Hi,
I read your post about mounting a canoe on top of your 09 Forester. I saw from the picture that you used the NRS hooks I have. I made a recent trip with my own 09 Forester. For the way out, I attached the hook in the front to the loop underneath the bumper to one side. I attached the one in the back to the vehicle recovery eyelet bolt. Aside from the issues with it twisting a bit due to the non-symmetric straps, the non-painted part of my front bumper just above the hook ended up cracking due to the hook biting into the bumper.
What do you do to avoid the metal hooks on the end of your straps from hurting your bumper in the front? Using two vehicle recovery point hooks would not be optimal as it would result in another asymmetric tiedown. I would prefer not to have to use the under-hood method as I already have all the straps to go from under the bumper and it appears as though you have gotten it to work.
Any advice would be appreciated!