Ferry Tie Downs
Retired Admin
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 21,865
Likes: 9,047
From: Wisconsin
Lake Michigan ferries require that bikes be strapped down and you are not allowed to go near them during the trip.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 791
Likes: 2
From: Canada
For what it is worth ....
Took the CAT ferry back in 2008 on my FXR, on a Laconia Bike Week trip. They supposedly have "New" ferry in service for 2 years, but back then had a limited number of greasy oil soaked big tie down straps that everyone scrambled for to throw over their bike seats and strap down. Not ideal. Trip over was smooth ..trip back was rough, but did not see any bike damage as result of the sea state. I did however break my Screamin Eagle Engine Race Brace on the ramp lip on the edge of the vessel as the bike was low and it hit hard going over it. (did not see the break until I washed the bike the next day in Laconia). Also the steel grated ramp for entering and exiting the ferry was super slippery in the rain as it was OIL and Grease soaked, so heads up on the skating surface ...most of chose to keep our feet out as outriggers and avoid any sudden turns or stops while on the ramp surface ..of course the grated surface really did not help much as well.
As for the PEI ferry it is a short trip (hour max and maybe 30 -45 mins actual travel time) most of the time is spent loading and unloading, and they only a have a handful of straps and some of them were almost unusable due to breaks in length and chewed up. Have taken this ferry last year a couple times and unless you are in storm conditions or they bump the dock badly you are probably ok without straps but you do not stay on same deck as your vehicle, just so you know.
A few years ago I invested in the Harley brackets that attach to the front forks since I was overseas and my bike was doing some serious travelling and they were not expensive or difficult to install myself and allowed we to use shorter straps when available or the HD Shipping ones which I threw in my bags.
https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/tie-down-brackets
https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/tie-down-brackets
Hope this helps.
Scott
Took the CAT ferry back in 2008 on my FXR, on a Laconia Bike Week trip. They supposedly have "New" ferry in service for 2 years, but back then had a limited number of greasy oil soaked big tie down straps that everyone scrambled for to throw over their bike seats and strap down. Not ideal. Trip over was smooth ..trip back was rough, but did not see any bike damage as result of the sea state. I did however break my Screamin Eagle Engine Race Brace on the ramp lip on the edge of the vessel as the bike was low and it hit hard going over it. (did not see the break until I washed the bike the next day in Laconia). Also the steel grated ramp for entering and exiting the ferry was super slippery in the rain as it was OIL and Grease soaked, so heads up on the skating surface ...most of chose to keep our feet out as outriggers and avoid any sudden turns or stops while on the ramp surface ..of course the grated surface really did not help much as well.
As for the PEI ferry it is a short trip (hour max and maybe 30 -45 mins actual travel time) most of the time is spent loading and unloading, and they only a have a handful of straps and some of them were almost unusable due to breaks in length and chewed up. Have taken this ferry last year a couple times and unless you are in storm conditions or they bump the dock badly you are probably ok without straps but you do not stay on same deck as your vehicle, just so you know.
A few years ago I invested in the Harley brackets that attach to the front forks since I was overseas and my bike was doing some serious travelling and they were not expensive or difficult to install myself and allowed we to use shorter straps when available or the HD Shipping ones which I threw in my bags.
https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/tie-down-brackets
https://www.harley-davidson.com/store/tie-down-brackets
Hope this helps.
Scott
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 9,332
Likes: 3,873
From: Upstate New York
Biggest ferry I've ever been on was the Lake Champlain ferry. No tie downs are used, and I remember one rough crossing where I spent the entire trip hanging onto the bike to keep it from rolling over.
Supporter
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 15,788
Likes: 5,623
From: along the shore of Mishigami
I've also ferried across Lake Michigan and it has my utmost respect. The day we crossed on a "cat" ferry, the high speed out of Muskegon and we were rolling in some big swells. You could hear non-secured gear getting tossed in the vehicle bay. In fact on one crossing the fast ferry had a door caved in. I also crossed on the Badger, we nosed in to the bulkhead and tied the bike down. Tie down front and rear and tie down the side pulling down against the jiffy stand. I have experience with big water, six deployments in the Navy, one with water over the flight deck.
Road Warrior
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,983
Likes: 165
From: North, Fl
Just like FXR Hamster, I added the chrome Harley brackets for a piece of mind while out in Tacoma a few years back for the ferry rides. I used the Big Daddy straps one on each side then one off each passenger foot peg. Easy and doesn't take long to do for a carefree ferry.
Big L
Big L
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,478
Likes: 57,030
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
Obviously you've never crossed one of the Great Lakes :>)
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 11,384
Likes: 5,956
From: Alexandria, Va
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Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 9,980
Likes: 5,218
From: Michigan
I'd suggest ratchet-style tie-down straps that have the safety "spring lock" that prevents the hook from disconnecting if there's too much slack in the strap.
They're more expensive than regular toe-downs but less expensive than getting your bike repaired should it fall over.
I also have the fork mounted tie-down hooks (H-D and Kuryakyn make them) and they're extremely handy when securing your bike with tie-down straps.
They're more expensive than regular toe-downs but less expensive than getting your bike repaired should it fall over.
I also have the fork mounted tie-down hooks (H-D and Kuryakyn make them) and they're extremely handy when securing your bike with tie-down straps.
