Tie-Downs

To transport your kayak, you'll need some way of securing it, whether on a roof rack, truck bed, or trailer. I recommend the type of tie-down strap shown above, with hooks on the ends, and cam buckles, not ratchets. Ratchets are a pain in the ass, and you don't need all that much force anyway. In fact, you don't want too much force, your boat is only made of plastic!

When it comes to tie-downs, more is better. On the truck rack, I use four per boat - two to secure it fore-and-aft, and two to secure it side-to-side. If you're good at puzzles, you could figure out how to do it all with just two, but I don't like to think that hard, and tie-downs like this are cheap. In the truck bed, two would do, but I have four, so I use them all. Especially on the highway with high wind loads, you will never regret using extra tie-downs.

Your tie-downs should be at least as long as your boat, so you can reach from anywhere to anywhere else, or have plenty of length to wrap around things. Light-duty tie-downs are perfectly adequate - you're not trying to crush your boat or pull the handles off !!! An inexpensive set of four should run you under $20.

Don't forget to secure the paddle as well, and the seatback. And don't trust the bungie cords to hold your PFD in place at 70 miles an hour!


Sussex County
( 41.13351, -74.73848 )

  1. Budd Lake - Hackettstown ( 40.86292, -74.75154 )
  2. Clinton Reservoir (N) ( 41.09734, -74.44232 )
  3. Clinton Reservoir (S) ( 41.09409, -74.44102 )
  4. Cranberry Lake - Andover ( 40.95204, -74.73681 )
  5. Delaware River - Caddo Access ( 41.31834, -74.79522 )
  6. Delaware River - Dingman's Ferry PA ( 41.21942, -74.86017 )
  7. Delaware River - Port Jervis NY ( 41.37715, -74.70473 )
  8. Delaware River - Poxono ( 41.04019, -75.02293 )
  9. Delaware River - Rockcores Trailhead ( 41.01750, -75.07020 )
  10. Delaware River - Turtle Beach ( 41.03352, -75.03776 )
  11. Lake Aeroflex - Andover ( 41.01041, -74.73564 )
  12. Lake Denmark - Piccatinny (US Army) ( 40.96879, -74.51798 )
  13. Lake Hopatcong - Ashley's Cove ( 40.96426, -74.61082 )
  14. Lake Hopatcong - Hopatcong (E) ( 40.92890, -74.63861 )
  15. Lake Hopatcong - Hopatcong (W) ( 40.91763, -74.66346 )
  16. Lake Musconetcong - Netcong ( 40.90099, -74.70354 )
  17. Lake Musconetcong - Port Morris Park ( 40.90851, -74.68505 )
  18. Lamington/Black River - Route 10 ( 40.86048, -74.62893 )
  19. Morris Canal - Waterloo ( 40.91259, -74.76785 )
  20. Musconetcong River - Saxton ( 40.88829, -74.79732 )
  21. Musconetcong River - Stephens SP ( 40.87225, -74.80619 )
  22. Musconetcong River - Waterloo (N) ( 40.91147, -74.76912 )
  23. Musconetcong River - Waterloo (S) ( 40.89663, -74.79111 )
  24. Neversink River - Port Jervis NY ( 41.37589, -74.67546 )
  25. Paulins Kill - access ( 41.07478, -74.78607 )
  26. Paulins Kill - Blairstown ( 40.97758, -74.94390 )
  27. Paulins Kill - Footbridge Park ( 40.98121, -74.95964 )
  28. Paulins Kill - Stillwater ( 41.03284, -74.87420 )
  29. Paulins Kill Lake - Newton ( 41.05273, -74.82674 )
  30. Peaquannock River - Oak Ridge Reservoir ( 41.06314, -74.48597 )
  31. Pequest River - Allamuchy ( 40.92160, -74.84089 )
  32. Rockaway River - Rockaway (E) ( 40.90190, -74.50881 )
  33. Rockaway River - Wharton ( 40.88947, -74.56952 )
  34. Rockaway River - WMA ( 40.95537, -74.57069 )
  35. Silver Lake - Hope ( 40.93370, -74.94996 )
  36. Split Rock Reservoir - Rockaway ( 40.96274, -74.45808 )
  37. Steeny Kill Lake - High Point ( 41.32085, -74.67720 )
  38. Sunset Lake ( 40.87071, -74.61751 )
  39. Swartswood Lake - Newton (N) ( 41.07356, -74.82440 )
  40. Swartswood Lake - Newton (S) ( 41.06296, -74.85278 )
  41. Tilcon Lake - Waterloo ( 40.90717, -74.76840 )
  42. Walkill River - Bassetts Bridge ( 41.26008, -74.55100 )
  43. Walkill River - Franklin ( 41.11063, -74.58840 )
  44. Walkill River - Glenwood Rd ( 41.19413, -74.57499 )
  45. Walkill River - Hamburg ( 41.15266, -74.58161 )
  46. Walkill River - Unionville NY ( 41.28789, -74.53406 )
  47. Wawayanda Lake - Wawayanda SP ( 41.18823, -74.42609 )
  48. White Lake - Freylinghausen ( 41.00076, -74.91654 )