How to make contact tow line
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:
- Quick Release Clip: Mxeol Swivel Eye Snap Shackle Quick Release Bail Rigging
- Marine Carabiner Clip
- SHONAN 2.75 Inch Marine Carabiner Clips (Note: The initial 2.75 inch carabiner I got was big and heavy, so I exchanged it for a smaller one with a friend.)
- SHONAN 1.93 Inch Carabiner Clips
- Cord:
- PMI Utility Cord - 4 mm (the green cord I used, it might be a little too thin)
- Beal Accessory Cord - 5 mm (the yellow cord I used, perfect thickness)
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.
