Interislander

[montsta56]

Doin a lap of the south Islandearly in March an was wanting to know if there any tricks as far as taking the bikes on the ferry, Do the deck hands know what there doin ect as far as securing the bike go ?? any tips??? dont want the missile gettin hurt:msn-wink:

[Sniper]

You need to take your own tie-downs

[Colapop]

There are a couple of threads about that on here somewhere (someone with good search skills help out here plz)

[montsta56]

ohh true!! wat a pain in the arse!!! you'd think they'd have all of that

[phoenixgtr]

When I went on it over xmas they had plenty of tie downs for you to use on there. You gotta tie your own bike down but thats fine, I wouldn't want anyone else to do it anyway.

[muzz]

The deck hands dont tie your bike down you do.
If you dont know how to tie a slip knot get yourself some tiedowns with a rachet. The most effective way to tie down is to compress your fork springs to give a preload and a rope around the arse to stop it from sliding.
I'd give you a hand as thats where i work unloading and loading the ships but i'm in picton already.

[montsta56]

so do they have ty downs on board at all or just ropes????thannx for the help

[Colapop]

Best to get your own if you value your bike - or you could trust a stranger with it....

[muzz]

Depends on what boat your on, the kaitaki has tiedowns but they are big. The other boats have ropes. It's not a problem really but some people have trouble tying knots. They will give you guidance near the end of loading if you are having trouble.

[far queue]

Last time I went across, they only had ropes. Take your own tie downs. You can get Aerofast ones at The Warehouse, around about $40 for 4 I'd say. I'd be taking 4 to do a good job of it, 2 at the back and 2 at front. You wont be happy if you get a rough crossing and the bike arses over. There's plenty of tie down points in the deck to use.

Where are you going? The March Hare rally is on at Hunter (inland from Waimate) on 3,4,5 March and the Hororata Rally is on at ... Hororata, on 17,18,19 March.

[Smokin]

I came back on the Arahura last week, I took two tiedowns with me for the front and used their ropes and hooks for the rear, The first time i went on the ferry i only tied the front down and upon returning to the bike the deck hands had tied the back down as well:2thumbsup

[Macktheknife]

Best way I have found is the ratchet tie-downs, repco, warehouse, supercheap auto, any place similar will have them for not much. make sure you preload the front forks, get another biker to lean on it! Dont worry about taking your gear off the bike its just a hassle. Use only the side stand, makes a triangular point of contact, more stability.
My personal opinion, do it yourself, dont trust anyone else with your baby. Enjoy.

[limbimtimwim]

Do the deck hands know what there doin ect as far as securing the bike go ??Most recent time on the Bluebridge, one of the deckhands gave me a hand with the ropes. Actually, he did it all basically. Which was helpful, cheers man. I did know I should have got my own tie downs, but I forgot to get them, and there was a ferry leaving in a few minutes, so I just rolled on.

Last time (2 years ago, same vessel) I did it myself, which was fine with the old bike since it had obvious parts to tie ropes onto.

I did learn one thing from the guy on the boat, when you tie the ropes onto your fork legs (I assume you'll try that anyway), you may find like I did that the rope then rubs (And threatens to damage) your fairing because it heads towards the deck at a steep angle. So instead hook the rope to a point far away from the bike, which prevented it from touching the fairing. Kinda a 'duh' thing when he pointed it out, but usefull none the less.

Also don't try and tie the ropes to your levers, you might pull off your controls, but you wouldn't do that would you? ;-)

[Rhino]

Best way I have found is the ratchet tie-downs, repco, warehouse, supercheap auto, any place similar will have them for not much. make sure you preload the front forks, get another biker to lean on it! Dont worry about taking your gear off the bike its just a hassle. Use only the side stand, makes a triangular point of contact, more stability.
My personal opinion, do it yourself, dont trust anyone else with your baby. Enjoy.
I would agree with Mack. Have taken the Goldwing across and back many times. Get some ratchets (I use 4 for the 'Wing.) Put your bike on the side stand (less chance of "shuffling" in big swells than the centre stand.)

