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Strapping your Raft to its trailer

21K views 22 replies 22 participants last post by  Gchapman 
#1 ·
How does everyone strap your raft to your trailer? I go with cam straps from D rings to trailer. I have heard a lot of different answers.

I am especially interested in how people strap multiple boats to a trailer, 2-3 boats high. I've been looking at 3-4" ratcheting straps like truckers use. I was thinking about going up and over all the boats. But, I'd need a better way to attach it than the hooks on trucker straps. Any ideas?
 
#2 ·
I built my trailer with small D-rings around the perimeter. 3 across the front/back and 4 along each side - about 7'x12' in platform size

When my rig is inflated (for semi-local trips), I sling 2x 10' ratcheting camstraps from one of the most proximal d-rings up and around the oar tower and then back down as far as it'll reach distally toward the back end of the trailer. Once those are in place, we cinch it down and it really goes nowhere.

My trailer also has a bow winch, so I back it up with the winch.

If I'm going the distance, I throw my rolled up boat in its boat bag under the front end of the frame and strap the frame down in the same manor - 2x 10' straps along the lateral rails from front to back. I then put 1 or 2 more straps from the front rail of the frame to the leading edge of the trailer to ensure the boat goes nowhere. I then run one last strap from one corner of the trailing D-rings on the trailer, through the last pipe on the frame and over to the over D-ring on the ipsilateral side of the trailer. nothing moves at that point. Oars strap down to the frame as the access is easier than crawling up on top of my big pickup. Drybox/cooler either go into the bed of the truck or strap into the frame sans-tubes, depending on the amount of gear I/we have to haul. 6yrs+ on the road around Colorado & Utah, never an issue yet.

if we run multiple oar rigs on the trailer, we pull the towers on each of the boats from the bottom to n-1 top boat. the top boat gets the strap over the tower and down to the lateral edges of the trailer. We add 1 to the bow and 1 to the stern to ensure nothing goes anywhere or at least, we keep the boats close enough to quickly/effectively manage them should they go flying...

we've towed stacked boats from Boulder to Vernal with no issues, yet...
 
#3 ·
Always remember a bow line.
It is like that 3rd point of contact when you are on a ladder. Yeah, you can get away without it but when something goes wrong, you're going to wish you had one more point. The top boat's bow rope down thru all the boat's front D, around the trailer tongue and back up to a trucker's hitch.

As for strapping the rest, choose your flavor. Everybody has their own method to make it easier, cause less wear, stronger, or grand pappy's special knot.

Personally, I thought those big yellow trucker's straps looked so cool. That had to be my way. They sucked. Overkill on the size and weight of the ratchets and open hooks that got sloppy so quick coming down a pass two on one side just unhooked from the trailer. They don't fit in the standard 2"X4" holes. Horrible wear marks on the boats because you couldn't adjust the ratchet height. Ditched them. Went and got the 1.5" webbing and cams from NRS. Sewed loops in the ends and they worked great for years on those big 3 stacks. Everybody knew how to use them. Then a diamond plate frame edge cut into one. Nothing big, no disaster, even kept using time for a while. Eventually it needed to be replaced and the cost of ordering that much webbing just wasn't worth it.

I like using 4 straps of the right length to the frame on each corner, run under the chicken line. Some people go to D rings but even with well seated boats from the same company they alway create angles. Best when they are someone else's straps that get destroyed by hundreds of miles of flapping. Easy to check, adjust to pressure and feels right for the 2 boat stacks I usually do on longer trips.

Thinking about going to round 3/8" rope. Cheap option. Time will tell.

Personal preference is to always have the loose end/knot/buckle on the driver's side. I check that mirror more often if something was to get loose and straps are the first and last thing I touch every time I get in or out of the truck. It does put you on the road side if you are every pulling over on the highway.

Use what you will, disregard the rest.
 
#4 ·
Yeah....ratchet straps are total overkill for securing rafts and I think they would be prone to causing damage. I do use one under the raft to keep my cooler and dry box secure though and it works great for that.

I've had good luck just using the tried and true cam strap. I have Tuff River Stuff straps to attach my frame to the boat, and they have a D-ring sewn into them. I've been using that d-ring to secure the boat the trailer, with the theory that it will distribute the load over the whole frame rather then to an individual d-ring. I've gone around the frame itself too.

I have a hand crank winch too, and it works great to secure the front. I'll add two cams to the other end of the boat to keep it from sliding forward or sideways. Just that does a pretty good job. The front of the boat likes to jump up and down over bumps though, so I took to adding another cam strap to the front d-ring and around the winch mount loosely to keep that from happening.

Lots of ways to skin this cat (as with any strap job.... I've always called it Strap-Fu or Strapology). I do need to add some d-rings to the trailer. I've been going around the uprights and I think its wearing my straps prematurely.

Oh, and as far as multiple boats. I usually usually strap the bottom raft to the trailer and the top boat to the bottom boat, rather then having both sets of straps go to the trailer or trying to do both boats with the same set of straps. Tried it both of those ways and it felt like there was too much pressure on the bottom boat and as they inflate and deflate it just got kind weird and insecure so I do boat to boat now. If its just a short trip, I'm sure it would be fine to do a couple long ones over the top of both boats though. I'm more talking about long haul stuff.
 
#5 ·
Trailer straps (2″ w/ 2 buckles) | Whitewater Worthy

These straps will accomadate 1-3 boats. They are constructed with 2" polyester webbing and two 2" buckles on each strap. The two buckle feature allows you to equalize the tension on a stack of boats.

