I’ve used the loops for years and see
no paint damage but they aren’t dirty either.
I like rope.
– Last Updated: May-18-09 9:37 AM EST –
Quicker, cheaper, bomb-proof. With hood loops, no nasty metal hardware to deal with. You only have to know three knots (that you really ought to know anyway) and, once you've tied them a couple hundred times, you get pretty good at it! Buy polyester line from a chandlery. Stay away from nylon and hardware-store variety stuff. Rinse and dry regularly.
Vinyl Tubing
I use vinyl tubing which is available at most hardware stores and in various diameters. Just bought a few yards of tubing and then cut pieces of the proper length.
Did not see the simplest suggestion …
Since the OP obviously has an attachment point they like to use and have been using for a long time, why make them rethink their system if it already works well? Of course there may be benefit in doing just that but if not, why not just apply some clear 3M film (removable) to the area on the hood/trunk where the tie-downs touch? That would work for many years and can be removed later with barely a mark left on the car … No tools or drilling required -
1 Like
3M clear chip-guard material
I had a couple small pieces around and put them on the end of the hood of my husband’s Tahoe. We normally trailer the sea kayaks, but occasionally we need to rooftop instead, and I knew that the painter line would probably damage paint on the long drive to Alaska.
The clear pieces did their job well and are still on there, 3 years later, on a vehicle that is parked outdoors all the time.
If you have a truck, you could also install a front-end protector (bug guard).
I have adopted a different approach, because I worried about hood and paint damage. I also didn’t want to undo the fender bolt, that appears too short to accommodate the strap on my CX-5. With the hood open I passed a strap between the two latches and cinched it tight across the front of the wipers. This allows a tie down to be attached with a trucker’s hitch and a bowline knot to the bow. The stern and the bow lines pull inwards, so the canoe isn’t going to move forward or back under the roof rack tie downs It is secure, and doesn’t obstruct the driver’s view ahead. If you want you could put a loop in the strap on either side and tie between the two loops if you have a long enough strap (mine isn’t) and have side to side stability. Remember a flag on the stern to stop yourself from walking into the overhang! I have had many forehead goose eggs over the years
11 year old zombie thread!
Car paint protective film at those points, from any auto parts place, or get fancier and buy the plastic edge protection strips for your car.
Or use rope instead. Softer than straps. Used it for many years and I have never seen any evidence of it impacting the paint.
Resurrection of ancient threads seems to be much more common lately.
Oopsie
Many people here sleeve the lines that come with tie-downs with soft latex surgical tubing. Much softer than vinyl. Soft rubber pipe insulation, not the foam type, should work well if you can find it small enough. Refrigeration supply stores might carry it.
Nothing wrong with an ancient thread if people have a new question.
1 Like
I don’t know how they find them but I applaud their looking rather than just asking the same question again and again!
Usually it’s not so much a new question but another answer to an old question.
And it’s often someone new to the forum who has run a search on a topic they’re interested in and don’t realize how old the thread is.
1 Like
The pipe insulation I use STILL blemishes the paint.
I agree.
Or even an old question. I’m totally good with zombie threads. I like to see different people responding to an “old” question. Sometimes the experts from back in the day are gone and the new responses are fresh and maybe they are more relevant. I realize that this one is about protecting paint and not some paddling skill or some hull design controversy but it is a good question that was searched and bounced.
We have the ability to “Mute” threads that we don’t want to see. That is a wonderful thing about the new software. I only have to see something once and if I want it gone it is gone.
1 Like