[Paddlewise] Roof Racks

It seems that a lot of folk out there are using aftermarket accessories on
stock roof racks, and avoiding the clamp-on style.  My experience has been
the exact opposite.

I have used Terzo racks now for 11 years, the clamp to the gutter style,
exclusively on Japanese cars.  I use the stock big plastic knob to keep them
tight, then back it up with a locknut and lockwasher behind, to deter both
theft and loosening.  

When properly attached, they become part of the car.  I suspect the roof
would fail first!  I trust them far more than I do the majority of so called
"luggage racks" I have seen supplied with vehicles, most of which have
recommended load limits far below what the Terzos can deal with.  Many of
these "racks" can't even handle the forces required to lash a boat securely
to the roof, and most are less than ideally designed to support a boat, let
alone 2 or 3.

The big problem is it is getting hard to find cars that have decent rain
gutters.  American vehicles started eliminating them about 15 years ago, but
it looks like they are getting rare on Japanese cars now.  Thule makes
hardware to adapt to almost any style of roof, but I don't know if I would
trust them the way I do the heavy clamps on a proper gutter.

I always use bow and stern lines, mostly because there is no navigable water
less than 20 km from where I live, so it is all a major trip at freeway
speeds to get my boat wet.  I don't use tight lines, just snug so they will
limit travel if something disastrous does happen to the rack or tiedown
rope.  Another great thing about Japanese cars is they all have places to
tie the bow and stern lines to under the car, unlike American vehicles.

To lash the boat to the roof racks, I use rope, 3/8 nylon yacht braid for
the kayak, in kind of an hourglass configuration, tightened by "frapping"
between the crossings.  On a major trip I did to Kyuquot Sound 2 years ago,
2 canoes, tied in this fashion with 5/16" polypropylene, stayed tight for 3
days and 1800 km of travel, through high temperatures, high speeds and bad
roads.  There was 100 lbs of gear stashed inside them, too!  I finally
tightened one down about 5 km from the end of the journey, because I could
no longer play tunes on the line.  If it is tight enough, the car wiggles on
the tires when you grab the end of the boat and push sideways.

I hate straps!  I understand knots better than buckles, and find them much
quicker to tie and untie.  And rope doesn't howl in the wind.

Rob.






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