Add my name to the list of those who always uses bow and stern tie downs. I was driving on a high speed highway through Toronto a year or so ago when one of my straps loosened up. The boat was obviously a bit loose on the rack, but the bow and stern lines helped me drive with it that way until I was able to find an exit off the highway (10 minutes or so later) and re-do the straps. I am sure that without the tie downs, the kayak would have sailed backwards into the traffic, causing a chain reaction of damage to the following cars. I also switched to better quality straps after that. John *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I am also in favor of bow and stern lines, for the reasons mentioned by others. Additionally, I take the long ends of the straps used to fasten the boats to the rack and feed them inside the vehicle (Honda Civic 4 door) between the top of the door and the roof. These ends are then knotted together. This means I have everything on top of the car tied to the roof. In a situation like the original poster's, I hope that this setup will keep the rack from flying off the vehicle, with extra insurance provided by the bow and stern lines. And if it fails, it'll probably mean my vehicle has suddenly become a convertable! I think I first read about this technique on PaddleWise, but I hadn't seen it mentioned in this thread. Not sure who deserves credit for it. Chris Jackson Gosport, IN *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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