BWCA Different canoe tiedown method Boundary Waters Listening Point - General Discussion
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andym
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09/19/2017 11:00PM   (Thread Older Than 3 Years)
On the way south from Ely on Sunday we saw a new way to tie down a canoe. Foam blocks, no straps over the middle, but two bow and two stern straps. Yes, those straps were so tight that they were holding the canoe firm on the blocks. And this was on the highway past Hinckley, not some slow road. Needless to say, it was an aluminum canoe. Also needless to say, I wouldn't try that at home or on the road. I stayed away from them but I'm guessing that they've been doing it for years. Anyone do it that way?
 
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bwcasolo
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09/20/2017 05:38AM  
no, i would think a strong wind from the side would move that canoe. always center strap my kevlar canoes.
 
mastertangler
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09/20/2017 06:11AM  
First off i would never depend on only 2 tie downs. If one fails, for whatever reason, there is going to be a big problem.

I like the foam blocks with any sort of ratchet type strap as your chances for damage to you boat are greatly minimized.

I have a ladder rack on my van and added foam pool noodles. After taping those in place I put my canoe in place and used retractable ratchet straps. These have been mentioned before but if you have never used retractable type ratcheting straps you are in for a pleasant surprise. They are the cats meow.

Underneath the ratcheting device I placed a welding glove between it and my canoe for protection but most anything would work to protect against abrasion. I also used a rope via a truckers hitch from the bow and stern directly to the rack as a redundant safety line in case of strap failure.

As per the posters thread topic I used only 2 straps and this for an 18 ft boat. It has been on top of my van all summer and has travelled from Florida to NY and Michigan and has not moved an inch.

And as has been noted on tie down threads before, beware of using straps, particularly ratcheting type straps, on Kevlar canoes. One click to tight and you can crack your boat. That is the beauty of using the foam. Everything gets very tight indeed but you have some margin for error.

I used to be strictly a rope man but these retractable ratcheting straps in combination with foam are very effective and efficient.
 
09/20/2017 06:16AM  
Yes. I use Spring Creeks suction mount on the cab of my truck, and their hitch mount system on the back. I use two straps on both back and front. The canoe does not move sideways at all. I have hauled canoes all over the country and never had a issue.
 
09/20/2017 07:02AM  
The over the top straps are the most important for keeping the canoe on your car. The bow and stern tie downs are for keeping the side to side movement to a minimum. Those straps SHOULD NOT be too tight. On my local trips (less than an hour away) not using any highways I only use the top straps. Been doing that for 35 years even on my 18 foot C1 racer with no problems.
 
riverrunner
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09/20/2017 11:30AM  
I use two straps over the top two in front or one or two in the back.

I never lost a canoe and don't plan on it.
 
ozarkpaddler
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09/20/2017 01:42PM  
Nope, never in 40 some years of transporting canoes and john boats. Certainly glad I don't drive behind some folks. You should always secure boats with a minimum front straps or ropes and two over the belly. Better yet, secure the stern also. Tie down your boat with the expectation of something failing, because, racks, straps, ropes, bolts, etc, will all fail at one time or the other. And the lesser number of areas secured, the more stress on the few you have.

Also, think about the people behind you. Would you want to be responsible for someone getting killed or badly hurt because of your flying canoe either hitting them or from trying to avoid it?
 
09/20/2017 02:29PM  
I use two 2 inch cam buckle straps over the belly.
One goes thru the rear doors and the other attaches to the car top carrier bar.
I use straps front and rear to attach bow and stern.
Even if everything else fails the strap thru the rear doors will give me at least some time to stop before the boat leaves the car.
 
andym
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09/20/2017 03:47PM  
quote walllee: "Yes. I use Spring Creeks suction mount on the cab of my truck, and their hitch mount system on the back. I use two straps on both back and front. The canoe does not move sideways at all. I have hauled canoes all over the country and never had a issue."


Are your straps over the canoe to the racks or from the ends of the canoe down to lower on the car?
 
09/20/2017 05:21PM  
The straps are on the ends of the canoe and attached to the front brush guard,and the hitch receiver.
 
mastertangler
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09/20/2017 08:20PM  
With my Tundra I used to have 2 tie downs over the belly of the boat, 2 ropes to the bow from the bumper and 1 stern rope. As has been mentioned the bow tie downs keep everything from moving about.

