Which Kayak Straps to Use!

by Mark Blackburn September 04, 2019

Doesn't matter if you need to tie down your brand new stunt kayak, a 50-year-old traditional canoe or a 12 person raft, you are going to want to use the absolute best kayak straps you can find. 

In this post, we will look at the traditional way to secure your kayak onto your roof rack and look at some of the issues.

By the end of this blog, you will be strapping down your watercraft with confidence! 

The Typical Kayak Tie Down Method

The most common method usually involves a tie-down strap and goes a bit like this: 

1. Lay the kayak straps across your car next to the roof rack.
2. Next, place your boat on top.
3. Throw canoe straps around the boat
4. Pull tight on the buckle to secure the kayak straps.
5. Roll and tie the remaining straps away
6. Tension bow and stern to stop the watercraft from swinging. 

For more detailed instructions check wikihow for their article on how to strap a kayak to a roof rack.

What Are The Issues Then?

Let's break out some of the issues with this method. 

1. Lay the kayak straps across your car next to the roof rack.
2. Next, place your boat on top.
3. Throw canoe straps around the boat
1. Tie down straps have metal buckles and it's all too easy to damage your car, so you need to be careful!
4. Pull tight on the buckle to secure the kayak straps.
1. In the image below, you can clearly see the issue with a buckle digging into the boat. You can try to protect the boat by adding padding.
2. Remember also that these straps need to be tight! Too loose and the boat will shake free. Too tight and you may damage the boat or break something else!
5. Roll and tie the remaining straps away
1. Check out the image below. How many times have you had to roll away meters of strap to stop it blowing away? Or maybe you dropped it in through the window out of the way, which worked great until it started to rain!
6. Tie-down the bow and stern to stop the watercraft from swinging. 
1. Also below, you can see that this is quite tricky to get right - Secure the kayak straps too tight and the boat will be off-balance or will bend. Too loose and the boat will move around.

Alternatives to Kayak Straps?

Now that we understand some of the common issues with using regular kayak straps lets have a look at the WRAPTIE™ straps which have been designed specifically to address these issues. 

The Wraptie™ Is The Perfect Kayak Strap

 

1. Lay the kayak straps across your car next to the roof rack.
2. Next, place your boat on top.
3. Throw canoe straps around the boat
1. No problem with damage here! - WRAPTIE™ kayak straps have a unique fastening system which means they don't use any buckles and so you cannot damage your car or your watercraft. 
2. No buckle also means no rust or buckle to break! 
4. Pull tight on the buckle to secure the kayak straps.
1. With WRAPTIE™'s unique fastening system you just PULL - TWIST - SECURE anything in less than 5 seconds (How To Use). 
2. WRAPTIE™ also uses an industrial-strength elasticated webbing for security and is rated to 50kg* each strap.
3. Because it is elasticated there is no way to overtighten and your boat will stay secure no matter how much you try and shake it loose! 
5. Roll and tie the remaining straps away
1. With the WRAPTIE™ unique FAST GRAB fastening system, there is nothing to tail away at the end. 5 seconds and everything is secure. 
6. Tension bow and stern to stop the watercraft from swinging. 
1. Again, making use of WRAPTIE™'s industrial-strength elasticated webbing means you don't need to worry about tensioning the boat correctly. The WRAPTIE™ will automatically adjust itself! 

In fact, the WRAPTIE™ is good for tying down pretty much anything you can get on your roof!

AVAILABLE in SIZES 90 | 130 | 180 | 240 cm

 

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PRO TIP - The WRAPTIE™ GRIPPER

The WRAPTIE™ GRIPPER was designed to protect your tie down straps against sharp edges and provide grip for wet and slippy kayak surfaces.

With 500% more GRIP you can be sure your watercraft won't be slipping away! 

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