Tie-downs for Transport

[Mihun09]

Its common to see newbies over ratchet . Your tips for not doing that? We hear all the time to not use ratchet straps but for some that is all they have. Some tips on when enough is enough?

So, we use ratchet straps on strippers, Kevlar and w/c. Considering it is mostly my Swift that gets loaded, I do crank it down until the belly distorts slightly. My 2x4's have carpet on them for protection and if I get the tension correct and shove the boat it does not move on the rack. If it moves, I'll go another notch. I doubt I have ever gone too far, never heard the boat groan or crack when adding tension. I also cut off extra strap, so the ones meant for boats are sized accordingly so there isn't excess strap to secure some how. I just find them easier to use. I'm the paranoid type so security is important.

When we transported the two w/c boats back from Geraldton a couple years ago we also used the ratchet straps and again, tight enough to just distort the hull. Mind you with two boats on the longer 2x4's I have to walk up the hood of my Highlander to get to the eye bolts in the middle to get the strap hooks on. Considering both those hulls were rather old and lacking canvas and a lot of support structure, we had no issues on the highway with passing semi's for the 1000km drive back to Manitoba.

I know some don't use bow ropes at all and likely see mine as overkill, but on a return trip several years ago we drove into a storm front and despite the nose being roped down tight, the bow shift 6" sideways when we hit the front wall of that wind. One advantage of the nylon straps over rope is they don't stretch if driving through prolonged rain events. The bow ropes do but I have to be careful if I tighten that when they dry they shrink.

Ultimately, whatever works for each of us is the right way to do it. Much like the innie/outie debate except if you do it wrong in this case you may be shopping for a new boat.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Nylon straps do sag and tighten so your ratcheting does scare me. Unless they are not nylon which seems way more likely to me.. most likely the same as mine. Mine are polypropylene and far less apt to sag and over tighten. Long ago a master canoe builder taught me to check on tightness of straps nevertheless after it started raining and after they dry out. Not all rope is stretchy and some does not change dimension with wetness. Construction of rope differs. Polyester would not elongate

 

[Guest]

I’m a rope guy.

We have straps that came with various racks and accessories, but I am just more comfortable, and probably faster, with a truckers hitch. Since all of our roof racks are easily removable I leave the belly lines attached in the middle. All I have to do is throw the lines over the hull, tie a hitch and go.

Good quality non-stretchy rope. 9 feet per belly line is enough to span even our wider tandems, and I just wrap the excess when carrying narrower hulls. Painter lines and roof rack lines are one place where it is worth spending the extra money on good rope. I’d rather buy 60 or 70 feet of good rope once than keep buying crappy nylon hardware store rope; but dang do I have a box of that crap rope cut to various lengths.

Bow line, stern line, two belly lines and four gunwale stops on each boat. Seems like a lot, until you drive through some high plains windstorm where its blowing so hard you can’t get the truck doors open.

I think using some kind of gunwales stops is a critical augmentation, especially if you carry more than one boat on the roof racks. I like having a bit of space between the boats for better rooftop air flow, but more importantly I don’t want the boats touching each other.

I overlooked that issue in the initial design of the four-boat van rack. Two of the boats touched. Touched in the worst possible way, with the head of a foot pedal bolt rubbing against the gel coat of the neighboring boat. It only took a couple hours of driving for that bolt head to wear an ugly divot into the gel coat. Even just boat-against-boat is marring.

I’ll offer one more marring caveat. I have left permanent dimples in factory-fresh Royalex canoes when the truckers hitch was pressed tightly against the side of the hull. That doesn’t seem to be an issue on RX boats where the foam core has had time to stiffen, and so maybe not an issue any longer (T-Formex maybe?), but even so I try to position the truckers hitches where they are not smashed against the hull.

I guess the same probably goes for cam straps.

 

[yellowcanoe]

yes.. The boat is like a little kid.. to its other little kid the cam cleat.. "MA HE"S TOUCHING ME"!

