6 Best Straps For Small Boat Trailers At RV Campgrounds Nomads Swear By

You’ve just backed your RV into the perfect lakeside spot, the one with the great view. The only thing left is to unhitch and secure your small fishing boat for the week. This is where a simple task can become a frustrating chore, fumbling with tangled, grimy straps or, worse, realizing the ones you have aren’t up to the job of keeping your investment safe from a sudden gust of wind. For nomads who move frequently, the right tie-down straps aren’t just about safety on the highway; they’re about security and peace of mind at the campsite.

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Securing Your Boat Trailer at the Campsite

Many people think tie-down straps are just for the road. That’s a mistake. Once you’re parked, your boat is still vulnerable to high winds, shifting ground, or even an accidental bump from a neighboring vehicle. Securing it properly at the campsite prevents it from becoming a 1,500-pound problem.

The goal at the campsite is static security. You want to eliminate any potential for movement. This means ensuring the transom is cinched down tight to the trailer bunks and the bow is snug against the winch post. This prevents the boat from rocking or lifting, which can strain the hull and trailer components over time, especially during a multi-day windstorm.

Think of your strap system in three parts. Transom straps pull the stern (back) of the boat down and back onto the trailer. A bow strap or safety chain prevents the boat from lunging forward. And a gunwale strap, which goes over the top of the boat, stops it from bouncing vertically. For campsite security, the transom and bow straps are the most critical.

BoatBuckle G2 Transom Tie-Downs: Quick & Secure

If there’s one piece of gear that seasoned RVers with boats consistently recommend, it’s the BoatBuckle G2. These aren’t your typical loose straps you have to roll up and store. They are retractable, self-contained units that you permanently bolt to your trailer frame. This is a game-changer for efficiency.

Imagine pulling up to your site. Instead of digging for straps, you just grab the hook, attach it to your boat’s transom eye, and give the ratchet a few clicks. That’s it. You’re done in 30 seconds. The self-retracting mechanism keeps the webbing clean, untangled, and out of the way, which is a huge bonus when you’re dealing with limited storage space.

The tradeoff is cost. BoatBuckles are more expensive than a standard set of ratchet straps. But for anyone who launches and retrieves their boat frequently, the time and frustration saved are well worth the investment. This is a classic "buy once, cry once" upgrade that simplifies a critical daily or weekly task.

Erickson Re-Tractable Gunwale Strap System

While transom straps secure the stern, a gunwale strap prevents the entire boat from bouncing on the trailer. This is especially important for lighter aluminum boats or skiffs that can catch air on bumpy campground roads or shift during a heavy storm. The Erickson retractable gunwale strap applies this same "bolt-on convenience" to the over-the-top securing method.

This system typically mounts to the trailer tongue. You pull the single strap up and over the boat, hook it on the other side, and ratchet it tight. Just like the BoatBuckle, there’s no excess strap to flap in the wind or get tangled up. It provides a strong, downward pressure that locks the boat to its bunks.

For very small boats like a johnboat or even a pair of kayaks on a utility trailer, this single strap can provide the majority of the security you need. It’s a simple, elegant solution. It won’t replace the need for bow and stern security on a larger boat, but it complements them perfectly by controlling vertical movement.

Rhino USA Ratchet Straps for Heavy-Duty Use

Sometimes, you just need a set of tough, versatile straps that can do it all. Rhino USA has built a reputation for overbuilt, reliable ratchet straps that many nomads keep in their toolkit. While not a boat-specific system, their high working load limits make them more than capable of securing a small boat.

These are your traditional, non-retractable straps. This means you have to manually thread them and deal with the leftover tail of the strap. However, their versatility is their key strength. You can use them to tie down the boat one day, secure a generator in your truck bed the next, and lash down an awning during a storm the day after.

If you value multi-purpose gear over specialized convenience, a heavy-duty set from Rhino is a solid choice. Their main advantage is brute strength and flexibility. Just be prepared to spend a minute or two managing the straps, and always tie off the excess webbing so it doesn’t flap and fray on the highway.

