How Do You Sew Nylon Straps?

There are some straps on my Trident that must have a longish tag end.  Those ends like to grab at my fly leader and they'll slap against the top of the truck when the kayak is on the rack.  I Gooped on small patches of Velcro to hold them and that worked for a while, but I guess the straps are too flexible and the Velcro keeps coming off.

I think sewing the Velcro onto the straps would work best but I don't own a sewing machine (and haven't been able to talk anyone else into using their sewing machine for this).

Is there a way to hand sew Velcro onto a nylon strap?

I make tie down straps for lumber from bulk strap by using "Barge cement" a contact cement for shoe making, and then sew them by hand with sail making thread which is heavy and waxed nylon I believe. This hold's very well.

Thank you!  Do you know if the tubes of Barge Cement are the same cement as the cans?  A tube would be enough for me to do the job.

Do you use an awl to sew them or an upholstery needle?  These are close-weave straps.

Buy a speedy stitcher sewing awl, which is available from REI, Walmart, and various other sources.  This hand tool is designed for sewing through thick fabric, webbing, and leather, and is a useful tool which ought to be in the toolbox of anyone who is active in outdoor sports.  The downside of speedy stitchers is that they are slow, and the results will look more primitive than sewing done with an industrial or shoe repair sewing machine.  But they will allow you to repair or construct items made out of thick fabric, webbing, and leather.

Here is a tip for using a speedy stitcher:  Get a piece of 1" x 4" board about 11 inches long, and duct tape a couple of magazines to the board.  When you are stitching something, set it on the board and jam the speedy stitcher's needle through your project and into the magazine. This is better than trying to hold the project with your hand while jamming the needle through it.  And way better than laying the project on your thigh while jamming the needle through it.

buy and needle and put 10 - 20 lbs fishing line on it, and you should able to sew the velcro.

I know someone that would help you...  Do your straps come off the kayak?
A regular denim needle and household sewing machine will sew Nylon straps easily.  I repaired a friend's 2" wide winch strap when the stitching was coming out of a brand new strap.  Brought my sewing machine to the boat garage and stitched a bunch of X patterns using UV resistant thread - The repair has held up for 6 years so far.

Here is a tip for using a speedy stitcher:  Get a piece of 1" x 4" board about 11 inches long, and duct tape a couple of magazines to the board.  When you are stitching something, set it on the board and jam the speedy stitcher's needle through your project and into the magazine. This is better than trying to hold the project with your hand while jamming the needle through it.  And way better than laying the project on your thigh while jamming the needle through it.

Thank you, Peter.  I'll take a look and see if the #4 needle is fine enough for what I'm trying to do.  And definitely thanks for the tip!   

buy and needle and put 10 - 20 lbs fishing line on it, and you should able to sew the velcro.

Appreciate the suggestion.  If I could find black dental floss, I'd use that.  It's tough, strong, and waxed.  But black FireLine is waxy at first, too. 

I know someone that would help you...  Do your straps come off the kayak?

I'm doing my best to not impose on anyone, bb.

Thank you!  Do you know if the tubes of Barge Cement are the same cement as the cans?  A tube would be enough for me to do the job.

Do you use an awl to sew them or an upholstery needle?  These are close-weave straps.

same stuff, I use a carpet or upholstery needle and my hands....

Thank you.  I thought a carpet needle would be more than strong enough.  Good to know.

I've always found pop rivets to work very well for canvas and webbing, you can add the little washers to give it some additional holding power.  I'm too lazy to try to push a sewing needle thru anything that difficult.

TLW uses her sewing machine with HD needles all the time on my shiza! I got a nice NRS kayak strap sewn on my C-Tug cart complete with the buckle

TLW uses her sewing machine with HD needles all the time on my shiza! I got a nice NRS kayak strap sewn on my C-Tug cart complete with the buckle

Did you just volunteer TWL to stitch some straps for me?   

I've always found pop rivets to work very well for canvas and webbing, you can add the little washers to give it some additional holding power.

Thanks, pop rivets won't work to attach Velcro patches to a strap.

TLW uses her sewing machine with HD needles all the time on my shiza! I got a nice NRS kayak strap sewn on my C-Tug cart complete with the buckle

Did you just volunteer TWL to stitch some straps for me?   

I've always found pop rivets to work very well for canvas and webbing, you can add the little washers to give it some additional holding power.

Thanks, pop rivets won't work to attach Velcro patches to a strap.

I’m sure she would .... IF you ever drag your arse up here to fish!

Is it the straps on the seat or the mod pod? Could you thread a quick release buckle on them and clip them up out of the way?