I’m considering a VW Jetta SportWagen TDI for my next kayak hauling vehicle. Any owners out there who can tell me how they attach front ties? I looked under the front end and did not see anything promising for attaching ties.
Alan
nylon webbing loops
attached to the bolts on the edge of the fender under the hood make good front tie downs. Located near the windshield they serve to resist forward movement of the boat also. The webbing can be left under the hood when not needed.
You can make, or buy those loops
http://www.seattlesportsco.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=232&idcategory=90
hmm
There’s a handsome profit to be made in them there loops. I’ve never found a need for the brass grommet. Just use a fender washer. (no pun intended)
Web Loops
I use the web loops, yakima sells their own and I had picked them up while out somewhere.
I agree you could just melt some 1/4" holes in webbing, use a fender washer from the hardware, and have the same thing for much less. That is what I should have done!
Tow eye
There is probably a little square or round piece in the bumper. Pop that off and there is a place to screw in the tow eye that is in the tool kit in the trunk.
My 2011 Outback
– Last Updated: Jul-06-11 12:13 PM EST –
unfortunately has vinyl covers over the inside of the fenders under the hood. No place for me to easily install loops as I have done for two previous vehicles.
But Seattle Sports also makes temporary anchors with loops passing through sections of thick vinyl hose. Just lay them in place and close the hood and tie your boat securely.
Jim
Heres a link:
http://www.seattlesportsco.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idproduct=768&idcategory=90
tdi tie-downs
I have a 2010 tdi sportwagen. To carry a brand new to me MRC Independence from Indiana to Maryland, I used Thule load bars on the factory racks, installed the tow eye in the front bumper for the front and looped a rope around the rear bumper support from underneath for the rear tie-down.
The boat was secure over 9 hours driving @ 70-75 mph.
Upon return, I checked with a dealer, $35 for another new tow eye to use in the socket in the rear bumper. Since the tow eyes are large left-handed metric threads, I doubt anything else will fit. The other drawback is that the sockets that accept the tow eyes are about half way between the centerline and the passenger edge, not in the center, so carrying multiple boats will be a little more difficult.
By the way, I averaged 40+ mpg @75 mph outbound with no bars installed and 37 mpg @ 70-75 mph homebound with the canoe on top.
great little car, with the emphasis on little. It won’t be a great shuttle vehicle for multiple boats and multiple people with lots of gear.
My Ford Explorer has after market
tow eyes installed and are just like you get that come on many pickups. Hubby installed them himself. He’s a great guy and multi-talented to boot.
He preferred tie towns for my Chatham 16 to be in the most forward position.
angle of tie downs
The way most people tie boats to bumpers or tow-eyes results in a system of ropes with no resistance to forward motion of the boat. Look at the angle of the ropes. Typically the one in the back angles back from the bumper and the one in the front does the same. Under hard braking conditions or a front end collision there is no rope to stop the boat going forward. Hence the great advantage of loops coming up between hood and fender. Those lines typically angle forward and resist forward motion of the boat.
xx2 home made
I also made my own ( for under the hood attachment)out of the ends of some ratchet straps. Just double them over , melt a hole witha hot nail and insert an existing fender bolt through them. Great system. That said, I rarely use bow straps for hauling anything under 15’ unless plannign allot of highway speed over long hours.
Unless …
You are carying a 20’ kayak on a 13’ car -;).
More seriously though, I’m not sure there is that much value in forward-motion prevention. To me the tie-downs help with up/down and possibly side to side motion of the kayak. Not so much in helping the kayak + rack reamin on top of the car if the rack fails. If things come to relying on the tie-downs to keep the kayak and rack on the roof, I’d think you would be having much more serious issues than the kayak falling off the car.
I guess it does not hurt to have the lines at some angle just in case…(but not too steep of an angle as then you lose much of the up/down/sideways stability benefit, which to me is the main point when carrying a long kayak and the key to preventing other things failing due to excessive motion)
usefulness of forward motion resistance
It depends on where the roof racks are and how far apart they are. The resistance to forward motion is typically provided by the forward rope/line being tight on the hull with a wider part of the boat towards the back of the car. Variations in this situation can make the boat likely to move forward, particularly in panic stops.
Cheap tow eye source
Junk yard.
Tow eyes
Upon return, I checked with a dealer, $35 for another new tow eye to use in the socket in the rear bumper. Since the tow eyes are large left-handed metric threads, I doubt anything else will fit. The other drawback is that the sockets that accept the tow eyes are about half way between the centerline and the passenger edge, not in the center, so carrying multiple boats will be a little more difficult.
They should have given you two tow eyes when you bought the car. I have pair for my 2010 JSW TDI.
REI has them too
I bought similar ones at REI for my Toyota Yaris, and they’ve been working fine:
http://www.rei.com/product/818227/seattle-sports-quick-loops-pair