stern tie downs. They shouldn’t be pulled too tight but in scenarios where they’re back up to roof rack failure on narrow spaced bars the ends of a long kayak can move a LOT, which is not where I’d want an s-hook attached. 1/4" rope and truckers hitch works fine.
Whoa! Hold the phone Lee!
I think that you just introduced a third animal to this debate. I had not considered the ROPE & RATCHET devices that Yakima and thule market for front & rear tiedowns. I have actually used them, and like them, but I agree with you about the dangers of S-hooks. I replaced the hooks on mine with load-rated SS mini-biners for just that reason.
Jim
seems odd to me
I know bow/stern lines can lend some stability but in the instance where it’s meant to provide belts and suspenders security it just seems odd to use s-hooks.
S hooks
The hooks work fine in use for bow and stern lines. Use them fairly frequently when going out of town. Have used on a couple long trips over a thousand miles each way with no problems at all.
Bill H.
no doubt
I’ve driven thousands of miles and strapped on hundreds of kayaks many with and without bow/stern lines and none of them flew off. I have heard of it happen though. My concern is the highway accident where high impact dislodges the kayak and large enough movement by the kayak allows the s-hook to unhook when loose and there’s now 65lbs of kayak flying around the freeway. Some impacts will also snap a 1/4" line instantly but the open hook just bugs me.
Yep
I had a bow line attached with S-hooks to the tow ring on the front bumper. I hit a pothole in Brooklyn that was big enough that the bow of the boat dove down and one S-hook came loose, waving around and smacking the bumper. Luckily it was at low speed on surface streets and I was able to stop immediately. I changed the S-hooks to SS carabiners the next day.
"open hook just bugs me"
Me too. I would love to hear Yak’s or Thule’s justification for that design. I hope it is not just the cheapest solution on their part!
Jim
or
the s-hook disconnects at the boat and you’ve got line running under the tires.
Big Deal?
Is it really that big a deal to everyone what brand cam straps you use? I get the idea that a certain brand is more reliable than others, but is the difference really that much between going with Yakima or NRA as compared to some you get at a hardware store?
I’m just curious as I am looking at picking up my kayaks this weekend and was going to get some cam straps from my local store but I don’t want to cause any accidents transporting them. For the most part, the yaks will be used at the local lake at my house. Maybe transported once a month.