I just installed a rack system and got the Thule instead of Yakima. After reading this thread I can see I made the right decision. Rectangular bars just won't roll! While on the subject of bars, I have a 2 door car and the bars are ridiculously close together. Not being in a position to get a new 4 door car right now, I'll just have to live with it. Has anybody out there had a similar situation, and what are the options for supporting the portion of the boat that is suspended over the rear roof? Would foam blocks work? My present boat is a Kiwi Kopapa, quite short, sturdy Tupperware craft and no problem on these closely spaced racks, but in the near future I hope to build a Pygmy of about 15 -16 feet in length and don't want to risk cracking it. Any ideas out there? Thanks very much, Liz Miller Sacramento, CA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, 24 Aug 1999 LIZCSTM_at_aol.com wrote: > While on the subject of bars, I have a 2 door car and the bars are > ridiculously close together. Not being in a position to get a new 4 door car > right now, I'll just have to live with it. Has anybody out there had a > similar situation, and what are the options for supporting the portion of the > boat that is suspended over the rear roof? Would foam blocks work? Thule sells (at least they used to) "short roof line adapters" basically it adds a set of bars running from front to back so that the rear rack can be placed close to the back of the roof. They worked great on a friends 2 door honda accord. I'm not a fan of foam blocks. I spend too much time car topping boats. I want the rack to stay on the car, and the stuff to stay on the rack, through whatever minor disasters I encounter. Just think of the imagery of your nice homebuilt kayak lifting off and seeing it in the rear view mirror as you cruise down the highway. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 09:07 AM 8/24/99 -0400, Kirk Olsen wrote: >On Tue, 24 Aug 1999 LIZCSTM_at_aol.com wrote: >Thule sells (at least they used to) "short roof line adapters" basically >it adds a set of bars running from front to back so that the rear rack can >be placed close to the back of the roof. They worked great on a friends >2 door honda accord. > Thule still sells the short roof line adapters. I have one on my '94 toyota Celica and it works pretty well for my Acadia which is a short boat 12.5 ft). The spread between the front and back bars is a little less than two feet and I have the kayak saddles on the rack. I have a Pygmy Coho kit which I'll probably start on next month when it's not so bloody hot in my garage. Does anyone have any thoughts on car toping that bad boy with a bar spread that short? I've been considering buying a utility trailer. will I need one to haul the Coho? Luke -------------------------------------------------------- Luke Hoffman lhoffman_at_colsa.com COLSA Corporation In the great human comedy, one day we're spectators, the next day we're performers. Garrison Keillor *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Luke Hoffman wrote: > > Thule still sells the short roof line adapters. I have one on my '94 > toyota Celica and it works pretty well for my Acadia which is a short boat > 12.5 ft). The spread between the front and back bars is a little less than > two feet and I have the kayak saddles on the rack. > > I have a Pygmy Coho kit which I'll probably start on next month when it's > not so bloody hot in my garage. Does anyone have any thoughts on car > toping that bad boy with a bar spread that short? I've been considering > buying a utility trailer. will I need one to haul the Coho? > > Luke > -------------------------------------------------------- > I have the Thule bars on my Jeep Wrangler, I used the fake rain gutters to increase the spread to about five feet. That handles my Current Designs Caribou quite well, although it is a bit of a pain to load a kayak on a roof that is almost as tall as I am. If you go for a trailer consider getting a small boat trailer, you get a longer tongue that way. Then you can build onto it to suit your needs. I went that route when I was carrying a sea kayak and two canoes at once. the sea kayak sat in a custom formed bed between posts that held up the crossbars for the canoes. Mike -- Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space. Mark H Hunt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Michael R Noyes wrote: > > Luke Hoffman wrote: > > > > > I have a Pygmy Coho kit which I'll probably start on next month when it's > > not so bloody hot in my garage. Does anyone have any thoughts on car > > toping that bad boy with a bar spread that short? I've been considering > > buying a utility trailer. will I need one to haul the Coho? I've had pretty good luck hauling a coho on top of a saturn wagon, with yakima saddles and a front line. About 3 foot spacing between bars. The spacing is not that wide on the bars, but the coho is fairly light. I thought about trying to rig up some kind of rack for a VW bug (old style), at least it has rain gutters, but still a very short roof. With the shorter, 2 foot spacing, bow and stern lines would probalby be in order. > If you go for a trailer consider getting a small boat trailer, you get a longer > tongue that way. Then you can build onto it to suit your needs. I went that > route when I was carrying a sea kayak and two canoes at once. the sea kayak > sat in a custom formed bed between posts that held up the crossbars for the > canoes. I have a small utility trailer that I was hoping to be able to make a varity of bolt on racks, for motorcycles, kayaks, etc. The problem is that the tongue is fairly short, which is probably preferable for motorcycles, but a pain for kayaks. Still the kayaks may win and I'll add length to the tongue. It seems to be the best win for trying to carry 4 boats (for when we have friends along). Any other suggestions for trailer racks? The custom fit racks on top are a nice idea, but it seems we're always wanting to bring a different combination of kayaks along, the double, the cohos, the recreation boat (that a toddler or dog can fit in). What can I say, I'm turning into a kayak packrat ;-) dave -- Dave Uebele (daveu_at_sptddog.com) Spotted Dog Systems http://sptddog.com/daveu.