Re: Anybody know where I can get decent tie down straps for the rear?
In fairness to West, they didn't make the straps, and I've had nothing but great experiences with the customer service at my local store.
FWIW, I used a heavy duty ratchet strap on my 24', that I bought from Home Depot... but I never hit or rolled over a curb, so can't comment on their strength under stress.
Now see my experiance has been just the oposite. Especially with the one in Sanford FL. They are very condescending. I have been boating all my life, and every time I go in there, it seems like, once they find out I do not have a sail boat, they turn on this attitude. As if I have never actually been on a boat before and they are the Gods I need to make it through my first launch. They actually swore up and down I needed flares on my boat, even though I NEVER take it offshore or in the Gulf. The law, as I remembered it at the time, stated that you only need flares if you are going offshore, or in the Gulf, or if you are in an inlet or tributary that is more than 2miles between shorelines. They said absolutely not, that I needed them no matter what to be legal on the intercoastal. I asked if this is some new thing, and they said it has always been that way. I though maybe I had missed something in the law, so I bought them. Turns out I was correct, and when I went to return them, because of their bad advise, and only their bad advise, they said no returns on flares. No acceptions, and again swore up and down that I was wrong. I have had several run ins with them in the past similar to this one, but this is the only time I took their poor advise.
These straps have the West Marine logo all over them, so NO they probably did not make them, but they are promoting them as their own.
Like I said, I simply rolled over the curb. Extremely slowly because the exit road was too small for me to get out without doing so. I watched the trailer flex a bit, but the boat did not seem to move at all, but popped both straps.
They still look like brand new, and have never been left outside while being stored. I keep them in the truck and only put them on when I transport the boat, mainly because I dry store it at a marina and most of the time just put it in the water there. So they are not sun damaged, although I am not sure how the metal could be sun damaged. The strap itself did not break, it was the metal clasp which is still just as shiney as the day I bought them.
I am going to bring them back in to West Marine, but I am betting if they offer me anything at all, it will be only a replacement. Not sure I want another set of these. Like I said, if they broke under such little stress, I cant imagine they would hold up at all in a real panic situation.
Is it tomato or tomughto