If you’ve ever followed a trailer boat down the highway, you might notice its 8-foot-long VHF antenna flailing about with every bump in the road, even though the antenna is folded down for towing. Clips are available to help secure these antennae, but my friend Steve Bowcott showed me a relatively simple solution. He fashioned a ³/16-inch-diameter cord with a loop on the end. He cinches the loop around the tip of the antenna, then belays the bitter end to a stern cleat. A slight bend in the fiberglass antenna maintains enough tension to keep it from whipping about wildly under tow. He removes the cord and tilts the antenna up when he’s ready to launch.
