Re: [Paddlewise] Cartop Kayak Carrier

Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu> wrote:
> One of the few things I like about SUVs is that most of them are so 
> tall that anyone sub-Wayne Hodorowitz can walk under them unscathed. 
> Of course, if you're sub-WH you can't reach the bars to put your boat

> up.

I'm not sure how tall Wayne is, but being 6'-6", I feel like I can
comment...!  (I met Steve Scherrer this weekend and he commented that
I'm taller than I appeared on the Internet!)

Anyway, one sure-fire thing I've found is that having bars that are not
wider than your vehicle will keep you from whacking them when walking
around the vehicle.  Most Toyota and Nissan pickups are 5'-0" wide, so
5' bars will insure that you'll probably whack your knee on the fender
before whacking your bean on the bar.

Also, align your bars so they're over a door pillar, or over the
hinges, and basically, if at all possible, never put the end of the bar
right over the middle of the opening where people are ducking into and
out of the car.

I also noticed that Steve S has a super-impressive custom rack on his
Alder Creek van.  Steve, any comments?  Was it fabricated locally in
Portland?  The tiedown loops on the ends of the bars and the stackers
looked like a great idea.

Shawn

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