Bow/Stern Lines When Cartopping: Purpose?

cramersec DeleteThis @gmail.com wrote:
> On Oct 17, 11:28 am, "Oci-One Kanubi" <rhop... DeleteThis @earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>>You cannot
>>break your boat if you cinch a trucker's hitch carefully, but you might
>>with a ratchet.
>
> The operational word there is "carefully." I've seen aging plastic
> kayaks broken by enthusiastic tightening of a trucker's hitch on a
> belly line.

Good. That's when you want it to break, while you are standing safely
on the hard. Better than hitting a rock and having your boat come apart
underneath you.


> Also recently seen a guy break the gel coat on a fairly new
> glass sea kayak with ratchets.
>
> Put a trucker's hitch on a bow/stern rope and it's way easy to bend a
> boat.

You are right that it is possible to break a boat with a ratchet strap,
and that you can bend one with a truckers hitch. And I can smash a boat
with a framing hammer, drill a hole in it with my power drill, or run
over it with the car. But I don't, because I know how to use those tools.

Likewise, the truckers hitch and the racthet strap. Good tools, if used
appropriately. If you use them wrong, you will regret it. I don't
trust the tautline hitch. I've seen it slip too many times. I've never
seen a truckers hitch slip or capsize. YMMV.

//Walt