newbie question

I have a question about tying to boat fore and aft while hauling on a roof rack. I read that you are not supposed to use the pad eyes for tying down, only for securing things on the kayak, However, I noticed that the tie down straps that Hobie sells for this purpose have snaps on each end. Looks like they would go just great in those metal pad eyes at bow and stern.

How do you all deal with tying the boat fore and aft on a roof rack? If you use cord, what type of knot is best, and where do you attach to the boat? The dealer used cord and tied to the pad eye on the bow and just before the rudder on the stern. Made me nervous about possible pressure on the rudder mechanism.

Thanks so much, I am looking forward to your input. This is a great forum. BTW, I have a Sport and a Revolution, proud owner for about 3 weeks now.
We haul them side by side on the roof rack.

Angel-Rose

_________________
Blessings,
Angel-Rose
2013 Revolution 11 (2 of them!)

Welcome Angel-Rose
I always use the fore aft padeyes for tying down. Just don't tighten the lines too much. They are more of a safety back up and not meant for lots of tension. Hobies warning is more about long term hanging of the full weight of the kayak by the padeyes. Plastic, overtime with temperature changes, can creep. Short term transport where most of the weight is taken by the racks is no problem. I use a clove hitch secured with a couple of half hitches around the bullbar/towbar.
Camlock straps are best for securing the inverted kayak to roofracks. You don't need to overtighten. Just tight enough so no movement occurs.
Ratchet straps are not recommended as you can easily overtighten and deform the hull.

I am a new owner of a 2010 Oasis and I found the manual a little confusing.
http://2010.archive.hobiecat.com/suppor ... Manual.pdf

The "transporting your hobie kayak" section of the manual states:
"A line run from the bow and stern of the boat to each bumper is required."

The "storing your hobie kayak" section of the manual states:
"Pad eyes are NOT intended for hanging or for use as tie-downs."

Is there a conflict here?

And yes... I understand that regardless of what I do with the bow and stern when transporting the kayak on the car, the primary attachment should be a pair of straps across the top of the kayak and connecting solely to the roof racks.
But is it safe to use the pad eyes as secondary attachment points anchored to the front and rear of the car?

This brings up a related question.
Assume for now that my kayak is upside down on the car with the stern at the back of the car.
The rear pad eye is covered by the rudder (sailing rudder on 2010 oasis).
I can't tie a rope to the pad eye without the rudder getting in the way.
Is it acceptable on a 2010 kayak to loop a rope over the stern such that it sits in the narrow area between the gudgeon and the body of the boat? The rope in this case would be fed downwards on either side of the folded rudder (at its narrowest point) and then tied (with both ends) to the rear of the car. In my case, with a Honda Accord the rope ends up being within a degree or two of vertical; it could potentially stop lift, but it won't stop lateral movement.
Would I be better off to skip the rear rope altogether?

-canoe

For this purpose, the eyes are use for stability / alignment of the car top load... not heavy loads.

I would imagine looping over the hull would work at the aft if the rudder can not be pushed to one side exposing the eye.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

The rudder could be "turned" such that it is out of the way.
But that would mean driving at highway speeds with a rudder sticking out the side.
I feel much more comfortable having the rudder aligned with the boat and tucked under the crisscrossed bungee tie-down where it can't wobble or catch the wind.

So... I will continue to loop a rope over the stern (just in front of the gudgeon).
-canoe

Hi canoe,

I transport my hobie revolutions right side up due to Ram ball mounts prevent sliding it up onto my roof rack upside down. I slip a bow line throught the padeye and tie a knot forming a loop then down to the bumper tow hook.

The rear I slip my stern line up and over the extended rudder pivot pin part of the stern and between the steering lines and the hull and tie off then down to my trailer hitch or bumper.

The bow and stern lines are not primary and only prevent forward or back shifting during transport as well as to keep the kayak from rotating on the rack. The strap tie downs are the primary method of securing the kayak.

When I transport both revo's my bow and stern lines go from kayak to bumper then back up to the other kayak.

I will post some pics next week since I will be transporting mine this weekend.