 

[Mihun09]

YC, why does my ratcheting scare you? Are you concerned about the boat or driving behind me, ha ha. Personally I doubt I could get a cam strap tight enough for my liking and I have done rope and truckers hitch, which is what I use for bow ropes, but ratchet straps are the dream to use.

As I said, to each their own.

 

[Alan Gage]

YC, why does my ratcheting scare you? Are you concerned about the boat or driving behind me, ha ha. Personally I doubt I could get a cam strap tight enough for my liking and I have done rope and truckers hitch, which is what I use for bow ropes, but ratchet straps are the dream to use.

As I said, to each their own.

In regards to not being able to get cam straps tight enough I've never had a problem and on some boats it would be easy enough to over tighten the cam straps and damage the hull. My Kevlight Bell Magic with tumblehomed hull would start to compress and deform long before I had pulled the cam strap as tight as it would go. More rigid hulls don't tend to compress but the straps still hold tight enough. A little foam under the gunwales does a nice job of taking some deformation and giving you some "spring loading".

Alan

 

[yellowcanoe]

If you have stretchy straps that are damp and they dry and you already have tightened the straps fully, when they shrink that's a lot of pressure on the boat. Unless of course they are not nylon.

I am fine with cam straps and there is no wiggle on the rack. Its another matter on the metal trailer bars.. No loadstops and vinyl gunwales especially are prone to sliding. After having a small boat slide off at 5 mph in front of a supermarket we added roll cage tubing for non slip surface.

To each their own.. I sometimes have to fling straps over the truck and cam straps are painful enough when cam meets truck. I think in a thick planked wood canvas canoe overtightening is not a big deal as there is some sponginess to canvas. I have dacron covered cedar canoes and am trying to find the old NRS straps that were four inches wide. The narrower ones sometimes leave abrasion marks that need to be touched up with paint.

as far as overtightening goes.. Nothing like driving over a loose strap and have it wrap around your axle. Have not done it; have heard of it being done.

 

[Guest]

it would be easy enough to over tighten the cam straps and damage the hull. My Kevlight Bell Magic with tumblehomed hull would start to compress and deform long before I had pulled the cam strap as tight as it would go.

Not just cam straps. I had a friend crack the S curve tumblehome (on an admittedly UV degraded) canoe by cranking too hard on a truckers hitch. The cowlings on decked boats are vulnerable as well, but even on more slab sided UL canoes I expect to hear some creaking noises before I tighten a line to my satisfaction.

Its another matter on the metal trailer bars.. No loadstops and vinyl gunwales especially are prone to sliding. After having a small boat slide off at 5 mph in front of a supermarket we added roll cage tubing for non slip surface.

Arrgghhh! Trailer crossbar design is a pet peeve. Does anyone manufacture a trailer with crossbars that will accommodate Thule or Yakima accessories? Those parts are easy enough to find used, and gunwale stops, cradle or J-bars are huge a boon on trailer crossbars.

We retrofitted a bunch of stuff onto Joel’s trailer. The puzzle piece edging strips removed from exercise flooring, useless for much else (yeah, I saved them), fit nicely glued atop the trailer crossbars for some grippy non-slip gunwale padding.



And we managed to finagle some cradles and J-bars onto the trailer crossbars.



That complex finagling would have been much easier if the trailer crossbars had more readily accommodated Thule or Yakima accessories.



I’m not in the market for another canoe trailer, but if I was I’d really like something where I could just slap on Thule or Yakima crossbar options. Gunwale stops, cradles, rocket boxes. . . . . .dang that would be conveniently accessorizable for different boats and different trips.

 

[Sweetfancymoses]

Rope, I don't care for the hum of straps.

Agree, rope and trucker's hitch for me. Life is too short to mess around with the correct positioning of four twists. 2 ropes to hoodloops in front, one to the the hitch. I had some brackets before, but they were much too wide to accommodate the width of my canoe on the crossbars (but I like the idea).

