How Do You Strap Your Boat?
April 18, 2008 by Mike
Filed under Rigging Concepts, Transportation
I just received this question, from Beth, about the best way to strap a boat. I would like to use it as a discussion starter:
Hi Mike! I am with a H.S. team and I’m hoping you can help settle an argument about the best way to strap down a boat when we’re loading up the trailer. We have one coach who says we should loop the straps around the inside brace when we’re strapping down the outside boats. He thinks this will prevent them from coming loose. The other coaches disagree because it puts the straps at an awkward angle. Do you have an opinion?
Thanks!
So that’s Beth’s question. (Look at the straps on the photo above to get an idea of the position of the straps.)
So what do YOU think? Do you have an opinion, answer, suggestion, story or idea to share? If so, leave it in comments below. I plan on posting a video about how I suggest you strap next week.
If the strap is going to come loose, it’s going to be at the buckle–the outside of the boat. If and when that comes loose, you’re one for.
Wrapping the strap around the inside brace doesn’t make things any tighter. If anything, I’d think wrapping around the brace creates more contact points on the outside edge of the strap, which could contribute to weakening the strap
I would strap it straight down, not using the cross-brace, as with the loops of the straps being near/against the gunnel, it provides a bit more protection against sideways movement of the shell, as well as the up/down movement.
Mike
I’d agree with Rob O’connell. Strap it straight down to minimize any side shifting but most important is to put 2 straps in the bow or toward the front end of the trailer and a single to the stern.
I just had this discussion with my captian as we loaded the boat for the trip to Ohio. I told her it was the cheapest “insurance” we could buy to make sure our boat arrived in one piece – if the 1st bow strap fails we have a reserve in place already – We could double up in the stern but the wind flow over the trailer would keep the stern on the rack in the event the stern strap failed. But if the bow strap fails and you have no back up… the 55 to 70 MPH wind would snap that new Vespoli like a swizzle stick.
Best of luck
David
Another important question about tieing down boats. Is it best to just tie off the loose end in half a tape knot – i.e. a flat knot – and let the cam do its job, or tie the end off realy tight, looping around both the tape going over the skiff and the one coming back for extra tension, and in the process, creasing the tape and skewing the cam … ’cause the cam might come lose and you want to be double sure the tie wont come off. Love your opinions and real physics and material science on this question/argument.