C-Forum

My straps loosen up when I roll. I'm using scuba weight strap buckles. The webbing is really thick and tight in the buckle. But rolling seems to put too much stress, and they loosen up bit (mostly on the offside for some reason).

Are there any strap systems that stay tight? I've heard good things about airplane buckles...

airplane buckles rock. I'd buy two.

n

The right cam buckle with the right strap will hold, mine never slip. In my other c1 I use aircraft buckles purely for durability issues.

Are your straps Nylon? Then they will stretch until they are thoroughly wet.

I've found that simplifying the strap system makes it easier to keep it snug. I dispensed with double strapping, Velcro, and buckles. The straps are single layer Nylon webbing. (Too lazy to get polyester, which stretches much less.) The strap ends are soaked in Seamgrip and punched for polyester rope connections. The polyester ropes are tied to the c-1 bottom and sides for a permanent adjustment to my leg dimensions. When dry, the straps are tight, but as soon as I wet them by hand, they relax to exactly the degree of tightness needed for paddling and rolling.

The webbing is nylon. The buckles and webbing were sold as a pair, so they seem to match each other as well as could be expected. I don't think the buckles could allow any thicker webbing.

Ezwater, your system sounds really interesting. Do you have any photos?

I've had good luck with 2" poly propylene webbing. It has a rough texture.
now I see there is a non slip version that looks interesting.
http://www.seattlefabrics.com/webbing.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Scuba buckles work best with scuba webbing. It has a highly textured weave, which allows the serrated teeth of the buckle to get a firm grip. Other types of webbing that have a slicker surface will not work as well.

Stainless steel scuba buckles combined with scuba webbing has been solid and reliable for me.

nam wrote:airplane buckles rock. I'd buy two. . .

Yep -- one for each leg!

I've tried 2" plastic ('Fastex') cam buckles and 2" webbing. Eventually, the plastic pins which are the 'hinge' would break at a critical time.

SS aircraft buckles, on the other hand, last forever, and seatbelt webbing is universal. Unlike with the plastic buckles, you don't need to open the flap to adjust the fit. Most important, the buckles release quickly and dependably. Minor downsides -- they are a little heavier, and pricier, than plastic. Well worth it, in my book.

Rick

Thanks for the replies.

Sounds like upgrading to metal buckles would be a good idea anyway.

These are what I am planning on ordering:
https://www.seatbeltplanet.com/seatbelt ... /23/view/4

Larry, thanks for turning me on to the Seattle Fabrics site. I like the sound of that nonslip polypro. If I have to tinker further (who am I kidding?) I'll try it out.

Those are really.. inexpensive! Beware though, someone on here had trouble with cheap buckles corroding and not working... something to think about.
I use these http://www.skybelts.com/Our-Story_ep_7.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
They are a bit more expensive than the ones you are looking at, but they're real amsafe buckles. You don't have to buy the belt. If you call her she'll hook you up with just the buckles. I'm sure there other places to get buckles but I like her story so she gets my support.
Mine are over 6 years old and showing no signs of corrosion. They've always worked perfectly.

busterblue, I forgot to check back to this thread. I do have some photos of the strap connections, and will post them later in the week.

Larry, is there a reason you don't use the original belt?

Oh yeah. I actually did buy one set with the belts and used them for a while. If i recall, they worked fine, but i thought it was too thin. i already had some polypro (thicker, non absorbent) webbing so I swapped it...i'm just weird and picky.

In spite of the fetching and bodacious management at skybelts, I went ahead and ordered the cheaper buckles from seatbeltplanet.

I used them on the river for the first time today. They seem good. Kind of large and heavy compared to the wimpy plastic cam buckles I had been using. The release is hair trigger. I opened them by accident a couple times while putting on my skirt. This might become less of problem if I position the buckles further down (toward the hull).

The buckles seem very solid. I will keep an eye on their condition over time.

It was a world of difference compared to the plastic cam buckles. It was great to roll without stopping to adjust everything afterward. (One roll was practice in an eddy; the other was in the thick of things).

I guess I thought it would be ok to use cam buckles because the first C1's I paddled had them as part of stock Dagger outfitting. But those boats also had narrow cockpits that I could push against, so there was perhaps less pressure on the buckles.

On the seatbelt buckles, I kept the factory webbing. It held up for today, but I kind of miss the stiff, thick webbing from the scuba buckles.