I am a paranoid metalworker, so I weld together my own very strong racks and bolt them to my vehicle. I lock kayaks to the rack using good wire rope bike lock cables padlocked directly to the stout eyes at the bow or stern of my kayak. I rest the kayak on blocks of foam which compress when I tie the boat down firmly with nice fat 3/8 or 7/16 dacron line. I use the heavy rope because it is easier to handle and because knots in large line can be seen so clearly. The large line will not chafe the boat, nor will it wear out. For long trips and for high speed travel I add a third lashing. I believe my kayak would disintegrate before it would come untied, but I do not put undue strain on the hull; the lashings are firm, not fierce. I have given up on bungies. They are dangerous as well as annoying to use. If I ever take a long trip with my kayak locked to my rack I will forge some kayak manacles out of flat carbon steel bar (old leaf springs would be great), pad them, and hinge them to the rack so that they both support and lock the boat. Nick *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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