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Roof Rack Question

jurgenk

jurgenk

Paddler
Joined
Jun 14, 2005
Messages
510
Location
New Hazelton, BC
Been away from the forum for a while and I see that I have some interesting reading to catch up on night shift tonight. Last year bought a new car and just put the racks on it.
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Questions I have:

How does the fore and aft placement on the car look (I wanted to bring the bow further forward but then I would be on the coaming with the strap)?

I know DarenN had some ideas of his Mercedes but ways of attaching the bow and stern tie downs (I heard somewhere that they were necessary :wink: )?

What are the chances of me passing myself off as a sea kayaker with this rig?

Hope everyone is well and please stop all the arguing....

Brad
 
Main problem I have is how to figure out a way of attaching the hooks for the bow and stern tie downs. DarenN had a method of attaching a loop of webbing to a bolt which could work but I need to figure out a way to not thrash my paint job in the process.
 
One thing you might consider is to take and old towel and sew soft "sleeves" to wrap around the front and rear straps so that the harsh nylon webbing doesn't damage the finish on the bumper/hood/trunk paint. You can hold the sleeves in place (to keep them from sliding down "around the ankles") with a wrap of duct tape. That way the sleeves can be removed and washed or even replaced with clean ones if you find them collecting grit and dirt.

If the webbing doesn't touch the paint then there's no problem but I think you'll be wanting to attach the hooks to a solid piece down under and behind the bumpers and from your pictures it looks like at least the front will need something.

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Oh... I opened up a couple of holes that were in the front frame crossmember so that the hooks would slide right in. You can just see the hooks at the front. The rear straps wrap down and around the rear bumper supports. You'll just have to lie down and take a good look to see what works for you.
 
That is exactly the kind of tip I was looking for... Now I just have to wait for the rest of the gun-toting urban rednecks that make up this place to weigh in... I am calling you Daren....
 
One more question and then I will stop post-whoring... not sure if it noticeable in the photos, but I could cut the bars down by 12" in the front and 16" in the back to reduce the overhang and the danger of black eyes and the like. Any disadvantages to this? I do not see me carrying a whole lot of things on there but I would like to keep my options open.
 
Many people feel the front and rear straps should not be pulled too tight, so as to put undue pressure on your hull. In the final analysis, they are additional safety back ups. Many cars don't have a tow hook on the front, and unibody cars have little to tie into at either end. Sometimes for the front, you can lift the hood and find solid bearing beside the engine for looping a strap through. Then you don't have any strap rubbing your car body on the front.
 
My recommendations:

-replace webbing with 3/8" nylon rope and use truckers hitch instead of clamps. This way you will eliminate to some degree flapping, and therefore chafing on the car's body. Google for truckers hitch; it is a very useful knot.

- forget about hooks. Find a place at front and back of your car, where you can attach permanent loops made of webbing or rope. These should not be too long, as you do not want to drag them on the road surface as you drive. They perhaps can be tucked under/over something there, while not transporting kayak. In any case they should be short enough, so you will not be able to drive over them!. Inspect them periodically for chafing.

- as someone suggested, use soft wrapping around rope in places of contact with the car's body.
 
I agree with Sludge: don't pull the straps too tight on a kayak! That old canoe is rather large and has many coats of fiberglass on it so it is about as solid as rock and is about as heavy. I have to pull things down almost fiddle-string tight but that's the only way to get it's square footage to not move around when you're doing 110 k, bucking a 70 k cross/head wind and meeting semis in the Crowsnest Pass. I know I'm going to have to modify the technique for the kayak but it's a lot smaller and more streamlined so I'm hoping I don't need as much tension on it.

The one thing about a tight strap is that it won't "buzz" in the wind, which is a problem as Greg suggests. I defeat that by the tension but also by tieing the two loose ends of the straps together right where they meet and hook into the loops on the canoe stern and bow. That's one good reason for using a round rope rather than the flat strap. The other way to reduce the tendency for a strap to "sing" is to put a half twist or two into it. When it's tied down I give the boat a good shake: the car rocks back and forth, the canoe does not move on the rack.
 
Tootsall said:
The one thing about a tight strap is that it won't "buzz" in the wind, [snip] The other way to reduce the tendency for a strap to "sing" is to put a half twist or two into it.
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Common trucker's trick. Works whether the strap is tight or not.

Never had a concern about reefing the cross-straps too tightly on FG or wooden sng sea kayaks, probably because I have always used cradles which fit the hull well. Compression all the way around is a sound way to hold these FG forms.
 
Agree with putting a twist or two to remove buzzing in the wind.
Looks like the bow tiedown is giving your Capella negative bow rocker.
I think hauling the boats upside down on foamies is better,especially with plastic boats. You'll never dent the hull, and the upside down hull creates downforce instead of lift.Also seems to be a bit more aerodynamic.
 
Hi Brad! i was wondering about you just the other day. :D
i don't think that double bow and stern ties will be nesseccary. a single line vertically on each end will do. those cradles will keep the boat from sliding sideways. when i posted those pics of the webbing under a body-bolt on the Benzie, it was just a mock-up to show someone another option. the MB has heavey hooks attached to the frame at both ends. without being able to look under your car i can't really tell you what options you might have. a guy at work has a Mazda 3. i'll take a look under it on wednesday and see what's there.

Daren.......
 
I would definitely shorten the bars. It's really embarrasing to bang your head into one as you get out of the car. Especially if you're a slow learner, or an old fart that requires more than one reminder the rack's up there. And you won't have to tell your passenger "Hey, I'm sorry, don't you remember I told you to duck when you got out?" :oops:

Oldpro
 
Yeah, shorten the bars -- you don't need them so long that they're a hazard. And I agree with Greg -- ditch the bow and stern tie-down straps, learn to tie a truckers hitch, and pick up some rope.

*****
 
Oldpro said:
I would definitely shorten the bars. It's really embarrasing to bang your head into one as you get out of the car. Especially if you're a slow learner, or an old fart that requires more than one reminder the rack's up there.
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Big ditto. I installed a tennis ball on each end of a mongo wide set of crossbars (80 in = 203 cm !!) I used one year to ferry two big singles and a huge double up to Rupert. I called the rackballs an "intelligence tester" until Becky gave be a scraping about that phraseology. :twisted: :lol:
 
Dan_Millsip said:
Yeah, shorten the bars -- you don't need them so long that they're a hazard. And I agree with Greg -- ditch the bow and stern tie-down straps, learn to tie a truckers hitch, and pick up some rope.

*****
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Learn to tie a truckers hitch... listen, you effete urbanites do not know who you are talking to :wink: . I will ditch my expensive bow and stern tie downs (bought on recommendation from someone on this board) and go to plain old rope to make you boys happy. Thanks all for the help and unfortunately the Mazda has a very plastic front end but I may be able to fab up something under the splash shield so that webbing loops stick out.

Brad
 
You can probably bolt a webbing loop to attach the bow line on each side with the front upper fender mount bolts, and have them go out through the hood/fender gap. Secure and won't rub much.
 
jurgenk said:
Learn to tie a truckers hitch... listen, you effete urbanites do not know who you are talking to :wink: .

Brad
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Ooops, sorry Brad. I really did not know whom I was dealing with. :doh:

Anyway, I find that knot rather useful in many situations, don't you agree?
 
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