Subj : Re: car top hull up or down??
To   : rec.sport.rowing
From : Marc Messing
Date : Tue Oct 19 2021 05:38 am

I would check first with the builder.
As to the cordage/strapping issue, however, I'll offer my own suggestions, for
what they may be worth.  Any cordage that doesn't stretch -- especially when
wet -- will work, but webbing should  be easier on the hull and the finish.
More importantly, in my mind, is that elastic bungee cords are more appropriate
 for holding the bow and stern rather than securing the boat to the car. The
reason for this is that the flex I see when I'm cartopping is actually a result
 of flex in the cross bars. The webbing is holding the boat securely and the
hull is remaining rigid, but the bow is rising and falling as a result of flex
in my forty-year-old Yakima bars. The purpose of cords or bungees on the bow is
 primarily to prevent right/left sway and act as some sort of a safety strap. 
On Wednesday, June 30, 2021 at 4:34:39 AM UTC-4, bnw...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 7:09:52 PM UTC-4, Dick White wrote: 
> > On Tuesday, June 29, 2021 at 6:49:33 PM UTC-4, Tim Reardon wrote: 
> > > I've seen pictures of car topping single shells with the hull side up and
 hull side down. Which is correct? 
> > If you are not going far in a single day of known good weather, it
shouldn't matter. If you are going a distance in uncertain weather, you don't
want the hull/cockpit to fill with rain water, so hull bottom up. My "official"
 Vespoli rack is designed with the slings tight enough that I probably couldn't
 hold it level on its keel, but the deck fits nicely in it. There is an opinion
 that at high speeds, some wind over the car roof might blow up into the
cockpit, creating stress. But the rack and boat have successfully gone from
Virginia to Alabama, a distance of ~700 miles with no discernable issues.
Others have boat bags to protect the boat.
> Agree with above, but equally, if not more important, is the proper method to
 secure the boat to the vehicle during transit. I transport daily approx 7
miles each way. I use round marine grade 7/16" diameter bungee cord loops at
each sling location to hold the hull in place upside down. If traveling a
significant distance, in addition, I secure the bow to my front bumper with
cordage, and throw 2 straps, 1 fore and 1 aft of the cockpit, to the vehicle
roof rack. 
> Not saying this is the best/only way, but it has worked well for me for the
past 5 years or so.
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