My procedure is to pull both left front and rear ties down first. Then do the right front and rear. Finally retension the left side ratchets. This will compress the suspension and ensure that the bike is very solidly held against the deck. Never had a problem yet. This works ok on 400kg+ of bike, so should be fine with a "slimmer" machine.

[zaq]

I've had my bike on the Lynx and the Arahura (I think... the one that does not keep having problems). I took my own ratchet tie-downs. Three of them... two for the front (one on each side of the handle bar), and one over the rear seat. There are loops on the deck, but be careful, because it's all metal, and slippery.

If you're using ratchet-ties, DON'T do them up too tight (could be problematic... I know!).

And don't let anyone else touch your bike. Do it to your satisfaction, maybe even try it out in your garage first.

I liked the Arahura, because it cut nicely and smoothly through the water (calm day too). The Lynx was quicker, but skims over the water, and is quite jumpy. I just worried about the bike all the way! Also, the Arahura had more space for the bike... on the Lynx, the front wheel jutted out a bit, and you know how ridiculous some people can be when in their cars or even walking

I've attached a Lynx pic (not my bike in the picture, so I hope the owner doesn't mind), which gives an idea of the straps.

HAVE FUN!

[zaq]

Dunno what the new ship is like though.

[pritch]

Take yer own tie downs (at least three) packed where you can get at them easy. There are good ones which protect your chrome and which have caribeeners instead of hooks at the bottom, and there are crappy cheap ones. Your bike, your choice...

Either duct tape the front brake on or use a cable tie of suitable size. A knife/multi tool will come in handy at the other end.

Put it in gear, and use the chocks supplied.

Bon voyage

[Beemer]

The biggest reason to take your own tie-downs is because the ropes on the ferry are often wet, greasy and covered in cow shit! Don't forget the bikes are on the same deck as the big stock trucks and all the waste from them swills to the lowest point, which seems to be the same place they store the tie-downs!

[Lord Pac]

Good post. thanks for the pic zaq. :niceone:

[buellbabe]

Doin a lap of the south Islandearly in March an was wanting to know if there any tricks as far as taking the bikes on the ferry, Do the deck hands know what there doin ect as far as securing the bike go ?? any tips??? dont want the missile gettin hurt:msn-wink:
SHIT NO! They do supply ropes and I have used them in the past but last time I had my own flash-jobbie rachet tiedowns. They were the bomb! And don't listen to people who tell ya not to worry about tying the bike. 1 trip this guy on a HD returned to the vehicle deck to see his brand new baby laying down and spinin' round... OUCH! We had tried to tell him...

[Blackbird]

As everyone else says, do it yourself - you wouldn't want any mishaps so close to other vehicles. On the attached pic, I used ratched tie-downs on the front (ones with saw-toothed locks can slip) and to protect the fairing, I used some plastic timber packet edge protectors backed with some thin foam. Strips cut from the edge of a plastic ice cream carton would be fine too. I steadied the rear of the bike with 2 bits of thin rope with a loop in them to get a decent amount of purchase. I was on the top deck on this occasion and the steel was quite wet and scary - take care.

[Hammer]

As everyone else says, do it yourself - you wouldn't want any mishaps so close to other vehicles. On the attached pic, I used ratched tie-downs on the front (ones with saw-toothed locks can slip) and to protect the fairing, I used some plastic timber packet edge protectors backed with some thin foam. Strips cut from the edge of a plastic ice cream carton would be fine too. I steadied the rear of the bike with 2 bits of thin rope with a loop in them to get a decent amount of purchase. I was on the top deck on this occasion and the steel was quite wet and scary - take care.

You must show me where you secured those tie downs on the front Mr Blackbird. Am I imagining it as there looks to be some pressure on the fairing by the straps at the front end.

[oldrider]

Dunno what the new ship is like though.
I have always been well prepared for the ferries but that new Kaitaki has a built in trap.
She does not have the same style "links" to tie down onto the deck!
Instead there is a cloverleaf hole in the deck and you can not get the carabien (sp) style hooks on your tie downs into the lip to get a grip!
If you don't have suitable hooks, use theirs and just hook your tie downs into those hooks.
Well that's what I did anyway! I don't like that ferry it doesn't feel right to me.
No real reason, just don't like it.
Ive been to sea on seven different ships so am probably just a superstitious old git but I will avoid her if I can.:yes: Cheers John.

