A FRIENDLY REMINDER NOW THAT WE ARE ALL BACK ON THE ROAD (some after a 2 year hiatus!)
- Older and frayed straps are not your friend, they should be turned into belts. Inspect them every trip.
- Straps used to store boats outside should NOT be used on trailers. UV rays break down the fibers and make them brittle.
- Double strap the front racks, buckles on opposite sides (I know some coaches that double all the racks)
- New straps are your best (and cheapest) insurance
- Don’t trust your athletes to inspect your strap conditions, their motivations are different than yours (go home, go out, check Insta, etc)
- If you are the driver, the DOT will name you the responsible party if something comes off your trailer. Personally inspect all your straps on the trailer.
- Wrap electric tape around loose ends to prevent flapping straps damaging your paint or helping loosen your buckles
- Do NOT wrap loose end around the buckle, you will press on the cam and loosen the strap.
- Check your trailer straps at every gas stop.
- Cushions under boat decks should be taped on before boats are strapped to them. They do get loose and then bye bye boat!
- Keep your straps OFF the ground, especially sand. The dirt is like sandpaper on your hull!
- You are subjecting your boats to hurricane force winds, keep this in mind when you load everything!
Luckily, no one was injured in the making of this picture! Name withheld to protect the unhappy coach.
