dingy strap ideas

J

Jake B

New member
so we put the dingy on for the first time as we are going to be staying out tonight overnight. I used basic ratchet straps but don't like how they make contact with the inflatable side. I put a cloth between the contact. but was curious if this will cause damage or what others recommend for a tie down. tried to use just plain rope but not able to get it tight enough for towing.

here is a pic
dingy.sized.jpg

also the dingy fit good over radar and cleared the rocket launcher as well. was a bit more than I could do solo on the trailer. but was very easy to get on roof with a little help from the wife. I did lower my anchor light a bit to be just above radar dome and hits one of the wood slats while at rest.

dingy_2.sized.jpg

on a final note to those with west marine dingy. how do you check pressure with the included gauge? once you unhook foot pump air loss is quit rapid.
 
We just put one of the longer dock lines back and forth across the bottom of the inflatable. On the other hand, we do not trailer the boat with the inflated dinghy on the top, for any more than a few hundred yards.

We often drive long distances, and either put the inflatable in the cockpit, or if on the top, we have it rolled up and in its bag, again criss cross the lines over the inflatable in its bag.

I am concerned about wind resistance, as well as potential damage to the inflatable.
 
I use pretty much the same thing as Greg (Aurelia/Ari). I use two, cut them in half and stitched a loop on a free end of each half. Run that loop around the cabin top stainless rail on each side of the boat then put the strap through the loop. That way they can stay attached to the boat and I don't have to loop them around the whole dinghy. I can cinch them down tight. You can see them on page 3 of C-Cakes photos by the radar reflector pix. They have served well for years.
 
I prefer to use just plain line (rope), but that's probably because it's what I used for years (back in the day) to tie on kayaks. I tie normally, then use frapping turns if it needs to be tighter. Another way is to make a loop in the main line as you come back to the knotting point, then go around base (that you are tying to), back up through loop, then back down around base - this gives you more leverage than you probably need to tighten it (I prefer the frap, but both work).

I don't like the big ratchet straps because of the (to my mind) overly huge ratchets. Way more pressure than you need or want, and then you have this huge, flopping/twisting ratchet to deal with. Ugh.

If you prefer not to use line/knots, then I could see a strap like Aurelia shows to be a more appropriate size. I like REI (too), but I have ordered this type of strap from NRS. They offer heavy duty (load rated) versions and you can also order the (rated) strapping in bulk length and then the (rated) buckles separately. Here is a link. There is the 1.5" HD if you want the heaviest one they have (not saying it is necessary). The 1" HD might be nice, and you can get a "buckle bumper" for it.

http://www.nrs.com/category/3246/kayak-touring/straps
 
+1 On the NRS straps. High quality, and like sunbeam says, rated for load. I had a buckle on a non NRS brand fail catastrophically as I reefed the last bit, strapping a kayak to a Yakima rack, one time. Failure was in the BODY of the buckle, likely a molding flaw, and indetectable ahead of time. I tossed all those straps.

Inch and a half, with chafe protection sleeves where the strap rounds the tubes would be my choice. Aside from retired socks, old fire hose, kind that is designed to roll up flat, is also good, but heavier and hard to source.

Colobear's sewn loop trick is a keeper.

One caveat: the nylon straps available some places are inferior to the polyester straps NRS etc. sell. Nylon stretches up to 5 per cent when wet, under load, and is not as UV resistant as polyester, aka Dacron.
 
On the chafe protection: I most recently sewed up some "tubes" of Sailrite's boat blanket material that I had on hand (to go over the straps I use to tie boat to trailer). It's nice because it's lightweight and fuzzy/soft - sort of like a really tough fleece - but also really durable and doesn't hold water. It's not stretchy like fleece though, for situations where that might matter, and if it ran along a wooden dock I imagine it might pick up some splintery bits.
 
Hi Jake,

Hope you guys are having a great time -- wherever. (St Pk on the pass :thup

For straps, I'd go with the NRS, they will last a lifetime, and not let you down. I used them for years on canoes/kayaks. My preference for the inflatable is tied on with line, using the inflatable tie points. For towing, with the inflatable up, it is relatively short. 3 miles to JW Marina. For over the road, it gets deflated and stowed in the back of the pickup.

If you are towing as the pix show, I would highly recommend running a line in a "V" from a forward spot (on the rail or cleat) up to the bow of the inflatable, to keep it from shifting side to side in traffic buffeting or side wind. (I guess that might depend on distance and speed of the tow.)

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

1_10_2012_from_Canon_961.highlight.jpg
 
The other question was about checking air pressure. For the pontoons, we just take it until firm. There should be one way valves for the last few pumps. (I leave them open until the dinghy is almost inflated, and then for the top off, I close the valves--there is a small plastic piece in the middle, and it rotates with the tip of your finger to close the valve.

Here is a photo of the Halkey-Roberts Valve, which your dinghy should have:

9508060.jpg



For the high pressure air floor, if you have one, I use an adjustable high pressure pump (max is about 11 PSI), it will kick off when the set pressure is reached.

I have an LVM electric vane pump which I have owned for almost 40 years still going strong. A little more pricey than some, but it is worth it:

http://www.nrs.com/product/1707/lvm-inflator-pump

1707_031909_1000x1000.jpg


For the high pressure pump I have owned this one for over 20 years:

http://www.amazon.com/Electric-Pump-Inf ... B006RCH1F2 If you have a high pressure floor, and only one pump--this is the one to buy. It is not as fast as the LVM for the pontoons, but you can set the low pressure to 2 or 3 PSI, and it works fine.

81OoCzuRbvL._SL1500_.jpg
 
thanks for all the info, and I think from now on I will just tie on with rope. also a second strap was added before towing, normally I will inflate and set up in marina. this was a short tow to JWM. only a few miles so we just left it up there. will also cross the straps next time didn't think of that either.
also thataway thanks for the info on the valve I did not notice that there was a way to turn it into a one way. that makes more sense now. and ours is a slotted floor not inflatable.

Hardee, yes we stayed at the state park and had a great time thanks for the info on that we got our pass and will be going back the kids loved it!
 
We tow with the dingy on top all the time on the highway and never have a problem. I use wide straps with a ratchet to get them really tight. You can find ratchet straps with a rubber pad built on that will not allow it to dig into the raft. Very cheap, $10 at costco or w-mart. I have been using them for 4 years.
 
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