Advice needed for transporting a canoe with floor boards

[Howie]

In a few months I'll be shipping a 18' 1938 Otca from Upstate NY to Montana. The Otca has a floorboard, and I'm concerned about the floorboard surviving the long road trip as it'll be shipped upside down on a trailer.
Old Town secures floorboards in place with a 'toggle' (a short length of brass stem band) that pivots about its center to span over a portion of the floorboard. There are five of these toggles: one at the end of both stems and the rest spaced 10 ribs apart. This toggle pivots about a single wood screw - a #6 I believe. The two at the ends screw directly into the stem; the others screw into a block that itself is screwed into a rib with 2 small wood screws.

I can tell you that the wood holding the screws seems to be in good shape - the screws seem to bite nicely into the wood. And I've straightened out all the toggles and screwed them in snugly so that the floorboard is held in tight. But I'm concerned that during the long road trip the screws might fail and allow the floorboard to flap about.
What do you guys think? Is it a potential problem? Should I take any extra precautions?

 

[samb]

Don't know if this is useful or not but when I moved an 18' boat with floor boards last, I didn't trust the screws and clips so took the boards out and transported them on the up turned hull on the roof rack, using a couple of extra straps to hold the boards to the boat at the ends.

Sam

 

[crosscuts]

One way to ship the floor boards would be to wrap them and lash them to the undersides of the seats and center thwart. Let gravity help secure them.

R.C.

 

[bluedcanoed]

Two good choices!

 

[MGC]

One way to ship the floor boards would be to wrap them and lash them to the undersides of the seats and center thwart. Let gravity help secure them.

R.C.

That's what I do.....

 

[Howie]

Thanks guys. Nobody thinks transporting floorboards upside-down when installed is advisable for long distances. Guess I figured as much, which is why I asked the question. Thanks for all the smart advice. I'll do as Crosscuts suggests.