Contents
  1. 1. Youtube Video
  2. 2. Materials I bought
  3. 3. My DIY Results

A kayaking friend asked me how I built my quick release contact tow, so I wrote this post.

Youtube Video

I watched several YouTube videos to learn how to make a contact tow line, and I found these three to be the most helpful:

Video 1: How to Build a Sea Kayak Contact Tow Line | Skills | Adventure Kayak | Rapid Media
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgY_1mhlFuQ

Video 2: Contact towline - Sea kayak Towline - How to make your own
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2f4hMIdGg

This one you can buy it online, but not cheap
https://kayakshopaustralia.com.au/contact-tow-line/

Video 3: Making a Cow Tail Contact Tow Line for Sea Kayaking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbezw6sJxpg&t=139s

Materials I bought

When choosing carabiners, my main concern was avoiding rusting issues, so I opted for Marine Stainless Steel clips, although they are on the heavier side. Here are the materials I purchased:

My DIY Results

In the end, I made two types of contact tow lines:

Type 1: I haven’t used this one yet…

Type 2: I like this one better because it’s compact, even though the length might be too short…

Later, my friend helped me improve the knots and exchange to a smaller carabiner. Below is the one I have now is (I wish the length is longer)

I always keep the contact tow on my boat, ready for use. I added a cord from side to side, making it easy to slide the contact tow to either the left or right side whenever I need it.

Contents
  1. 1. Youtube Video
  2. 2. Materials I bought
  3. 3. My DIY Results