Re: 3 Forces Back, 1 Forw

Posted by Kurt Maurer on May 11, 2004

Mac, like you, I look forward to hearing from the experts on this. But hey, I do have about 50,000 miles of hauling yaks on the racks without incident...

I don't see the bow and/or stern line(s) doing much more than providing a safety mechanism in case of vehicular impact. Of course, it is best not to impact things with your vehicle, but especially when carrying yaks on top. And this is because in today's world of litigation-happy lawyers you *really* don't want to launch missiles at anyone, even if they aren't armed with warheads. And that is why we tie lines on the ends.

It is the straps that keep car and boat together as one happy unit under normal circumstances, and they do it very well. Also, kayaks tend to be quite aerodynamic, which means there are no great forces at work endeavoring to rip the varnished portion of your payload free. Unless you vehicularly impact something.

Bow and stern lines also serve as load status indicators. I watch mine constantly for any signs of shifting, or other monkey business, going on upstairs. One time I noticed my bow lines going a bit slack after a day of driving in rain; I know nylon webbing tends to relax when wet, so I made a point of pulling under a gas station canopy asap, retightened my straps (yes, they had loosened somewhat), retensioned my bow lines, and proceeded upon my way. That is as close to an incident I have ever had.

Cheers, Kurt

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In Response to: 3 Forces Back, 1 Forward by Mac on May 11, 2004

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