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?

 

[Pearlman]

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

You mean a few turns of the strap around the roof rack corners and then hook it where?

 

[DanBMW]

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..

Nice thing about the "bowline" know is that it is easy to untie and will not slip. I prefer though the "truckers" knot for tying down cargo. It's advantage is being able to adjust it.

 

[Still Kicking]

You mean a few turns of the strap around the roof rack corners and then hook it where?

Loop the strap around the rack one time and put the hook onto the strap. When you tighten the strap the tension will lock it in place. No need to wrap it more than once if you do it correctly. If you do more than once the hook will be loose as it can't lock onto the strap.

You could tie it as others said but you have a hook that is stronger than a knot (even though a knot would still be plenty strong) and easier to release, so why not use it?

If you're not sure what you are doing do not fasten cargo to the rack. If it comes loose it could cause a serious accident.

 

[NothingClever]

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.

I use a bowline knot a lot but I don’t think that meets your intent indicated above.

I’d look to a double fisherman’s knot to create the loop you’re after.

Ensure you position the strangle knot away from the bend around the rack and the load (ratchet strap hook).

With a couple hundred miles your four (or more) loops will behave like a well-trained dog.

Double Fisherman’s Bend

The Double Fisherman's or Grapevine Bend consists of two strangle knots (like double overhand knots) each tied round the other standing end.

www.animatedknots.com

 

[Still Kicking]

I use a bowline knot a lot but I don’t think that meets your intent indicated above.

I’d look to a double fisherman’s knot to create the loop you’re after.

Ensure you position the strangle knot away from the bend around the rack and the load (ratchet strap hook).

With a couple hundred miles your four (or more) loops will behave like a well-trained dog.

Double Fisherman’s Bend

The Double Fisherman's or Grapevine Bend consists of two strangle knots (like double overhand knots) each tied round the other standing end.

www.animatedknots.com

I love fisherman's knot. Simple and secure. But with the loops, does he untie them when he doesn't need them (a pain) or do they flap around in the breeze, thumping the roof when he is not carrying stuff?

 

[NothingClever]

They can be made short enough not to thump the roof so they can be left in place.

Another option would be a Prusik knot on the rack with a reef (square) knot made with the running ends and offset from the anchor point and the loading point (ratchet hook).

 

[Pearlman]

Loop the strap around the rack one time and put the hook onto the strap. When you tighten the strap the tension will lock it in place. No need to wrap it more than once if you do it correctly. If you do more than once the hook will be loose as it can't lock onto the strap.

It’s not an option on the short side of the strap attached to the ratchet mechanism. - it’s too short to loop around anything as seen in the pic is post#1.

A fisherman’s knot is used to join two ropes together right? I need a loop to hook into, not sure how that will work.

I just tried a double bowline using a bit of cord on a railing and it looks like it might do the trick for a short distance one day trip at least?

 

[Still Kicking]

It’s not an option on the short side of the strap attached to the ratchet mechanism. - it’s too short to loop around anything as seen in the pic is post#1.

A fisherman’s knot is used to join two ropes together right? I need a loop to hook into, not sure how that will work.

I just tried a double bowline using a bit of cord on a railing and it looks like it might do the trick for a short distance one day trip at least?

A fisherman's knot is great for making a loop if that's what you need.

If your strap is long enough, you can go all the way back over the load and hook the two ends together and ratchet down from there. But loops will work too.

 

[NothingClever]

A fisherman's knot is great for making a loop if that's what you need.

Yep

 

[Green Frog]

Forgot how to tie a bowline? Just remember, “the rabbit comes up out of his hole, goes around the tree, and back down his hole.” They made us learn to tie them underwater and behind our backs as Boy Scouts!