PSA - An Accident (Not Me!) is a Good Reminder to Check Your Roof Racks

[JulieC]

I was just driving back to MA from ME this afternoon when I noticed a car to the left of me with two rec boats on it. The car had two sets of J bars. What caught my eye was that the boats did not seem to be loaded evenly and I was thinking that I did not like how they had the paddles attached to the straps (the straps where wrapped around the shafts several times before they were joined together around the boats. The boats did not have bow lines but did have a stern line attached to the car.

Have you ever driven behind a car with a load on it that made you uneasy and you immediately moved further away or slowed down? This car was moving really fast down 95 S in the far left lane and I slowed and moved to the right. So glad I did! After about a mile I saw dust ahead and when I came upon the scene, the boats where on the left shoulder of the road still attached to the racks. the entire rack was sheared of the car at the feet. My guess would be a bow line would have helped some, but I still think this was in all a terrible set up and that the person did not know how to correctly tie boats onto the roof racks. However, I am not going to bash this or ask that we have a long discussion here bashing this. I am only happy that the boats ended up on the shoulder and did not go into the road or hit another car. No one was hurt from what I saw and not other cars were involved in an accident as well. Nor were there fly paddle missiles.

The shearing off of the racks at the feet made me think to check my racks and make sure they are locked on! Also as new paddlers come on board, we always demonstrate safety of boating on the water, let's also talk about how to safely transport.

RIP boats on Rte 95S, I hope you at least got on the water at least once.

[rfolster]

Julie, good idea to add boat transport safety to our workshops. This accident is from Seattle in 2011, with more serious results, so it does happen, maybe more often than realized. Also, Massachusetts has a law that could be enforced if a loose definition of "load" is applied to a kayak.

[leong]

After about a mile I saw dust ahead and when I came upon the scene, the boats where on the left shoulder of the road still attached to the racks. the entire rack was sheared of the car at the feet. My guess would be a bow line would have helped some, but I still think this was in all a terrible set up and that the person did not know how to correctly tie boats onto the roof racks.

Most likely a bow and stern line would have prevented the kayaks from leaving the car even if they ended up being dragged alongside the car.

No matter how well you fasten the kayaks to the roof rack it won’t prevented the rack from flying off the roof.

Although I’m old enough to collect SS my memory hasn’t failed me. I remember that I covered this subject over and over in this thread.

In fact, of my many suggestions there, I said, “One of the main goals of NSPN is sea-kayaking safety. That should include traveling to and from the put-in. So this is posted as a public service. It’s one thing to risk your own life (like paddling solo). It’s another thing to risk someone else’s life.”

Best.

-Leon

[Dan Foster]

Entering the highway after the NSPN Jewell trip yesterday, I was behind a car with an 8' step ladder on the roof rack, held on with three zip ties! I quickly got in front of the car, because I certainly didn't want to be behind it if one of the little plastic ties failed. About 30 minutes later, the same car passed me at around 80MPH in the left lane. The ladder was traveling "feet-first", and the updraft had unfolded the ladder's legs upward, adding even more stress on the zip tie in front.

An unsecured wheelbarrow killed a following driver here in Massachusetts last week.

[rick stoehrer]

some idiot doesn't attach their rack correctly or doesn't check the rack AND doesn't know when to pull over and get their %E$(_ squared away and you feel this PROVES anything?

the only thing this proves is that you're quick to leap to anything that even hints, sniffs, smells....to your being right and that people make mistakes with their racks.

two points...

1. the op was driving by on the highway...which does not offer a great deal of time/space for inspection of what happened. in fact, do you KNOW?

2. the op says there was a stern line....so why werent the boats dragged down the highway by the car, still attached? or was the op going by too quick to tell? or does the stern line failure not fit your assertion?

i agree with rob, there's plenty of "load" on this topic.

as dan illustrates....people can be IDIOTS.

here's the lesson....

ATTACH YOUR RACK CORRECTLY.

CHECK YOUR RACK.

ATTACH YOUR BOATS.

CHECK YOUR BOATS.

IF YOU'VE ATTACHED YOUR BOATS TO THE RACK AND THEN TRY TO SHAKE THEM WHILE TIED TO THE RACK...WHAT SHAKES? THE BOATS OR THE CAR?

IF THE CAR SHAKES, PROCEED.

IF THE BOATS SHAKE, RE-TIE YOUR BOATS.

CHECK YOUR KIT WHILE UNDERWAY.

Edited May 18, 2015 by rick stoehrer

[rfolster]

the only thing this proves is that you're quick to leap to anything that even hints, sniffs, smells....to your being right and that people make mistakes with their racks.

I guess the article that I posted about an ACTUAL KAYAK COMING OFF A ROOF RACK AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT isn't enough for you?!?! Hey, I have never read an article about a kayaker getting sucked out of their boat in a whirlpool, so I guess that can never happen either, right Rick? You have been so verbally abusive about this subject, yet no one is forcing a gun to your head and making you use bow and stern lines when transporting your boats. I want to know why you are so opposed to other people doing it? And, by the way, if you try to use the "running over a bow or stern line because you forgot to attach it to the car" type of thing, you have already pointed out that people can be IDIOTS. So, besides those people who you think shouldn't even be allowed to live, what is so wrong with SUGGESTING that people use bow and stern lines.