They may be overkill but there is no kill like overkill. I have personally seen boats fly off trailers at hightway speeds and it aint pretty for the giver or reciver. $60 a set is pretty cheap insurance for a $10-30K stack or gear.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Trailer straps (2″ w/ 2 buckles) | Whitewater Worthy

These straps will accomadate 1-3 boats. They are constructed with 2" polyester webbing and two 2" buckles on each strap. The two buckle feature allows you to equalize the tension on a stack of boats.

They may be overkill but there is no kill like overkill. I have personally seen boats fly off trailers at hightway speeds and it aint pretty for the giver or reciver. $60 a set is pretty cheap insurance for a $10-30K stack or gear.
After having trucker ratchet straps with hooks at the end slip off due to temperature and elevation change, I went ahead and got a set of these straps from WWE.
I have been really pleased with them. Gated hooks for the trailer, double cam straps, and 2” straps make me feel safe when towing a stack of boats.
I have a snowmobile conversion, and the holes in the side rails fit the hooks perfectly.

Edit: look how sick, defies gravity. Stupid photo interface...
58234
 
#6 ·
If you are driving thru elevation changes or big temp changes, don't use ratchet straps. From experience - if the boat shrinks even just a little, that ratchet strap will pop free and then you have nothing holding your boat(and you may not notice it until too late).

I like the caribiner attachment on WWE's $60 job. I might use that.
 
#7 ·
1.5" cam strap looped through each corner of the frame, attached at the corners of the trailer. No worrying about hooks loosening with pressure changes, and no need for a bowline attachment since each corner is guyed out enough that the boat doesn't wiggle.

I haven't run multiple rafts on my trailer, but the same system has worked well for friends in the past, the key is the fully looped strap to avoid any accidental loosening and dislodging of straps.
 
#8 ·
We have used cam straps in the past. Around frame of top boat, through d rings or handles of bottom boat then to trailer. Preferred around the frame of top boat to save d rings from the stress of bouncing and jerking. Getting an equal pull from all sides is important for how the boats ride. Either both front straps pulling forward and back straps pulling backward or vice versa.

Recently switched to a 2 ropes over the top of the stack and a strap through the front d rings. Rope is easier IMHO.

Road grime and flapping eats up cam straps on trailers.

Second the knot side being on the driver side.
 
#9 ·
I've always done 4 cam straps at the corners from frame to trailer plus the winch strap to front D-ring. Then from frame to frame as the stack gets higher. If the upper boat(s) don't have frames I use long straps through the D-rings and over the top boat. I also always tie the bows of all the boats to the trailer somehow...how varies based on what's available. Usually a menagerie of straps to D rings...
 
#10 ·
I like to strap the bottom boat all 4 corners to the trailer.. then boats on top of that get strapped to each other.. Sometimes if going over 2 high I like to strap the top boat to the trailer also.. and always when stacking more than two boats strap a bow line down. once they get up there they catch a ton of wind and want to peal back.
Here is a fun picture of our riverfest caravan a few years back.. don't ask me how the 16' lion ended up on top. this was for running our day stretch. about a 30 mile drive. I did find some leaves and branches in my boat (top boat).
 

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#11 ·
If you put a full twist in a strap it won't sing in the wind, old truckers trick. If you want two to use ratchet straps, use 1 to 3 foot loop straps and secure the ratchet with that to the trailer. Take the other end and run the strap through the eye of the hook so it cannot come in hooked. Also like all the other smart people said, secure first boat to trailer them each boat to boat directly bellow. This way when then cool off and shrink you only get the slack from one boat instead of the pile.
 
#13 ·
Kevin,

That's how I do it. Not sure what else there is to strap to without the frame. I wouldn't want to just throw the straps over the boat as it may slip out if you go from high / warm conditions to low / cold conditions and the boat goes all flaccid on you (I hate it when that happens...).

-AH
 
#15 ·
Just to be contrary, I've used two-inch truckers' ratchet straps for years. My boat/trailer arrangement is such that the mechanisms don't rub anything, and I arrange them so that the ratchets are on the driver's side. That way, I can see if one has some loose, but more than that the weight of them hanging there means I can see them start to get "jiggly" if the boat is softening with temp or elevation and the hooks are therefore starting to be in danger of coming loose.

Maybe not ideal, but effective for more than a decade, and cheap.

Oh, also, I absolutely second the idea above that the bow line is critical. I could easily completely lose either of my main straps, and so long as the nose stays down and forward, she's not going anywhere.
 
#16 ·
I have lost Ratchet straps as well do to elevation drop, and no longer use them unless they are carabeanered to the trailer. I would hate to cause a wreck do to how well my load is secured, just doesn't seem worth the risk.
 
#18 ·
Wench to front of my frame, two beeners on rear of trailer, two 9' cam straps one to each side from frame to beener. My buddy has no winch runs four beeners four cam straps. Get my trailer airborn all the time, rally 85mph everywhere, off road it. Raft doesn't move. Game blouses.


Sent from my iPhone using Mountain Buzz
 
#20 ·
Lately we prefer to save undue stress on the D-rings by strapping a 9' from each corner of the frame to the trailer. Also one on front, usually from a D-ring. Works quite well. Happy boating!
Pretty much this. Frame to trailer plus bow & stern. Seems to matter more when stacking multiple boats of different design.

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#23 · (Edited)
Working commercially, any stack 3 or less was strapped to the trailer with 2 lengths of simple webbing - one over the front and one over the back. One end of each webbing was tied off with a bowline, other end with a trucker’s hitch. (Still raging debate on whether the truckers hitch goes on the driver’s or passenger’s side). Bow line on top boat was tied off to the trailer tongue. If a fourth boat was added, it was cam-strapped to the third (top) boat using the D rings on all four corners - bow line tied to trailer. Any additional boats were deflated and carried under the 4-stack. This arrangement was regularly trailered hundreds of miles.
 
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