Re: [Paddlewise] Roof Racks

Rene Milo wrote:
> 
> I will probably get Thule for my '97 Honda.  I am a bit worried about using
> the saddles on my Feathercraft K1.  I was wondering about the "Watercraft
> carrier" by Rola Roof Racks -- http://www.rola.com.au
> 
> It is some kind of a strap with a "swivel leg" that, according to the web
> page, "... are adjustable to suit the contours of almost any craft."
> 
> Anyone ever used these or know anything about them?

I have not tried that rack system but it looks interesting.  But why go
all the way to ordering from Australia when the standard racks available
here from Thule and Yakima are just fine?  Even a set of wooden racks
that you can buy from Voyageur will work well. (I use them attached to
the factory roof rack these days instead of Thules.  They are attached
with U-bolts, flat plates and nuts/washers.)

In the past, I have used Thule saddles with folding kayaks but found
them a nuisance to work with since I use a number of different boats
both hardshell and folding.  This required constantly changing the
saddles to fit each boat. 

If you intend to just transport one specific boat than you will not have
that constant adjustment problem that I had with saddles.  The saddles
will certainly not hurt your K-1 in the least nor any other folding
kayak for that matter.

A better, universal solution with no need for adjustments for different
boats is to just use the windsurfer pads.  Both Thule and Yakima sell
them and are also sold by kayak and watersports shops with their store
logo on them.  There are two kinds, ones that have slits at the bottom
and attach around the bar; the other which must come in from the end and
requires removing the bar from the tower first.  I have been using the
ones with the slits for years with no damage to the boats and no
slippage.  (In my current situation, they are from Jersey Paddler which
have a particularly good cover and are fairly long.  I have them
permanently mounted on the Voyageur wooden bars and secured them with UV
resistant self locking plastic wire ties.) The pads provide enough
padding to protect any make or model of folding kayak.  While it is nice
to get the bars and pads lined up at crossribs it isn't really
necessary.  With the cushioning provided by the windsurfer pads, I have
not seen breakage even to the thinnest of wooden longerons or stringers
even when the bars are lined up with spots between cross ribs. 
Certainly you would not have a problem with the tough aluminum stringers
on your K-1.

With a folding kayak, as with any kayak, don't make your bow and stern
tiedowns too tight.  The strap or cord should be tightened to just a
point where you can bend the line or strap a bit around your finger,
i.e. _not_ guitar string tight.  As for the straps lined up with the
racks, pull those suckers down as tight as you can even to the point of
making a serious indentation in the inflated sponsoned sides.  I have
not seen this hurt sponsons and is actually offers great security as
there is no way a boat is going to slip either forward or backwards with
its sides corseted in like that.  Hypalon hulls also have a lot of grip
in and of themselves whether on saddles or on the cushioned pads I
mention here.

The only cautions regarding the sponsons is to let a bit of air out on
particularly hot days especially if you start off on a shady cool
morning and are driving later in very hot sun.  The sponsons will tend
to expand as the air inside heats up and this may tear a sponson.  Also
if you are California and other places where you can get tremendous
elevation increases quickly when driving over mountains, make certain to
let lots of air out the sponsons.  The expanding compressed air in the
sponsons may hurt them in a sharply more rarified athmosphere. I have
heard of several cases of this on the West Coast.  It is not an East
Coast problem, particularly in Florida.  I guess that is another
advantage of paddling in the sunshine state that Bob Denton has failed
to mention. :-)

If you are using Thule or Yakima racks, a good investment would be the
kayak stacker upright bar that goes in the center of the rack bars.  It
offers an excellent tiedown point for the side straps and means the boat
can't slip around anywhere.  It is helpful in carrying a lot of boats
because you can then lean them on their sides if you wish.  It is the
only thing I miss with my current wooden bars as it makes it easier to
reach for threading through the straps.

ralph diaz 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************