Rookie question

Hey guys I have a question on the securing of my kayak. Should I attach front and rear straps on this? Or is it ok to travel like this as long as it’s tight? Thanks

I don’t use bow and stern lines when car topping if I am staying in town and keeping it under 35. Otherwise I do.

Question: Why have the cargo rack between the kayak and the roof rack? It looks to me like you have the weight of the kayak supported at the ends of the cargo rack and the straps sandwiching it all together putting load on the kayak as to bend the ends up.

I prefer to have the straps at the points where the weight of the kayak is supported, but as previously said it should be fine for short non-highway trips. Don't store your kayak like this especially in direct sun and very hot weather.

I would run a line from the bow to that bar in front just as security if you have a strap failure.   That way you won't drop the boat behind you, maybe sending into a following car.  If you're just tooling around town,  like others said, probably not needed, but on the highway, for sure.   It will only take a couple of minutes to tie the line.

If you have high quality straps, I dont ever worry about it. I put one or two yaks on top of my jetta wagon, usually just on its back on the cross bar. If two, then the second one goes in a J cradle (two wont fit flat side by side).  I travel 75mph on I5 up to the sound all the time. I travel up hwy 30 from st helens, and stop in longview to double check the straps before hitting I5. I would reccommend a stop somewhere around the 15 min mark, to ensure straps have settled and you can re snug. My cross bars on my jetta are fairly close together, so i get quite a bit of over hang in the front. never had been a problem. If worried about it, use 2 straps on front and 2 on back, so you have a failsafe.

I have a question about the bow & stern lines, too.  Why?  I'd assumed they were to keep the kayak from sliding forward-or-backwards, or maybe keep it from being shoved diagonally by the force of the wind, but alpalmer's comment about bow & stern lines providing back-up to the main straps got me to scratching my head about why folks use them.

Thanks for all the advice it’s all very much appreciated

I live near a popular boat ramp. This time of year there is a constant parade of recreational paddlers passing by my house. The other day there was a little car with two of those really long, pointy touring kayaks going by that were tilted off the passenger side and the tips almost hitting the ground. Apparently they thought they could make it the last quarter mile without making any adjustments. They could benefit from reading this thread. It was real sketchy to say the least.

I would strongly suggest bow and stern tie downs along with both side body straps - every time you travel.   

In my opinion, you can never be too safe.  Two more straps takes a few more minutes, which is not that big of a deal.  Wind is an incredibly strong force on the surfaces of a kayak - the wind load and vibration have the potential to cause safety problems - so do yourself and others a favor by securing your kayak thoroughly.  How bad would you feel if your kayak impaled another vehicle and you killed someone?  Not very likely to happen....but easily preventable.

I have a question about the bow & stern lines, too.  Why?  I'd assumed they were to keep the kayak from sliding forward-or-backwards, or maybe keep it from being shoved diagonally by the force of the wind, but alpalmer's comment about bow & stern lines providing back-up to the main straps got me to scratching my head about why folks use them.

To keep the kayaks from moving forward or backward on sudden deceleration/acceleration. Also to keep the kayaks in place in the event of a catastrophic rack failure.

To keep the kayaks from moving forward or backward on sudden deceleration/acceleration. Also to keep the kayaks in place in the event of a catastrophic rack failure.

Thank you!

I use only 2 straps across the front/back hull. And I always check them after driving a couple minutes to re-tighten. Dont want an off-balanced load like this guy:
 

I have a question about the bow & stern lines, too.  Why?  I'd assumed they were to keep the kayak from sliding forward-or-backwards, or maybe keep it from being shoved diagonally by the force of the wind, but alpalmer's comment about bow & stern lines providing back-up to the main straps got me to scratching my head about why folks use them.

To keep the kayaks from moving forward or backward on sudden deceleration/acceleration. Also to keep the kayaks in place in the event of a catastrophic rack failure.

This right here is the reason.  If your rack fails, you could have an expensive day, more so if your kayak hits someone else.  I have seen the results of a rack failure -- not mine, I use tie downs --and kayaks hitting the road at 55 mph.  Not pretty.  I suggest people read the weight limit of their roof rack because many people probably overload them, I know mine is overloaded because the limits are surprisingly low --165 for mine (a common load rating for many vehicles). For example, the factory roof rack and bars of a Subaru Outback is only 150 pounds, 176 lbs if you put wider bars on for two kayaks and use the factory rails. So, is $12.49 too much insurance to save your multi thousand dollar kayak and potentially the life of the person behind you?  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D2B94D2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And don't overlook strap failures, too.  You have to pay a pretty penny for straps with a working load rating (i.e. the weight at which the cam buckle will start letting the webbing slip) of more than 250-300 pounds - which is the working load rating of almost every 1" strap out there.  You may have webbing rated for 3,000 lbs or more, but it's the cam buckles that hold the whole thing together.

Strohz, I think you have your answer(s).  Move your main straps to the points where your kayak is resting on the rack so the kayak doesn't become deformed, and yes, it's a Very Good Idea to use ropes or straps or those fancy ropes Craig suggested to hold onto your kayak in case the rack and (or) primary straps fail you.

And good for you for asking the question!

And don't overlook strap failures, too.  You have to pay a pretty penny for straps with a working load rating (i.e. the weight at which the cam buckle will start letting the webbing slip) of more than 250-300 pounds - which is the working load rating of almost every 1" strap out there.  You may have webbing rated for 3,000 lbs or more, but it's the cam buckles that hold the whole thing together.

Strohz, I think you have your answer(s).  Move your main straps to the points where your kayak is resting on the rack so the kayak doesn't become deformed, and yes, it's a Very Good Idea to use ropes or straps or those fancy ropes Craig suggested to hold onto your kayak in case the rack and (or) primary straps fail you.

And good for you for asking the question!

I always ran a bow and stern rope when the kayaks were on top of the truck.  Your boats are going to move, one way or another with only side straps.  If you put the bow and stern straps on the kayak before your put it on top of the car, it's way easier than climbing on top to do so.

Also, I would run your rope through a tennis ball, by cutting a small slit on each side of the tennis ball and pushing the rope through with a screwdriver.  When you tie the ropes down, move the tennis ball to the points where the rope meets your car so the rope friction doesn't burn through your clearcoat or paint on your car.  for $3, a 50ft spool of your favorite color 550 home depot paracord will be plenty.