Re: roof racks -- The Dog House Forum

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Date Posted: 07:23:24 02/24/03 Mon
Author: The Dog
Author Host/IP: pppta13-050.ght.iadfw.net / 207.136.11.20
Subject:

Re: roof racks
In reply to: Mike Taylor 's message, "roof racks" on 23:49:23 02/23/03 Sun

Hey Mike,

One of these days I'll get the part of my website that addresses your question finished.

If you live on an island, even finding a trailer to buy might be tough. I bet roof racks might even be hard to find. I'm guessing that you do have the advantage of low speed limits. I doubt you'll be hitting 100kph anytime soon, so that makes it a bit easier.

But to get to your question, the best roof racks depend on what you're driving. If you have an older car with rain gutters, that's easiest. You can get some fairly strong racks just about anywhere. Something that can carry a long step ladder or extension ladder should be strong enough to carry a board.

Now if you have a car with out rain gutters, then it gets expensive. Since there is no design standard for car roofs, there are literally hundreds of "fit kits" to adapt roof rack bars and towers to cars. The cross bars are about the same, and the towers (the section between the bars and the roof) are about the same. But the rubber feet that fit on the towers vary a lot. If you have to go that route, I suggest reviewing either the Thule or Yakima websites.

<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.thuleracks.com">http://www.thuleracks.com</a>
<a rel=nofollow target=_blank href="http://www.yakima.com">http://www.yakima.com</a>

Both companies build a quality (if a bit expensive) product. Following their directions and advise is a good idea.

A couple of things I will stress is that you want to do everything in your power to keep your board from flying off the roof of your car. A board going through the windshield of the car behind you is never good. So forget the idea of using bungee cords to hold the board down. Get some good quality nylon straps. They don't have to be fancy, just solid with a non-slip buckle. 1" wide straps are good. Do be aware that sunlight is bad for nylon, so over time the straps will rot from the UV. Replace them before they break. Trust me on this. I almost lost a kayak off of our trailer because of an old strap.

Also, the further apart the bars are on the roof the better. This is especially important on long or wide boards. There is a lot of windage there. A wide stance is better than narrow.

There seems to be two accepted orientations for carrying a board on roof racks. One is nose first, bottom side up. The other is tail first, top side up. I used the latter on my old rack system, but either works.

And everytime you travel, check your rack to make sure it's still tightly attached to the car. If the rack moves more than 1/4" when you pull on it, something needs tightening.

Hope this helps some. And congrats on the new board.

Dog

>hi Dog
>
>I live on a little island in the pacific. I have just
>brought a board, I have never sailed at all and have
>probably brought a board that is not right for me, but
>it was cheap. I don't think I need a trailer and want
>to get roof racks for my car. What are your tips for
>roof racks? do you just put the board on the roof
>racks and then put bungy cords over the board to tie
>it on? your tips on how to tie a board onto roof
>racks would be greatly appreciated. cheers, Mike

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Replies:

Re: roof racks -- Mike, 00:01:52 02/25/03 Tue
- Re: roof racks -- The Dog, 06:51:52 02/25/03 Tue