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/24/99 12:45:17 PM Eastern Daylight Time, daveu_at_sptddog.com writes: << we're always wanting to bring a different combination of kayaks along, the double, the cohos, the recreation boat (that a toddler or dog can fit in). What can I say, I'm turning into a kayak packrat ;-) >> I hear you, Dave. Is there a 12-Step Paddlers Anonymous group out there? Sandy Kramer Miami *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Sandykayak_at_aol.com wrote: > > I hear you, Dave. Is there a 12-Step Paddlers Anonymous group out there? > If there is, we're still 2 boats short. Uhhh, waitaminit.....Lesse... Sea Lion Shadow Godzilla Matrix Fanatic Cascade Viper Edge Razor Inazone Munich 1972 Klepper slalom boat Sorry, one boat short. Steve (if you don't count the leaky Sevylor and the cracked Response) -- Test Scoring and Reporting Services University of Georgia Athens, GA 30602-5593 *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Sandykayak_at_aol.com wrote: > I hear you, Dave. Is there a 12-Step Paddlers Anonymous group out there? > > Sandy Kramer > Miami > There was one once, but everyone quit when they realized that it meant that they would have to give up some of their boats...... Mike -- Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space. Mark H Hunt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Dave Uebele wrote: > > > I have a small utility trailer that I was hoping to be able to > make a varity of bolt on racks, for motorcycles, kayaks, etc. > The problem is that the tongue is fairly short, which is probably > preferable for motorcycles, but a pain for kayaks. Still > the kayaks may win and I'll add length to the tongue. It seems to > be the best win for trying to carry 4 boats (for when we have > friends along). Any other suggestions for trailer racks? > The custom fit racks on top are a nice idea, but it seems we're > always wanting to bring a different combination of kayaks along, > the double, the cohos, the recreation boat (that a toddler or > dog can fit in). What can I say, I'm turning into a kayak > packrat ;-) > > dave > > One idea that I have been toying with in that area is to use 2x3 crossbars with bolt holes in the correct places for Thule saddles. That way you can set them to whatever spacing you need for different kayaks. An alternative, if you are into metal racks instead of wood, is to match the size of the crossbars on the rack to the size Thule uses, or use round crossbars that match Yakima's. Mike -- Paddling along through fog so thick that only one's thoughts are visible, your reverie is abruptly shattered by the ancient cry of a great blue heron as she lifts uncertainly from the brilliant blue of a mussel-shell beach witnessed only by the brooding, wet spruce....your passage home seems as much back through time as it does through space. Mark H Hunt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 12:04 PM 8/24/99 -0400, Michael R Noyes wrote: >If you go for a trailer consider getting a small boat trailer, you get a longer >tongue that way. Then you can build onto it to suit your needs. I went that >route when I was carrying a sea kayak and two canoes at once. the sea kayak >sat in a custom formed bed between posts that held up the crossbars for the >canoes. > That's kind of the way I'm leaning now. It seems like used boat trailers are also a little cheaper and easier to find. Luke -------------------------------------------------------- Luke Hoffman lhoffman_at_colsa.com COLSA Corporation In the great human comedy, one day we're spectators, the next day we're performers. Garrison Keillor *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Hi, On my Jeep I use the Thule racks with The Thule Outrigger...it was only about $30. Now I can load my Eddyline Wind Dancer by myself...and unload it, too.........very easily! Walt *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/24/99 7:45:51 PM, WACAPA_at_aol.com writes: << On my Jeep I use the Thule racks with The Thule Outrigger...it was only about $30. Now I can load my Eddyline Wind Dancer by myself...and unload it, too.........very easily! >> is this the thing for bikes? Joan *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Kirk wrote: >I'm not a fan of foam blocks. I spend too much time car topping boats. >I want the rack to stay on the car, and the stuff to stay on the rack, >through whatever minor disasters I encounter. Just think of the imagery >of your nice homebuilt kayak lifting off and seeing it in the rear view >mirror as you cruise down the highway. My first experience hauling my "nice homebuilt kayak" was on foam blocks on my Yakima rack with 2 (count them, two!) 1/4" bungies holding the boat on. I was cruising along about 70-75 mph with a 40 mph crosswind. Well, I looked out the passenger window and there was the bow of my boat, keeping pace with me quite well, thank you! The boat slid over and off the foam block; luckily, the bungie held and no violent wood/asphalt encounter! I now use saddles on my rack with either straps or big fat bungies. Shawn *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Wed, 25 Aug 1999, Shawn W. Baker wrote: > I now use saddles on my rack with either straps or big fat bungies. BUNGIES???? Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Elaine Harmon wrote: > > On Wed, 25 Aug 1999, Shawn W. Baker wrote: > > > I now use saddles on my rack with either straps or big fat bungies. > > BUNGIES???? > > Elaine Harmon - eilidh_at_dc.seflin.org - eharmon_at_cs.miami.edu Exactly my reaction. I can think of about a half dozen things that can go wrong in a setup using bungee to hold a kayak down. Whoever suggested that to you? No wonder that boat slipped off the foam pad in the near-accident you had that was mentioned in a snipped part of your posting. Always use webbing straps or rope. 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.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Liz wrote: Liz what I have is one Yakima rack on the cab of my pickup and a very solid and steady T bar rack that attaches to my hitch. This provides a great deal of spread between racks. I haul my canoe on this setup with rock solid stability. I don't really need it with the Feathercraft K-light I just purchased but I can if I want. The T bar hitch rack will work on any vehicle with a hitch. I purchased it from Spring Creek Canoe and Kayak accessories on the web at www. canoegear.com (Walt Levins) *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
In a message dated 8/24/99 10:12:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time, Sandykayak_at_aol.com writes: << I hear you, Dave. Is there a 12-Step Paddlers Anonymous group out there? >> Heck no! They'd just try to cure us and make us into ordinary people. No fun at all... Liz Miller Sacramento, CA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:01 PDT