[rfc85]

went over last weekend and on the way down there was only a chain running the along the deck to tie the front of the bike down too,which was dumb because if the bike next to you tightened his rope/tie down it made yours come loose,i tied down to the deck but all the others used the chain,lucky it was a very calm crossing

[adifferentname]

I have always been well prepared for the ferries but that new Kaitaki has a built in trap.
She does not have the same style "links" to tie down onto the deck!
Instead there is a cloverleaf hole in the deck and you can not get the carabien (sp) style hooks on your tie downs into the lip to get a grip!
If you don't have suitable hooks, use theirs and just hook your tie downs into those hooks.
Well that's what I did anyway! I don't like that ferry it doesn't feel right to me.
No real reason, just don't like it.
Ive been to sea on seven different ships so am probably just a superstitious old git but I will avoid her if I can.:yes: Cheers John.

The bonus with the Kaitaki (I've worked on all the current Interislander ferries) is that she handles the rough weather far better than the other 2 ships and things are far less likely to move around. Also we always put the stock trucks on a different deck to where the bikes are.

I'll find more of those hooks that you can tie the caribeana style tie downs to and put them in the motorcycle area (unless they've been knicked).

My TL1000 currently lives on board (Kaitaki) when I am on board and is quite happy with three tie downs and a rubber chock at each end. I have some clean rags wrapped around the points on the bike where the tie down webbing goes, that is because my bike is on there for a lot of time and I don't want the webbing rubbing on it. I haven't had any need to pull the bike down hard on the forks. I also have the bike down on the sidestand.

[Marmoot]

Cheers for the info guys. Planning to go South at the end of year or beginning 07, so I have few months to learn tying down.

[oldrider]

I'll find more of those hooks that you can tie the caribeana style tie downs to and put them in the motorcycle area (unless they've been knicked).

My TL1000 currently lives on board (Kaitaki) when I am on board and is quite happy with three tie downs and a rubber chock at each end. I have some clean rags wrapped around the points on the bike where the tie down webbing goes, that is because my bike is on there for a lot of time and I don't want the webbing rubbing on it. I haven't had any need to pull the bike down hard on the forks. I also have the bike down on the sidestand.

I saw that bike there and went looking for the "other biker" on board for a chat during the crossing! No wonder I didn't find one.lol :o
When I went to get my bike at the other end, I had a good look at the way your's was tied down and came to the conclusion it was there for the longer haul, it was firmly anchored.

Thanks for looking out for other bikers too by the way. Appreciated. :yes: Cheers John.

[vs04]

We to are planning a trip down south early 07.Must admit to having concerns about tieing the bikes down on the ferry,very informative thread this one,cheers everyone.:2thumbsup

[texmo]

Doin a lap of the south Islandearly in March an was wanting to know if there any tricks as far as taking the bikes on the ferry, Do the deck hands know what there doin ect as far as securing the bike go ?? any tips??? dont want the missile gettin hurt:msn-wink:
I just went acroos and learnt some thing the midnight ferry can be 2/3rds the price and if you book 2weeks out you can save even more money and more again if you book a return jobbie.

[Ralph]

This is how I tied mine down using the side stand for two reasons 1. I dont have a centre stand 2.It provides three points of contact instead of two. Much more stable as long as the suspension isn't compressed to much on the side of the stand. I compressed the suspension enough to be firm but not hard down.
Used my own tie downs too, wouldn't trust the ropes on the ferry. The front is looped around the forks.
Sweating the whole trip that I'd done it right as the bike was only a couple of months old and I hadn't taken a bike on the ferry yet, got there in one piece though.

