Re: [Paddlewise] Bars n' Boats (n' Audi Avant)

>From: Jack Martin
>Subject: [Paddlewise] Bars n' boats
>
>Have always used Yakima --- and sometimes Thule --- cradles to transport 
>my boats in the past, and have been very comfortable with the security and 
>support they seem to offer.  With my new Audi --- an Avant (wagon) with 
>side rails --- I'd rather not leave the cradle and bike mount equipped 
>rack on the car permanently as I have in the past.

Jack--I'm a relative newcomer to paddling, but I, too, have an Audi A4 
Avant with side rails and I, too, don't like to leave the rack on the car 
permanently. I have the Yakima "DoubleCross" towers, bars and TLC 
saddles, and I've simply been taking the towers on and off when I want to 
use the boat. I leave the saddles--and the front wind deflector--attached 
to the bars, so I effectively only have two "parts" to put on the car. 
The DoubleCross towers take a lot of screwing (long threads that need to 
be backed out pretty far to clear the side rails), but I find I can get 
all four towers on--or off--in about 5-7 minutes. It's a pain, but it 
beats having the rack whistling over the sunroof when I'm not toting the 
boat.

An alternative has occured to me, however. A local surgeon totes his 
Current Designs Expedition around on top of his fairly new Saab. I've 
been struck by the fact that he has _no_ rack, preferring foam blocks and 
straps going through his doors. What amazes me is how quickly he can 
leave the take-out, seeming to pop the blocks on the roof and strap the 
boat down in roughly the same time it takes most of us to get a boat into 
saddles. And this is on a sedan _without_ roof rails. So I've been 
looking at those fancy no-slip blocks at Rutabaga and I've been thinking 
that two 10-12 foot straps from Campmor could each be looped under the 
rails and that the whole set-up would be easier (no doors to mess around 
with) and more stable (longer roof line) than the Doc's Saab. And I know 
that the blocks are quicker to get on and off the car than the Yakima 
DoubleCross system.

My thought is that I could use the foam blocks for a quick after-work 
paddle on my local river and step-up for the Yakima system when I'm 
taking the boat  a greater distance.

Whaddya' think?

Jason Taylor
Rosendale, NY



----------------------------------------------
Jason Taylor
R. C. Schade & Associates
Rosendale, New York
jason_at_rcschade.com


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