What do you connect your bow and stern tie downs to on a Mad River Monarch?
My Sawyer Loon has a carry strap through a tug eye on the bow, I don’t remember what’s on the back, but I remember I had something to hook the stern tie downs to.
I’ll be transporting a couple Monarchs this weekend and want to be prepared for the tie down scheme. It’s been really windy around here for the last couple weeks, so I want the boats as secure as possible.
Thanks.
Rig harnesses
– Last Updated: Mar-29-12 2:33 AM EST –
You could tie a rope around the coaming, run that line out the length of the boat, running around to the side that faces downward as it goes there, and then loop a half-hitch around the boat, and from there the rope goes to an anchor point on the car. Run a second rope out to the same location but loop the half-hitch in the opposite direction. That way, the half-hitch of one rope will stay tight when pulled sideways or diagonally from the left, and the other will stay tight when pulled sideways or diagonally from the right. Also, position the cross-over point of the half-hitch so it will not rotate around the hull when the anchor end of the line is pulled tight. Done properly, that would hold nicely. If you are worried about it coming loose (though it won't loosen if the rope takes the shortest route from the coaming to the bottom surface of the hull), substitute each half-hitch for a clove-hitch (again around the hull, not around the rope itself) and it will stay put long enough for you to re-tighten the ropes if that becomes necessary.
To clarify the right- and left-side pulling and how to orient the half-hitch or clove hitch, note that with the cross-over point properly positioned on the downward-facing surface of the hull, if you pull one direction on the knot, the loop around the hull cinches tighter and can't rotate because that would require the anchor line to get longer. Pull the other direction on the same knot and there's no locking action, and all resemblance to a knot disappears. Thus each half-hitch or clove hitch must be a mirror image of the other. This might not be clear as worded, but if you can tie it and play around with it, it will be very clear.
It will also be best if each anchor line angles away from the center part of the boat, not toward it, on its way from the hull loop to the car. That will be easier to accomplish at the front end than the back end. Harnessing the back end would best be done a lot closer to the coaming, so that the anchor lines slope in the opposite orientation as the front lines (which is also good because the rear ropes will then prevent the boat from sliding forward, opposing the effect of the front ropes), but it also allows the final half-hitch or clove hitch to lock tightly without the need to resort to a more complex harness method.
I've tied various loads this way, but thinking about it now, it would probably be fine to make the loop around the hull by tying the rope back on itself, rather than a locking hitch that cinches tightly. Each rope will only get pulled from one direction, so even a floppy loop around the hull will get the job done if it serves to route the main anchor line from car => loop => coaming, as long as the line leaving the boat slopes the proper direction (away from the center of the boat as it heads from boat to vehicle). Slope the rope the other way and even a very tight loop around the hull will creep and the anchor line will loosen.
Simplified Version
– Last Updated: Mar-29-12 11:20 AM EST –
I should never try to write much and think much after getting involved with some personal or job-related project that keeps me up too late. All that I described above is what I've done to secure long loads on a roof when typically I have a long length of rope to work with. It works, but here's something that will do the same thing with shorter ropes, and it's simpler to tie properly and simpler to describe.
At the front, take one rope and tie a loop around the coaming with two half-hitches, run the other end of the rope out toward the bow and make a loop around the hull with two half-hitches. Keep the length of line between the two loops on the the same side of the boat (upper or lower) as the coaming (I don't know if the boat will be on cradles or upside-down on cross bars). Now, simply tie two additional ropes to that loop around the hull, and route each to your vehicle anchor points.
Do the same thing at the back, but as I described above, put the loop around the hull very close to the coaming so that the anchor ropes you attach to that loop pull in the opposite direction as the front ropes.
And if you have a very tiny car, THEN in makes sense for both sets of anchor lines attach near the boat ends, but only if BOTH both sets then slope toward the center of the boat on their way from boat to car. If you do that though, you'll need a different harness method for the loop around the hull, so ask again if that's the case. Most likely it'll work best as described before, with the loops positioned on the hull so that the anchor lines at both ends slope away from the center of the boat on their way from hull to vehicle. Front and rear lines are most effective, and will ONLY keep the boat on the roof if the rack fails, if they are paired and if the front and rear pairs are in opposition.
Now I remember how I did the stern,
the same way I do the kayaks, with a web loop that goes around the stern and the Thule Quick Draws hook into that.
I don’t know if the loops are big enough to go around the bow.
Thanks for the simplified version GBG.
It seems like it would be effective, now I just need to learn how to tie the knots.
Monarchs?
So now we need to know the Monarchs story. Or did I miss it?
Story?
Pretty simple. I’m picking up a couple Monarchs this weekend.
Bow Tie Down
Well, Dave, mine had a loop bolted in, so I assumed they all did?
http://www.pbase.com/ozarkpaddler/image/61974034
So, you use the metal loop?
That’s what I was hoping. Since I haven’t seen one close up, I didn’t know it they were mounted securely enough to attach to.
That Monarch is prettier than either that I’m picking up - one all red, one all white. I like the red deck and white hull.
Thanks.
Story?
Sorry, just thought there might be a good story about how you found a couple of Monarchs.
I responded to an ad.
Here’s a “Tied Down” Pic, Dave
Have a good weekend!
http://www.pbase.com/ozarkpaddler/image/142399840
Thanks WW.
That’s how I’ll do it.
Thanks.
How could I not have a good weekend when I’m picking up two Monarchs?
That worked fine today.
Thanks.
Well, Dave…
…I’m awaiting pics! Should get my new/used Starfire delivered by next weekend thanks to my buddy Osprey!
holy sh#t!!!
Wow!!!