Which knot for a permanent eyelet?

[Pearlman]

Hello
This is not a Scuba related question but I don’t seem to have access to the non-diving related forums, hence posting here (mods - please move it to a more appropriate forum). But I reckon there’s a lot of seamen here on SB with rope and knot tying skills who can advice me, so I think this is a good place to ask.

I have a flat aluminium roof rack as seen the pic that doesn’t have any holes to properly slip in the hooks attached at the end of a ratchet strap, and I dont want to drill any holes into it either.

And so I want to permanently tie ropes or para cord at four corners of the roof rack that make an eyelet through which I can hook the ratchet straps. The issue is that I may carry about 20-25 kgs of luggage at speeds approaching a 100kmph for 1000s of kms and I don’t want the thing coming undone and my luggage falling off and resulting in a fatal accident on the road.

I’ve seen the slip knot but that looks like one that can easily come undone with a tug and I want to leave it on for years or a decade at a time ( mostly unused, except a few days a year ) …

What kind of knot(s) do you folks suggest I should use? Or (if it’s never going to be safe enough) - should I just go for large enough carabiners at the four legs of the roof rack?

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

I would skip the knots and just use some double loop tie-down straps.

Amazon.com

 

[Pearlman]

Nice! Didn’t know such a thing existed with similar load carrying capacity. They are 3x costlier in my country though but I guess the easiest way out. Thanks!

 

[Bob DBF]

Locking carabiners

Get ones that that fits around your rack frame, and hook your ratchet strap to that. You will not have to worry about the rope stretching or the knot locking so you have to cut and replace each time, and don't ask.

 

[Boarderguy]

Tie a Bowline knot on one end to act as your loop or eyelet and then tie the end, other via another bowline, to your rack. I use these as my go to for most things.

Bowline - How to tie a Bowline Knot animated and step by step illustrated

How to tie a bowline knot with step by step illustrated and animated tutorials

www.netknots.com

 

[Still Kicking]

I would loop the strap around the rack and hook back onto itself. Strong as the strap, nothing to buy, nothing to lose.

 

[NW Dive Dawg]

Nice! Didn’t know such a thing existed with similar load carrying capacity. They are 3x costlier in my country though but I guess the easiest way out. Thanks!

If you have some 3 strand rope laying around you can just make some double looped tie-down straps for no cost using a simple eye splice on each end. I also agree with @Boarderguy. The Bowline is the absolute king of all knots and worth learning..

 

[Pearlman]

Thanks for the tips guys!
1. All things being equal (price and certainty of fit) - I prefer the soft loop to the carabiner (metal on metal).
2. I did learn the bowline and other knots as a schoolboy seacadet and cadet-class sailor but it’s a long forgotten skill for me as a middle age person today ... let me practice tomorrow. It’s likely going to be my saviour as I urgently need to carry some heavy shopping while the discounts last.

The soft loops are a good solution for a worry-free long term multi-day trip without any safety fears and anxiety of something getting undone due to my relative inexperience with ropes.

 

[gstrek]

Thanks for the tips guys!
1. All things being equal (price and certainty of fit) - I prefer the soft loop to the carabiner (metal on metal).
2. I did learn the bowline and other knots as a schoolboy seacadet and cadet-class sailor but it’s a long forgotten skill for me as a middle age person today ... let me practice tomorrow. It’s likely going to be my saviour as I urgently need to carry some heavy shopping while the discounts last.

The soft loops are a good solution for a worry-free long term multi-day trip without any safety fears and anxiety of something getting undone due to my relative inexperience with ropes.

You may want to look at Soft Shackles made of Amsteel rope of an appropriate diameter for your load. They can be as strong as carabiners in terms of breaking strength but at a fraction of the weight. Soft shackles are used in place of metal shackles on sailboats.

You can purchase them or make your own. There are many youtube videos on how to make them. You can also buy them on Amazon (in the USA at least) and marine and automotive supply stores.

 

[happy-diver]

Mate get rid of the locks on your hooks wrap the webbing around the rack and hook the webbing