Re: [Paddlewise] rack spacing & 'reshaping' plastic hulls

From: Gary J. MacDonald <garyj_at_rogers.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 12:27:32 -0400
Joseph Pylka wrote:
> 	Two bars can make a very strong support especially if you can space them
> some distance apart.  I have a Grand Voyager so I get plenty of length and
> the boats remain stable.  It seems to me 3 bars would make for
> difficulties.  Even if you set them dead level, your boat's profile might
> not be.  And if you're on a group trip somebody's boat isn't going to fit
> right.  You'd probably wind up either not having anything supported by the
> bar or else removing it entirely now and then to accomodate some new boat
> combination.  

This is why the centre bar has to be level with or lower than the 
others.  IMHO a little bit lower would probably be better.  WOn't matter 
if you have cradles.

> 	Two bars would give you plenty of space for differences in curvature,
> three bars could restrict you.

Yup.  In my comments I was assuming that few boats would curve downward 
relative to the ends, although with the sea kayaks prevalent on this 
list that would be rather different if no cradles or other holders were 
used.  Three does let you carry shorter boats staggered (most frequent 
use I have seen=WW kayaks) and provides other options.  Three is fine 
for upside-down canoes, but I don't know when it would be really 
necessary.  (Very few people do this 3-bar thing.)

I have thought about three so that I could put one further forward on my 
newer model mini-van.  The old guttter-mounts let you choose your 
spacing, but that is not so easy now with rail-mounts.  (Look at the 
spacing possibility on an Odyssey--that fronbar is very far back.  One 
reason I did not buy one.)

Racking is the most irritating part of paddling.

GaryJ

***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed
here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
Submissions:     PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net
Subscriptions:   PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net
Website:         http://www.paddlewise.net/
***************************************************************************
Received on Thu Jun 26 2003 - 09:25:17 PDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:31:08 PDT