Knots
I use a truckers knot on the one side of the car top so I can synch it down tight. What knot so you use on the other side.
hood loops
Hood loops work. You don’t even have to find a fastener under the hood to attach them. The pair I have are soft 1" webbing (the kind you can buy in outdoor sports stores that sell climbing equipment, like REI and EMS) looped through a 3" chunk of thick rubber tubing (like industrial hose). You could do the same with a short scrap of 1" PVC pipe. Just lay one on either side with the tube part under the hood and slam it shut.
I have been using them with a new car I bought last year and have not noticed any wear on the paint. Though I admit I would not care if it did mark the paint. Cars are transportation appliances, not museum pieces, and I feel it’s kind of pointless to worry about the finish on something that spends most of its time outdoors in all weather and much of that flying along at high speeds. That’s kind of like fussing that the luggage that you check with the airlines gets scuffed up. It’s a container that is made to convey and protect what’s inside of it. Accept that your vehicle is going to get dinged up in use no matter what you do, especially if you’re into paddle sports. I’m far more concerned with the safety of people driving behind me than I am with a few square millimeters of paint finish.
the finish is important.
– Last Updated: Jun-20-16 12:22 PM EST –
If the finish gets damaged the steel will start to rust and rot. Not good. But I don't see any damage to my finish so far. I like having my loops attached to the vehicle. It means I don't have to look hard to find them, LOL!
sort of agree
People’s cars are to them what they are. There’s no use having that battle.
One can use tie downs and still not damage paint. It’s not a choice between one or the other.
IF
THE CORD not rope is covered as posted above, with 3M 33 vinyl electrical tape, the tape rub outs out on wax not paint.
My van front bumper has eyebolts before the wheel arches. These cords rub on front fender sides on the way to front of canoe and kayak.
The cords move fore and aft mostly in the draft of moving forward.
The paint under wax is undamaged after 8 years. What wears off is the 3M tape leaving a black smudge. I could use white, itsa white van of course.
Roof racks break
Not often but it happens. Tie bow and stern to the car.
yup. It happened to me
It took 50 years but it finally happened in Julesburg CO
Good info
thanks for the info. My preferred method is to load everying in my car but I can’t if I have kayaks or boards longer than 11 feet.
That goes for boats too
People view damage to boats in their own way too. I once strained my back getting a fairly heavy boat up on my shoulders, but to avoid that injury I would have needed to drop the boat six feet onto concrete. I got chastised by someone here whom I won’t name, with the reason being that “a boat is only a tool”. Well, knowing how poorly that particular hull survives even light impacts at vulnerable spots like the stem tells me that I traded severe boat damage for a couple of days of muscle discomfort (my body heals itself - my boat does not, and I even realized that in the instant of decision about whether to hold or drop). Besides, “it’s only a tool?” Abusing a wrench or hammer is one thing, but how about a lathe? After all, both are tools, so why not?
Loop
My DIY rack is tight yet there is fore aft movement primarily from braking.
A 1/8th" cord looped around hull fore and aft of cockpit coming snubs the braking motion as loop tightens as hull increases volume/cross section. Wal sells a cord in black hanger.
Commercial racks should have a metal stop holding hull from transverse motions, 4 u bolts n vertical plates with padding for OEM racks.
I doahn speculate that is happening, maybe commercially movie
ng into the J holder first.
But the transverse stop, a canoe gun wale stop, for kayaks hulls eliminates on rack motion. Where straps try.
Several racks are reported lost going thru Julesburg, reported from alien interference.
yes, absolutely
My hull has enough battle scars to allow me to beach it on stone in conditions, during trips, without cringing too much. But I still avoid doing so at any other time.
Personally I like a clean paint job but have come to accept surface scratches, door dings, etc. on my car. It’s unreasonable for me to expect anything more if I want to use it daily. My kayak deck has a nicer finish.
Tiedowns saved my arse
I’ve always used bow & stern tiedowns for anything but around the corner paddles (Like less than 2 or 3 miles w/no highway speed).
What reinforced it with me was one day when I was driving in Maine at about 75 MPH with 2 sea kayaks on top if a '95 Mustang, and the bow lines all of a sudden got super tight. I slowed down real careful and pulled into the breakdown lane only to see that the rack system had let go of the roof. Had I not used bow & stern tiedowns, a very bad or maybe even catastrophic thing would have happened when the boats and rack came off the car at that speed. Luckily, no problem to reattach & tighten the rack.
I also check how secure racks are on my car religiously now.
!
Scary.
I use a similar metric, if I’m getting on the freeway or will be going faster than 45 or so I always use them.
O dont do that
You can get seriously hurt by a kayak torpedoing through your car.
It happened to our neighbors who always took their rec boats in the van… Just missed his head and went right through the windshield when he had to stop fast.
Maybe I’m overly cautious.
There are certain things I always do. Carrying a bilge pump and paddle float is one, even if it’s just for a quicky paddle in flat water.
Another is using bow/stern tie downs no matter how short the trip. To move my boat to and from my dock, I have to drive to the access road a couple lots away. It’s a very steep, rutted road and I’m always in first gear up and down.
It takes just a couple minutes to secure the lines. It would take a heck of a lot longer to replace my kayak should something go wrong.
that’s your prerogative
I’m not judging. I expect the same in return.
Since when is stating
a personal preference judging?
If there’s a judgment involved, it’s that I’m a cautious wuss.
bilge pump ?
there’s bilge ? yuch…
half a gallon water jug on 1/8th" shock cord n a sponge does it for clean water.
strapping down the boat
I was purchasing my kayak and one of the guys from the store taught me how to tie the boat on. Flip the tie down straps OVER the boat, and around the rack bar, at the end so it forms an infinity or sideways 8 - pull down tight. He said this is usually enough. I tie down at both the front and the back so I can see what is going on - since I am unable to see the boat, the ropes reassure me that all is okay up top. I also do it in case of an accident. If someone rear ends my vehicle the forces generated by the impact would be tremendous and possibly dislodge the boat
aluminum
– Last Updated: Jun-24-16 7:20 PM EST –
http://goo.gl/prcTNN
if steel then inside needs painting with rusto...and outside. a coat of white primer followed with dayglo