But with what I am driving now any sort of bow line to the bumper is completely impractical due to the type of vehicle I drive and the length of time the canoe is kept on the rack.

In combination, the foam and retractable straps there is zero movement even with just two straps. The safety lines are just that and go directly from the bow back to the rack and stern back to the rack. My racks fit into pre made tracks built into the roof of the vehicle (the Van is commercial). I would likely use this method even with a traditional pick up and dispense with ropes / straps which prevent side to side movement because with the foam and retractable ratchet straps there is no side to side movement.......everything is tight provided the anchor points are near either side of the canoe.

 
andym
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09/20/2017 09:56PM  
quote walllee: "The straps are on the ends of the canoe and attached to the front brush guard,and the hitch receiver."


Interesting. I think your racks are much further apart than the foam blocks I saw on the roof of a normal midsize sedan. So, you are pulling down near the racks and not putting so much leverage on the canoe.

MT: you are making me think about putting some foam on my 2x4 racks. A bit more friction between the rack and canoe could be good.
 
Grizzlyman
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09/20/2017 09:58PM  
No.

Why? Why would you do this? Seems really stupid.

Why not put a belly strap on. Even if the odds are that you won't lose it. Why risk an 80lb 80 mph projectile?
 
09/21/2017 02:07AM  
With good straps the belly straps are generally enough unless your rack itself is prone to move such as the suction cup racks. With the twenty place trailer I would put a second strap over the front straps on the upper boats in wind. Amazing how much this strap helps from moving side to side. There are other tricks a person can use especially with boats prone to cracking or warping. Usually if your canoe shifts side to side is because when initially tightening you basically tighten one side more than the other and in moving this balances out and loosens everything. One thing is straps have a life... Don't risk a questionable strap. I had a belly strap bust years ago and the front and back ropes held as the canoe slid off the rack and drug on the highway... That was in the eighties and near Hinckley on the freeway. That was before I used a quality strap and rack.
 
mastertangler
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09/21/2017 06:55AM  
andym i was surprised at how everything firmed up when clamped upon the foam. Usually if you pull hard enough a canoe will slide a bit on a rack. Not so with the foam. I only used the pool noodle foam because the Expedition is a decked canoe with no rails so I wanted to protect against abrasion. It has worked so well I will use it now for for my Bell solo even though it has metal gunnels.

Nctry has quite a few miles hauling canoes if I understand correctly. I like learning from others........."life is to short to make all the mistakes yourself" (or something to that effect > Eleanor Roosevelt )
 
09/21/2017 07:10AM  
We were hauling six canoes on an aluminum canoe trailer from Maryland up to New York on the Pennsylvania Turnpike when one of the aluminum arms on the trailer broke. The trailer was a retail and the cross member that broke held the stern of the top two canoes. My assumption is that over time the ratchet straps were pulling up on both ends of the cross member. Vibration and over stress lead to the failure. Thank God no-one was hurt and the canoe that flew the two hundred feet like a deck of cards didn't take too much of a beating. We named that canoe PA Turnpike. Always double up for precaution
 
jhb8426
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09/21/2017 10:32PM  
quote andym: "...Foam blocks, no straps over the middle, but two bow and two stern straps. Yes, those straps were so tight that they were holding the canoe firm on the blocks..."


Yep, see that a lot. And it's always askew on the roof. Try to give them a lot of leeway on the road. Better one I saw was two guys hauling a foosball table on top of a sedan, literally holding on to it with their arms out the window.

I have a Thule rack with canoe blocks. Use two straps over the canoe, and two lines on the bow to under hood straps. I don't use a stern tie down. I figure if there's an event that will cause the boat to come off to the front, I've got a far bigger problem than a loose canoe.
 
mastertangler
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09/22/2017 06:27AM  
FWIW I am not advocating foam blocks on top of a vehicle. But rather adding foam in the form of pool noodles to the struts or bars of a rack. Once the foam is taped in place and the boat is compressed into the foam good things happen.
 
09/22/2017 10:35AM  
On the trailer we put foam with a nylon wrap cover. MT is right, the canoes seem to nestle into the foam and sit better. Gives people piece of mind too seeing their canoes riding first class.
 
09/22/2017 11:09AM  
Yakima bars with load stops have been doing me right since 1987
 
andym
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09/22/2017 11:12AM  
MT, you've been clear and very interesting that nctry does this too.
 
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