Kayak transport - bow/stern tie downs?

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happyas
Lord of the fish
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Joined: 18 May 2012, 20:21
kayak: stealth evo 465
Real Name: Larry
Location: Mt Evelyn

Re: Kayak transport - bow/stern tie downs?

Post by happyas »

I have a glass yak which I transport on cradles on the roof of my smallish hatchback. I have the cradles lashed one to the other with thin nylon rope across the roof to prevent them spreading apart when my kayak is sitting suspended above the roof racks by about twenty mm. I tie the yak down firmly but gently using flat strapping with the rubber sheaths that slide over the cam buckle system. I tie a clove hitch around the rack crossbar with the buckle end of the strap leaving the buckle about 75 mm free from the knot. I then pass the strap through and around a lifting handle then over the yak. the reason I wrap the strap through the lifting handle is to prevent the yak rotating inside the strapping and cradles. I wrap the strap around the cross bar on the opposite side to the buckle about three times with a little tension on the strap and then back over the yak to the buckle side, through the buckle and then through the lifting handle again. I pull the strap back down to below the buckle and secure the end below the buckle with a few half hitches. this acts as a security should the cam type buckle try to slip. I then use a rope with clips to run from my rudder to under my bonnet and clipped to the front end framing. I load my yak on backwards so the bow is resting on the ground on a towel while I lift the stern up onto the cradles. then I just slide her on up. Works for me. Mind you it was a "suck it and see process" to arrive at this configuration.
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