Boat Tip: Girth Hitch Your Cam Straps

Boat Tip: Girth Hitch Your Cam Straps

Look at ten different rafts, and you’ll likely see ten different ways to rig many of the same boat components.

Almost every time I go on a river trip with another oarsman, I learn something new about rigging. Some good, some bad, and some will change the way you do things permanently.

This rigging tip I learned a while ago, but had forgotten until a trip down the main stem of the Salmon River a couple years ago. It’s incredibly basic, but super handy for boat organization, keeping the raft tidy (high on the list for anglers) and most importantly, it keeps the cam straps where they should be and doesn’t let them wander off after unbuckling.

All it really consists of is using a girth hitch to attach your cam straps to the frame, or D-ring. It’s great for attaching your frame to the boat, because the strap cannot fall off–same for lashing down a cargo net, or cooler, on multi-night river trips. There’s also no confusion as to what goes where the next morning during rigging, as the cam straps stay put after being unbuckled.

The downside is that you use a little more webbing material, shortening the length of the strap, but it’s generally just inches for most tubing on frames.

Give the girth hitch a try on your next river tip, and we bet you’ll like it.

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