[MD]

I've done dozens of crossings and used to use their ropes but like Beemer said, they are filthy. Now I take 4 tie-downs. I think some folks take it all too serious making a science out of the project. I don't have my ropes very tight at all. What's the harm in a little play side to side. So long as there are multiple ropes pulling in different directions the bike can only move a cm here or there. More important to me is making sure none of the ropes touch the plastic work and scratch the fairings. I often attach to the rear footrests, although a higher point would be better I suppose. The front is a bit of a bugger on sportsbikes. I find directing the ropes around the top of the forks (that bit that protrudes above the yoke) can keep them off the plastic. Like someone said try and have a long reach to the ground point so the angle is not so steep. That 'tie your ropes to a loose chain' idea doesn't look to safe but I've had to use it. Sometimes I run a rope up one side, over the riders seat then down the other side. This gives plenty of suspension compression in one hit. In fact done right there's bugger all need for more than this one rope. Oh crap now I've gone and made a science out of it. You pricks.

[sunhuntin]

good thread. there is another over in newbie riders, but not as big. im planning on going over in november with a group, so there will be others there who hopefully know what they are doing! LOL. only thing im worried about is the bike tipping over. dont mind if she gets a rub or two from the ropes.

[Ralph]

Oh yeah, I used 4 tie downs aswell.

[Ruralman]

A lot of you guys have mentioned tying down onto the side stand - when I tie down my dirt bike on a trailer I always take the weight onto the tiedowns and then put the stand up out of the way before compressing the springs and tightening everything up. The bike is held more securely this way. It can sort of lever around if the sidestand is down and it is also hard on the studs that mount the stand to the swing arm.
I haven't done a ferry crossing with the T/A but I would try to do the same. This way the bike tends to be more upright as well.

[shafty]

I shot down to Chch from Tauranga on Tuesday, back on Wednesday, taking a 1500 Meanstreak down, bringing a 750 Shadow home. I'd intended taking my own tie downs, but forgot as it was a "quick trip", and had no probs with the ropes on both the Interislander and the Bluebridge. Good advice given so far, but what I did, was used the side stand (no choice on a cruiser, lol), made sure the bike was in 1st gear, ran 1 rope from the steering to the ground, and the same at the rear end. Then I used a 3rd rope to connect the 2, to tension them up, as with their ropes, it's a bit harder to achieve some tension. Then a rubber wedge under both wheels.

Also, when disembarking, I disregard their "do not start your engines until told to". Reason being, I want my sickle to be nicely warmed up before I ride down the greasy wet ramp, - no compression slides for me thank you!!!

Have fun - it'll be no sweat for you, if you chill out and take ya time.

[Ralph]

A lot of you guys have mentioned tying down onto the side stand - when I tie down my dirt bike on a trailer I always take the weight onto the tiedowns and then put the stand up out of the way before compressing the springs and tightening everything up. The bike is held more securely this way. It can sort of lever around if the sidestand is down and it is also hard on the studs that mount the stand to the swing arm.
I haven't done a ferry crossing with the T/A but I would try to do the same. This way the bike tends to be more upright as well.

Thats a good point you make, and I'm not sure exactly why it couldn't be done. However I don't think I have the nerve to put the stand up on the ferry but for some reason I would on a trailer or the back of a ute. Do you use a bike stand for the front wheel on the trailer? I would maybe thats why the stand would be up, still would work fine without the stand though.
I do put most of the tension on the side without the stand for that reason to.

[Maha]

Ever thought of taking going by plane and taking the bike as 'carry on'??.....:whistle:

[Highlander]

Going back a lott of years now, there used to be an outfit flying a freight run from Wellingbone to Blenheim my old man used them a couple of times with his motorcycle - faster and cheaper than the ferry he reakoned.

[Ruralman]

Thats a good point you make, and I'm not sure exactly why it couldn't be done. However I don't think I have the nerve to put the stand up on the ferry but for some reason I would on a trailer or the back of a ute. Do you use a bike stand for the front wheel on the trailer? I would maybe thats why the stand would be up, still would work fine without the stand though.
I do put most of the tension on the side without the stand for that reason to.

No I don't use a bike stand. Its an old trailer with a plywood deck which can get quite slippy but I'm sure it sits better without the stand down. Often there are 2 bikes. We put one strap over the rear wheel of both because one bike shop owner told me that was required to satisfy the Traffic boys - apparently they can go end over end without it if the front of your vehicle comes to a "sudden halt"