Steel Ring on the Painter Loop

[Chip]

Roger Corbett was the author of Virginia Whitewater, a paddler’s guide to the flowing creeks and rivers of the Old Dominion. I was a novice canoeist learning to paddle whitewater and Corbett became my canoe mentor. He was an interesting character and I looked up to him.

It was Corbett who told me to add a steel ring when installing painter loops. So, I put steel rings on my painter loops, and I still do. I’ve found them very useful, mostly in tying the boat on the vehicle.

Does anybody still run shuttles with multiple canoes tied on the roof? It wasn’t unusual to have 3-5 boats stacked on top, but those were the days of royalex boats. Now that we paddle lightweight boats of hi-tec layups, that’s probably less common. The steel ring was useful in routing tie downs on their way to attachment points on the vehicle.

These days, we are more concerned about weight, and the steel ring I just added to a painter loop added 0.9 ounces. That is probably enough weight to discourage most who want to minimize weight from adding a ring.

 

[recped]

I just clip a 'biner to the grab loop when I'm connecting two loops.

 

[Steve in Idaho]

I guess that would reduce wear on the grab loop, but I really haven't seen significant wear just running the tie down line through the loop. Loops have always been replaced due to UV damage before anything else.

I don't like adding unnecessary hardware to lines. I guess that's a hold over from sailing. Anyone who's ever been wacked in the head while changing headsails will understand.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Not sure I fully understand the benefit of the ring. On my canoes with rope grab loops, I usually just tie the painters to the grab loops and leave them there more-or-less permanently. They function as painters while paddling and as tie down lines when cartopping. On my composite canoes, I wouldn't be concerned with weight but would be concerned about a metal ring banging against my sharp stems.

My Nova Craft Bob Special has bolted on nose rings, sort of like a Hindu or teenager. They look ugly to me, but are somewhat useful as tie-down points.

 

[Boatman53]

In the bigger boat world of salt water boats, towing a dinghy can put quite a strain on the knot and connection to the dingy. It can create a lot of chafe with all the up and down and slewing side to side unless you are educated on the best towing distance for the speed and sea conditions. The ring puts the chafe on the metal to metal connection. The last thing you want is to glance astern and notice your dingy missing. It happens more than you imagine.
Jim