Rope tie-downs, bungee cords, or ratchet tie-downs for tarp?

StevenFromTexas · 10:47 PM

I still have the Aurora Canvas cover that came with my boat, but I rarely use it since it requires both front and rear pedestal seats to be in place. If I have the boat at my house for a very brief time, I'll use it, but it's not really made for towing purposes.

My boat has rarely made trips down the highway in wet weather, but that's going to be a higher probability in the future, so last week I had a towing tarp made by a man who has been making them for over thirty years. The man likes rope tie-downs, which he used on the tarp I just had made, and that is pictured below:

The rope tie-downs take a lot of time to put on or take off. I'm partial to bungee cords due to their ease of use. Anyone have a preference for ratchet tie-downs?

Who likes what? Opinions, please.

RedAllison

For something that simple and light I'd go with a favorite of mine, rope ratchets. They are MUCH quicker and easier than cam buckles and nylon straps. You can trim them to where on most places on your cover you won't have enough excess to worry about having to tie that excess or do anything else with it. You can even bend one hook where they will permanently stay on each cover loops but you'd have to be careful when unrolling the cover on the boat so they wouldn't scratch anything. You can also run one hook through your covers eye and then position the hooks and ratchet mechanism in the "middle" of the distance between the side of your boat and the frame of the trailer so nothing but rope itself actually touches anything and they shouldn't "flap" and hit the trailer paint or the boats finish!

I carry several in the fender boxes on my Avalance and they are HANDS DOWN the most common tiedowns I use for quick and simple things that don't require hundreds/thousand pound ratings. (Then I step up to nylon ratchet straps!)

Rope Ratchet by Carolina North Mfg. ...The World's Greatest Tie-Down...1001 Uses

RA