: Looking for some ideas on how to put loops in the end of the Yak for handles
: and/or hold-downs for the car top ride to Washington. ( From Fresno,
: Calif. )

The traditional bow and stern treatment on canvas-covered canoes has been a brass strip which starts about 3 feet from the end, runs along the keel, following up the bow (or stern). The end of the strip is secured to the top of the boat, but the strip is not bent tightly to fit at the deck. Instead, it comes about an inch above the deck before being bent into a partial loop, to allow a handhold, or at least room for passing a rope through.

The brass rub strip is held on with closely spaced flathead brass screws. The pinching action of the strip helps hold the canvas tightly to the bow and stern, and if you have provided a thinck layer of paint between the overlapping layers of canvas at that point, then the clamping action fo the brass strip and screws ensures a watertight seal on those end seams. The rub strip is also suppose to provide some abrasion resistance at either end when landing or launching on rocky beaches, but I think such protection is minimal.

A brass handle such as used for lifitng windows can be obtained from almost any hardware store. Goes on with 4 screws, very stylish, not to much money. Get solid brass, not brass-plated steel.

: No time to build any sort of racks, so I'm renting a Ford Expedition w/rack
: to haul it and have already worked out a tie-down method for car topping
: it. But, the rack on the Expedition is only a 5' spread and this boat is
: 18 1/2' long, so I will definitely need some tie-downs on the bow and
: stern.

Get two 2x4's, 8 or 10 feet long, and a couple of pieces of scrap wood a foot long. Use the scraps to make a "tray" out of the 2x4's, so they run parallel to each other, and rest on their narrow sides, about a foot apart from each other.

Mount this to your rack as tightly as you can. Set the kayak on the "tray" and if you have space the boards well, you'll find you have a support that follows the bottom chines for a good portion of the length of the boat.

Nylon straps thrown over the ends of this tray will cinch down your boat with just 4 to 5 feet overhang at each end.

If you want additional support along the lenght of the tray -- something that might be appreciated for a skin boat -- set your boat on the tray and slide a short piece of your nylon strap under the boat. Staple the strap to one 2x4, then go to the other side of the rig and pull on the other end of the nylon strap until it comes into firm contact with your boat. Get it snug and hold it in place with a staple.

Those staples just get the nylon strap into place. They won't take a lot of weight, so get a screw (or bolt) and a large washer to permanently hold the nylon strap.

Hope this helps

PGJ