Re: [Paddlewise] emergency stops and bow lines

Last time this thread came up (ending with Scott proposing a secure bolt 
through the bottom of the kayak and top of the roof) I fought and fought and 
*just* managed to keep a firm bite on my tongue.  But Woody brought me out 
this time. :-)

In a message dated 4/19/99 7:02:22 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
woodardr_at_tidalwave.net writes:

<<  I haven't seen mention of it, but has no one else had a problem with a bow
 or stern strap doing a number on the car's paint job?>

It certainly will if the rope curves around the front edge and vibrates 
merrily as you drive.  For those of us who have boats longer than our cars, 
no problemo.  For others, this is a concern.  One solution:  Open your hood 
(trunk) and find a fender bolt inside the match-line between your fender and 
hood (trunk).  Remove the bolt; get an appropriate-length of nylon strap; 
double it over; sew it at the ends (if you are fairly anal) to form a 
tear-drop-shaped loop; use a hot soldering iron or the like to melt a hole 
through the doubled strap, one width from the matched ends and on the 
longitudinal centerline; put fender washers on each side of the hole, run the 
fender bolt through, and reinstall the bolt.  Now, tuck the strap(s) down 
inside your engine compartment (trunk) until next time you haul watercraft.  
Pull the loop(s) up though the match-line and run your bow (stern) line 
through them instead of down over the front or rear of your vehicle.  Totally 
confused?  Me too, and I wrote it! 
 
 <Back when I used foam blocks to carry my canoe on my truck, I *always* used
 a bow/stern strap >

Pardon me if I'm repeating myself here, but I really advise against using 
strap for bow and stern lines.  Reason:  The wind pressure against a strap is 
significantly higher than a rope.  I've seen plastic boats (I know you have a 
gorgeous, stiff woody, Woody) bend significantly under the wind pressure 
against the straps used on some friend's boats on a moderately warm day of 
freeway-speed driving (the straps were not over-tightened).  I also had a 
customer come by the shop with a Sea Lion draped down onto his hood -- the 
reinforcement shaft had kinked and the boat oilcanned, folding down until it 
was literally laying on his hood, with the boat still properly secured in 
both racks.  And yes, for the bow line he used a cam-buckle strap -- the same 
width as those supplied by Yakima and most every other supplier of roof 
racks.  He swears he didn't over tighten the strap, it was a hot day and he 
was doing about 70-80 MPH when the boat suddenly buckled.
 
< The Yakima racks I now use are firmly attached. So much that when my kayak
 is strapped to them I'm certain that for the racks to come off, the roof
 must come with it. . . . . Anyone who has watched me tie down my kayak knows 
I
 give a very strong pull on it when done to see if there is anything that
 might come loose. >

I've heard many tales of woe about boats coming loose, and every one of the 
tale started with words very similar to those.  Among the tales are ones 
where the roof (or portions thereof) or the rain gutters *did* go with the 
rack -- stuff happens.

< A failure of the front strap could mean launching a missile in a panic stop 
or crash. This assumes that the
 surviving strap didn't hang on any of the deck fittings as the kayak tried
 to slip through. . . .>>

Or the front of the boat lifts, torqueing the rear rack until it (or the rear 
strap) fails, leaving the boat doing enders down the road behind you.  Yup, 
that's happened too.
 
For those who think that the strongest possible rope/strap is the answer to 
all the above, I offer this bit of ancient history:  In a former life, I flew 
sailplanes (gliders) and belonged to a club that owned several.  At the same 
time, I worked in a materials testing lab and occasionally tested strap and 
webbing for tensile strength, elongation, etc.  One of our sailplanes had a 
military-surplus four-point chest/seat belt system with a 4-inch wide lap 
belt so thick that you need to visualize a car towing strap instead of a 
normal seat belt.  I had tested such straps to failure at (as I remember) 
near 20,000 Lbs., so I didn't worry about the fact that the belt was dirty 
and showing some wear.  One day, one of the club members was preparing to 
launch in that sailplane when she leaned forward to pick up a chart she had 
dropped.  As she strained hard against the restraint of the lap belt, it 
suddenly gave up the ghost and parted!  She ripped right through a strap 
that, if new, could pick up her, the sailplane and probably the towplane too. 
 UV and chemical degradation as well as internal wear from grit can weaken 
any seemingly good strap or rope without any alarming external signs.  
Redundancy rules.

Stepping off soapbox,

Harold

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