Something happened to a friend when he was hauling his canoe down the highway and it got me thinking. He had front and rear straps on the canoe, but no bow line. The front strap broke and the canoe immediately folded around the rear strap, creating a very expensive carbon fiber taco. Ouch!
I had three thoughts on this event.
1. The most obvious; always tie down the bow. Duh.
2. I've never had a strap break, and therefore, never given them much thought. But they must age like any piece of kit and sooner or later might fail. Is the cost of a new set of straps every few years worth the price of a canoe? I ditched my old straps and bought new straps from NRS. They look very well made and are labeled with both load limit and breaking numbers. This is not an endorsement, but someone at NRS is paying attention. I also took a sharpie and marked them with the year "2023", so I know how long they've been in use.
3. On long, high speed road trips, I now throw a second strap over the front strap. Belt and suspenders.
I had three thoughts on this event.
1. The most obvious; always tie down the bow. Duh.
2. I've never had a strap break, and therefore, never given them much thought. But they must age like any piece of kit and sooner or later might fail. Is the cost of a new set of straps every few years worth the price of a canoe? I ditched my old straps and bought new straps from NRS. They look very well made and are labeled with both load limit and breaking numbers. This is not an endorsement, but someone at NRS is paying attention. I also took a sharpie and marked them with the year "2023", so I know how long they've been in use.
3. On long, high speed road trips, I now throw a second strap over the front strap. Belt and suspenders.