[rick stoehrer]

well rob...what you choose to believe or not believe is entirely your choice and frankly has no impact on me. your belief system is irrelevant to me.

your link has no reference to the cause of the accident, failure, etc., does it? nor does it reference anything about the efficacy of a bow/stern line or if they were even in use or perhaps the cause of the accident. i didn't see any of that at a quick read through but perhaps a lawyers blog soliciting business isn't the best source of good kayaking advice? Probably not.

in regards to being abusive; no i don't believe i have been abusive but certainly, i could take it in that direction. feel free to pm me and we can rail on there if you like. honestly, my remarks were not in response to your post and have little to do with you although, do you think that the fella that dan talks about in his post in attaching a ladder to the car with nothing more than zip ties ISN'T an idiot? do you think we can agree on that?

the reason i feel strongly is because the problem can be resolved without adding lines all over the place....just check the rack EVERY TIME. the rack is designed to stay up there securely...to keep the boats up there. attach it correctly, check it every time you use it and then attach the boats securely and this brou-haha becomes nothing more than message board babble. if the rack is checked every time before use and then you securely attach the boats, i think that goes a lot farther in traveling safety from a to b than not checking those systems and then adding a bunch of extraneous lines.

i keep seeing people getting a little bit of knowledge, some tidbit small scrap of something that might shore up their argument and then building a thesis out of it. i reject the premise as faulty. show me a direct correlation.

Edited May 18, 2015 by rick stoehrer

[JulieC]

The point of my posting this story was to highlight there being another accident where two kayaks were lost to Rte 95S this past weekend and not to be yet another thread about the need for both bow and stern lines. In truth, I posted this because I witnessed this accident, saw the boats on the highway (fortunately no one was hurt!) and saw a rack system sheared off. It made me think about how many people are just now attaching roof systems and to question (even myself) that they are locked on properly.

Rick points out if the OP (me) was able to really see the car and if I was just passing by too quickly, as well as questioning whether the stern line would have just dragged the boats down the highway. So here are my answers. I was behind the car originally and had a gut feeling that this was not the place to be as I could only see stern lines and the bow of the boat rising up. I had been following for a short clip. At that point I moved over a lane and looked at the set up. The boats were in the J racks with two lines going around each boat, however each line was first wrapped around a paddle then put into the rachet clips and not secured after being put through the clip. There was then only the tight stern line which was causing the bow to lift up. It was after fully seeing this that I made the decision to move once again over a lane further. When I said a bow line would have helped, this was because the stern line was really tight and causing the boat to lift. I made my driving decisions based on what I saw. As I came up on the accident, yes, Rick, the boats would have dragged behind because of the stern line, but the driver had stopped on the highway in the shoulder. So I can't really comment there. I was only thankful that a flying paddle had not come loose or another car hit or an accident happen due to slowing or stopping cars.

As to this whole discussion of bow and stern lines. There is no right and wrong way. Each of us has a different way that works for us. Let's leave it at that. I for instance use stackers. When transporting my sea kayak I use a straps and a bow line. Today, I transported a polo kayak. Only straps. Stackers are meant for WW, when those boats are on, only straps. Some cars have more spread allowing different distribution and the boat to lie prone - such as the Tundra with a cab... It all depends on your system. However, when I said that we need to educate, it is important that new kayakers understand to check the boats every time before they leave the parking lot, that they have a system that works for them and that they are not cheating by saying next time. AND occasionally checking the racks to make sure that nothing has happened and that they are locked on!

[leong]

Everyone,

I completely agree with the following “lesson” posted by Rick (in fact, I do it myself when traveling with my kayak):

1. ATTACH YOUR RACK CORRECTLY.
2. CHECK YOUR RACK.
3. ATTACH YOUR BOATS.
4. CHECK YOUR BOATS.
5. IF YOU'VE ATTACHED YOUR BOATS TO THE RACK AND THEN TRY TO SHAKE THEM WHILE TIED TO THE RACK...WHAT SHAKES? THE BOATS OR THE CAR?
6. IF THE CAR SHAKES, PROCEED. Otherwise RE-TIE YOUR BOATS.
7. re-CHECK YOUR KIT WHILE UNDERWAY.

However, consider this: Assume you have a well-designed roof rack/kayak carrier system and have installed everything correctly. Further assume you’ve carefully done the first six steps of the lesson at the start of each drive. It seems to me that the last step of the lesson (CHECK YOUR KIT WHILE UNDERWAY) is an implicit admission that the chance of a failure increases with time as you’re underway. Otherwise, why the recheck? It wouldn’t be necessary if the initial checks were sufficient.

Checking your kit periodically while underway is necessary because vibration, wind load, acceleration, bouncing, etc. occur; these dynamic effects might eventually result in tie-down strap slippage, roof rack foot mount slippage, failures of parts due to wear, metal fatigue, etc. Since it’s not practical to stop often enough to repeat the lesson you need some other risk reduction. Bow and stern lines serve this purpose. They are the suspenders part of “belt and suspenders”; i.e., bow and stern lines will significantly reduce the risk of possible roof rack system failures between system checks. This is basic Mechanical Engineering 101. Hmm, seems that I taught something like this in an earlier life.

Respectfully,

-Leon

Edited May 19, 2015 by leong