Polypro Webbing 1"

One inch is the most useful webbing width on a kayak, and polypropylene webbing is the version that floats. Sold by the foot off the roll, cut to whatever you need.

Polypropylene Webbing or Nylon

This is the choice, and it is worth thirty seconds. Polypropylene floats, does not absorb water, shrugs off mildew and rot, barely stretches, and costs less. Nylon is stronger, takes abrasion better, and stretches under load in a way that softens shock — but it soaks up water, and it sinks.

For a kayak, polypro wins more often than people expect. A strap that has been in salt water all day dries instead of staying heavy, and if it goes overboard you can still see it. We stock both in 3/4" and 1", so you can pick per job rather than per habit.

The One Real Weakness of Polypropylene Webbing

Sunlight. Polypropylene webbing has poorer ultraviolet resistance than nylon, and Florida is about the harshest test there is. A polypro strap that lives on a roof rack or an outdoor boat rack will go chalky and lose strength over a few seasons.

That is not a reason to avoid it — it is a reason to look at it. If a strap has gone stiff, faded and fuzzy, replace it. It costs pennies a foot. Do not use tired webbing for anything holding a boat to a car.

What People Make With It

Replacement gear straps, cargo lashings, seat straps, paddle-float and pump tethers, cart straps, dry-bag compression straps, handles. Pair it with a side release buckle and a tri-glide and you have a fully adjustable strap for about the price of a coffee.

Seal the cut ends with a lighter. Unsealed webbing frays within a week and then will not feed through hardware.

Details

• 1" polypropylene webbing

• Floats, does not absorb water, resists rot and mildew

• Low stretch

• Sold by the foot, cut to length

We keep the buckles, tri-glides and ladderlocks to go with it — come and have a strap made up at our Clearwater shop.