The main goal is to get your boat from home to the water safely. A kayak being incorrectly transported can lead to the end of a trip before it even gets started or perhaps a hefty fine issued by the your areas traffic bylaw enforcement officers.

There are a few things to consider when tying down your boat but here are some hard and fast rules.

You will need something referred to as a belly strap, which will wrap around the belly of your boat attaching it to your roof racks. If you have a front and back rack which you likely will you will need two belly straps.

You may also want to consider some type of protection in the form of foam to protect the hull of your boat from being scratched and abraded by the constant vibration of high-speed winds caused by driving. These can be attached directly to the crossbars of your roof racks.

And you’re done.

Not quite. It is also extremely important to have bow and stern v lines attaching the boat to the front and back of your vehicle. These lines serve a double purpose.

• They help prevent the boat from shifting from side to side on your cross bars
• Added security should something happen and your roof rack crossbars fail and release from the roof of your vehicle.

Be sure that all your straps are nice and snug but be careful not to over tighten them as you could potentially cause serious damage to your boat especially if it is an ultra-light composite type.