I use a Malone bow/stern tie down system for my kayak, but it’s very similar to the Thule one at http://tinyurl.com/746e26n. Reading all these posts on how to properly use bow & stern tie downs got me to wondering the best way to attach the loops to the boat. Thule’s picture apparently shows the loop held by tension to the grab handles, but in my case, my Tempest 170 is longer than my Highlander, so the loop & rope direction would be opposite of their example.
Is this secure? If all else fails & only a bow or stern line is left holding the boat before I can stop, the kayak will be gone long before then.
In a nutshell - what’s the best way to securely attach the loop to the boat?
Thanks!
My
kayak is longer than my car. My tie downs are straps and I just wrap the strap around the deck rigging at the bow and stern.
I saw the photo
The only thing I do differently is to run the strap under the decklines, instead of out near the end at the toggle. The Tempests and Zephyr’s have bungies on the toggles to keep them from banging around during use, so I don’t like using them for other than carrying. This works well with a boat that is longer than the vehicle, as well as when the tie down pulls outward from the kayak.
On my Kia the kayak stern extends well behind the vehicle, the bow is slightly back from the front end, it works in both instances.
Thanks.
I can see if you’re using straps (i.e. one end is free), but these products are loops so I can’t get them under the rigging. They aren’t long enough to stretch flat & pass under the rigging, with each end of the loop then hanging down on either side of the boat.