: I rarely ever travel with out the bow and stern lines. Friends of mine tell
: me all the time that I over tie my boat.

Whether to use a bow or bow AND stern line (in addition to the lines securing boat to rack) may depend on the distance between the rack cross bars.

When I carry my kayaks atop my Saab, I always use both bow and stern lines-- and still get a little swaying of the boat (not "lifting" as in ready to fly, but back & forth motion). It feels much more secure to have both lines.

When I carry my kayaks atop my Ford Ranger that has a topper, I don't need the line on the stern... I use the same saddles on both vehicles... the difference is that the distance between the cross bars on the Ranger is greater -- which isn't possible to duplicate on the Saab's short roofline. Crosswinds that push boats around a bit on the Saab don't affect the same boats on the same saddles on the Ranger.

Julie Kanarr