Keeper Winch Bow Strap for Secure Trailering

Your winch is designed to pull the boat onto the trailer, not to hold it there during a panic stop. That’s the job of a dedicated bow strap. The Keeper Winch Bow Strap is a simple, effective, and non-negotiable piece of safety gear that works in conjunction with your winch.

This strap typically has a loop on one end that you wrap around the trailer frame near the winch post, and a hook on the other that connects to the boat’s bow eye. Once you crank it tight, it creates a powerful connection that prevents the boat from surging forward. It’s the seatbelt for your boat.

Relying solely on the winch cable is a common and dangerous mistake. The gears in a winch aren’t designed to handle the massive, sudden shock of a hard brake, and the cable can snap. A two-inch-wide polyester strap, on the other hand, is built for exactly that. It’s a small, inexpensive item that provides critical protection.

Fulton Transom Retractable Ratchet Straps

Fulton is another top name in the trailer accessory world, and their retractable transom straps are a direct competitor to the BoatBuckle G2. They function in almost the exact same way: you bolt them to your trailer, and the webbing retracts cleanly into the housing for quick, easy use. For RVers, this means one less piece of loose gear to store and track.

The choice between Fulton and BoatBuckle often comes down to minor design preferences, availability, or brand loyalty. Some users prefer the feel of Fulton’s ratchet mechanism or find their bolt pattern fits their trailer better. Both are known for using corrosion-resistant materials, which is essential for anything that gets dunked in the water.

Ultimately, you can’t go wrong with either. The key takeaway is the value of the retractable system itself. By eliminating the hassle of traditional straps, you are far more likely to use them every single time, whether you’re driving 200 miles or just moving your rig to the dump station.

DC Cargo Mall Boat Trailer Tie-Down Strap Kit

If you’re just starting out or on a tighter budget, an all-in-one kit can be an excellent value. The DC Cargo Mall Boat Trailer Tie-Down Strap Kit provides everything you need to get started in one package: a pair of transom straps, a gunwale strap, and a bow strap. This takes the guesswork out of matching different components.

This approach ensures you have all the correct types of straps to secure your boat from every angle. It’s a fantastic way to make sure you’re covered without having to research and buy three or four separate products. The convenience and cost-effectiveness are hard to beat.

The tradeoff is that kit components are generally not going to be as high-end as premium, individually purchased ones. The straps will likely be standard ratchet types, not retractable, and the hardware might be zinc-plated rather than stainless steel. It’s a perfectly safe and functional starting point, but many nomads eventually upgrade to retractable transom straps once they experience the convenience.

Choosing the Right Load Capacity and Material

When you’re looking at straps, ignore the "Break Strength" number. It’s irrelevant for practical use. The number you need to focus on is the Working Load Limit (WLL). This is the maximum force the strap is certified to handle safely on a regular basis. A good rule of thumb is that the combined WLL of all your straps should be at least half the total weight of your boat.

The material of the webbing is crucial. Polyester is the best choice for boat tie-downs. It has very little stretch, even when wet, and it has excellent resistance to UV radiation and abrasion. Avoid nylon straps for marine use, as they stretch significantly when they get wet, causing them to loosen. Polypropylene is cheap but degrades quickly in sunlight and isn’t strong enough for this job.

Finally, inspect the hardware. The hooks and ratchet mechanisms should feel solid and substantial. For use around water, especially saltwater, look for stainless steel or at least a thick, high-quality zinc or powder coating to resist rust. The stitching that holds the hook to the webbing is a key failure point, so make sure it’s thick, dense, and shows no signs of fraying.

Ultimately, the best strap system is the one that makes securing your boat so easy you’ll do it every time without a second thought. For many full-time travelers, the upfront cost of retractable straps like those from BoatBuckle or Fulton is a small price to pay for daily convenience and absolute security. Whatever you choose, make checking your straps a non-negotiable part of your pre-trip checklist—even if you’re just moving to a new spot across the campground.