Just my two cents of bow and stern lines. Use 'em. They take so little time to attach especially if you are always dealing with the same kayak on your roof. In such a case, your lines can already be pre-set with loops all in the right places etc. so it is just a matter of half a minute each for the two ends. As for tying to bumpers vs. the rack. Racks do come loose. Lines to the bumpers may help prevent the rack from going airborne...the looosened rack will make quite a lot of noise as it starts banging on your roof and will give you a chance to pull over. As for the question of the angle the lines are vis-a-vis bow and stern, such as overhang over the bumpers etc., obviously some setups will work better than others. But whatever the setup, in a sudden braking situation, it will help some to keep the boat from totally flying forward and hitting the ground ahead. Bow and stern lines also help with tire wear. A bow line keeps the nose down. If the nose is lifting, the boat will press down more on the rear of the car. The forces could be the equivalent of carrying quite a bit of weight in the rear with more wear on the rear tires. Bow and stern lines also help enormously in evening out the pressures created when a big truck rolls by at a higher speed. This reduces the stress on the mid section straps hold the boat to the rack. I see no down side to using bow and stern lines except the time it takes and, to a degree, that they cut down forward vision if you are carrying several kayaks and a line is in front of the driver. I think the human eye operates in a way that it quickly makes that line invisible unless you decide to get fixated on it. I fail to appreciate why the almost religious resistance to something that is so practical and easy to use. The only times I have not used bow and stern lines is for a few blocks of driving at under 20 mph but with certainty that the rack was on well and the webbing straps holding the boat to the rack were looking okay. I did so yesterday moving an assembled folding kayak I'm reviewing from my apartment to a nearby storage spot. Even I don't rush to knock down and assemble kayaks if I don't have to!!! :-) ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Apr 19 1999 - 10:34:08 PDT
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