 

[Guest]

I had some brackets before, but they were much too wide to accommodate the width of my canoe on the crossbars (but I like the idea).

That can be even more of an issue trying to fit two canoes on the crossbar.

One solution, albeit awkward to adjust and tighten, is to reverse the orientation of the gunwale brackets and put them inside the hull(s) where they don’t take up any crossbar space.

 

[Pbutkovich]

Sherpak Quick loop tie downs in the front and ratchet straps in the back

 

[Canotrouge]

No Title

 

[sweeper]

All rope

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

Now for some scary nostalgia... as a teenager I went to Algonquin with a bunch of guys taking our Dad's station wagons, a '66 Plymouth Fury and a '65 Ford Ranch Wagon. Cheeaapp racks that clamped to the rain gutter (remember those?) with a 2x4 tied to each rack, two Grummans, two 2x4 laid on top of the canoes and a third Grumman on top. Then we'd drive as fast as we could get away with. All this done with old hemp bailer twine. I think back amazed that we never lost a canoe!!!

 

[Odyssey]

Grandpa, I'm amazed your dad trusted you with his cars for a road trip. Cool dad for sure. Yeah, we tied everything with baler twine in those days. It was what we had on hand. It smelled of horses of course. Never roped canoes with it though.
I changed over from ratchet straps not because of any severe hull damaging consequences or roadside mishaps, but because they became just so slow and awkward. And because on one occasion I was embarrassed to be fiddling around with the clunky gadget too close to the nice shiny blem free hood of a friend's truck. Not good. And then to make matters worse I had a rag tag bag of odd lengths of rope; with frayed ends. Aah shiiiii-ooot. I was disappointed in myself. On the ride home I stopped off and replaced my "tie-down gear" with fuss-free cam straps and rope. Everyone's methods to suit themselves.
I have a canoe to deliver soon and hope to carry mine along for the ride. This thread has jogged my memory; I need to consider my approach to taking both canoes on a road trip.

 

[UPpaddler]

Cam straps about 1/3 way in from the stems, load stops, bow lines to hoops that come from under my hood, stern lines to the frame under my rear bumper.

If carrying two boats, both boats get the same treatment and just for the heck of it, a single rope over both bellies with a trucker's hitch to tighten it down.

I really like using the load stops, even on local drives at in-town speeds. They completely stop any sideways slipping.

 

[Mihun09]

I have a canoe to deliver soon and hope to carry mine along for the ride. This thread has jogged my memory; I need to consider my approach to taking both canoes on a road trip.

Are you delivering a 16.5' Y-stern from the Niagara Peninsula to Manitoba perhaps?

 

[Grandpa Paddler]

. Cool dad for sure. .

...and he was cool right up to his passing in Nov at 96+. The coolest thing he did was go with me to Algonquin for 10 days... and his idea of roughing it was staying at Motel 6 or Super 8.

 

[Odyssey]

Are you delivering a 16.5' Y-stern from the Niagara Peninsula to Manitoba perhaps?

Nope, much as I'd love to. And I'd love to. It would be cool to head in your direction, even with a Y- stern load.
The 2nd canoe I was referring to is an old Coleman a brother has given our son. A short little clunker (the boat) that's surprisingly light considering the fibreglass. The rickety seats will need replacing, but that'll give my son a project to play with. It's way too small for him and his family, but it's something he'll be able to take out fishing with a couple of his kids. Who knows, maybe we'll include it in some trip plans?

 

[Odyssey]

...and he was cool right up to his passing in Nov at 96+. The coolest thing he did was go with me to Algonquin for 10 days... and his idea of roughing it was staying at Motel 6 or Super 8.

My sincere condolences grandpa, and best wishes for adding to those good time memories. Boy, what I wouldn't give for a '65 Ford Ranch Wagon right now, to load up and head out for a trip.