Revo

_________________
I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Here is how I attach my Sport on my Honda.



1. Put a thick piece of indoor outdoor carpet with rubber backing on roof. This does not slip around & protects roof from scratches.
2. Run a bow-line rope thru padeye up front (I assume the padeye is the metal loop that has the carry handles attached)
3. Loop stern-line around the short extension of the yak where the rudder attaches.
4, Use Shepak Hood Loops secured under hood & truck to attach ropes.
5. 1 rope over top & thru open windows in passenger compartment to prevent side to side movement.

Do the same on my Outback. Have also used pool noodles to elevate yak off roof & use two over the top ropes tied to roof rack.

Both are very stable at 70 mph

Thanks so much for all your replies. Very helpful and reassuring! We are also currently hauling our boats right side up per dealer advice. They are just able to fit side by side this way. Upside down they would not be fully supported. That extra inch on the Sport makes a difference.

I imagine we will be investing in wider cross bars for the rack. We have a Buick Rendezvous with a factory rack, rated at 225 lbs. We are only hauling short distances right now, and very stable, but I really don't like the idea of hauling right side up. What if it rains? Seems like that could become a very heavy load in a hurry in one of our pop up Florida storms. I also wonder about deforming the boats in the heat in this position. Just how long would it be before any damage sets in?

One more question for the voices of experience-- Our dealer told us we could use one set of tiedowns for both boats fore and aft, running it from the car ,through a loop on each boat, and then back down to the car. Since our boats are different lengths, I don't see how this could work without pulling the Sport toward midline instead of straight down.
Does my description make sense? Any advice?

Thank again!
Angel-Rose

_________________
Blessings,
Angel-Rose
2013 Revolution 11 (2 of them!)

I just re-read Revo_1756's post and I believe you already answered my question about using one line on both boats. I am really looking forward to your pictures.

Also, thanks to Stringy for the specifics and knot advice. When I get this thing perfected (at least to my current satisfaction) I'll post a picture.

Blessings,
Angel-Rose

_________________
Blessings,
Angel-Rose
2013 Revolution 11 (2 of them!)

Hi Angel-Rose,

As promised here are the pictures of my rooftop shuttle and how I tie down bow and stern.













I hope this illustrates it well enough.

Revo

_________________
I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Thanks Revo!
Looks great. I will probably need to use 2 sets of fore and aft tiedowns, my boats are so much different in length.
2 more questions :
Do you have any problem with hull deformation hauling rails up?

Also-- did you get extended bars for your factory rack? Suggested brand or type? Looks like Thule, and that they just clamp onto your existing rack. True?

Hope you had a great weekend on the water!

_________________
Blessings,
Angel-Rose
2013 Revolution 11 (2 of them!)

If you would drop the rudder end of the kayak to be level with the road you would have a great air-foil and better gas milage to go with the 70 MPH... Good luck

Angel-Rose,

You do need to exercise care in how tight you strap down the kayak rails up. My first few times I was over cautious and straped a bit tight where it did deform the hull a bit but the hull has short memory so it was back to normal in no time. I strap them only tight enough to be held in place once the hull squishes a bit I stop and back off. Even rails down you can overtighten the straps and deform the hull. Alternatively you can skoot the kayaks up onto the rack rails up and then flip it over before strapping.

Yes it is Thule Towers and bars. The bars are 65", a standard size from Thule.
I use 1" dia. pipe insulation secured with velcro straps (4 each bar). I will dress it up with real pads one day. This was the inexpensive route. The Thule Tower just clamps on the factory rack and Thule offers Towers for all makes of factory racks. I recommend getting the tower locks too since the racks are pricey at about $160.00 for towers and another $60.00+ for bars.

And Thank You it was a very nice day on the water touring the Lake and mangrove trails. A new Hobie Tandem Island came past us and I drooled. What a beautiful craft it is.

Revo

_________________
I would rather be kayaking and think about work than to be at work thinking about kayaking.
A Thrill Ride is being dragged around in your kayak for 40 minutes by an extremely large fish.

Since there are at least 10 lakes within 10 miles of my home I have stopped using front and rear tie downs except when traveling longer distances. Instead, I carry my outback right side up on sponge kayak racks, double strap across from side to side and drop a safety line through the drive well which I lock around a roof rack cross bar. Just in case I get rear ended or have to stop suddenly the safety strap prevents any significant fore and aft movement.