car rack question

[raddog]

My Subbie has the factory aftermarket rack, with the bars approximately 30 inches apart. I'm concerned that hauling a 17 foot glass boat on a narrow support may not be the best way to ensure long term safe boat hauling. Is it worth while to invest in the nearly $300 slipstream to move the supports out to about 60 inches?

[tyson]

If you mount the kayak so that it almost balances on the rear bar, and properly use bow and stern ropes (as you should anyway), you should be fine.

That said, my 'ru has the older adjustable bars and I space them as far apart as I can when hauling kayaks and I'm not a fan of the newer design. IMHO, the new ones are designed/optimized for not using them.

[tyson]

Here is a picture of 4 kayaks that are between 14' and 17' on a Honda Fit. It has a short roof line and the bars end up being close together. Other than the dents left in the roof because of the heavy load of the kayaks and in the kayaks (didn't have enough space for 4 plus gear in the car), it worked fine.

[thief]

subaru baja

bar width about 28"

rack yakima

boat holder Malone Gullwings

Boat Tempest 170

http://picasaweb.google.com/corgimas/BajaR...138827120440338

around town i do not generally use a bow/stern line....highways i do...

[bob budd]

As you move the supports apart you reduce the leverage on the bow and stern, as you probably realized. Doing so is going to reduce long-term wear and tear. What you and others may experience over time may say that a distance of 30" is sufficient, that's hard to say. It comes down to how often you haul the board around, where you drive, how far you drive, etc. As for bow and stern lines, I consider them as a safety item and depend instead on straps on each rack that go around the boat. When you strap down the boat, especially a plastic boat, you shouldn't need to have the straps any tighter than snug. Due to the tapering of the hull, a wider separation of the racks reduces the possibility that loose straps will allow the boat to slide fore and/or aft.

[beanboy]

Few dozen trips made, probably 1500 miles or so total:

Haven't had any issues, was shown this method by the place I bought the ski.

Depending on hull material and method of carrying, I don't see the issue with 30" or so spread in itself.

The reason I may get a rack would be to carry multiple boats.

[bob budd]

Looks like you should be careful when backing into your spot at the convenience store...

[tyson]

Looks like you should be careful when backing into your spot at the convenience store...

You should see what a 23' tandem looks like on the top of a little Honda Fit!

[subaruguru]

As you move the supports apart you reduce the leverage on the bow and stern, as you probably realized. Doing so is going to reduce long-term wear and tear. What you and others may experience over time may say that a distance of 30" is sufficient, that's hard to say. It comes down to how often you haul the board around, where you drive, how far you drive, etc. As for bow and stern lines, I consider them as a safety item and depend instead on straps on each rack that go around the boat. When you strap down the boat, especially a plastic boat, you shouldn't need to have the straps any tighter than snug. Due to the tapering of the hull, a wider separation of the racks reduces the possibility that loose straps will allow the boat to slide fore and/or aft.

Well said, Bob.

FYI, 00-04 Legs/OBs have 39" max OE bar spread, '05-'09 38" on even meatier bars/supports.

These geometries have served many well for TWO loaded (let's say 75' ea) 18' seakayaks extremely well WITHOUT the need for stern/bow ties, even into to 85mph range. We've discussed the extra safety inherent in

However, I am EXTREMELY leery of using the much shorter 30" spread limit of Bajas and Imprezas, as well other shorter roofs without tie downs, as the polar moments of inertia are much smaller, and the last thing you want is a helicopter prop twisting up there!

I can see also that if one's roof's crossbars don't provide a reasonably flat surface that additional tie down points (esp bow and stern) become critical to creating a stable geometry.

One then needs to balance the downward forces on these auxiliary ties so as to not flex (dent) the hull at the bar contact points as well. As parts of the market go to tiny eco-hatches (see the Fit pic) extra care will be required to provide stable but LIGHTLY sprung alternatives.

I've only had one problem with extraordinary downward contact force damaging a KP Jet's hull on crossbars when it's bulkheadLESS design allowed it to fill with 4" of rainwater and I tried to lift one end.

My recommendation for 16-18' seakayaks now is to NOT require auxiliary tiedowns on flattish roofs with 36"+ spreads, but to absolutely use them with shorter spreads.

It's tempting to allow 30" spreads without tiedowns for shorter rec boats or ultralight skis, but I really worry about cross-sectional surface area and weight issues with winds at highway speeds in the former, and the need to point more fragile skis absolutely on axis to prevent excess torquing.

Note: In addition to the newest (2010) Outback being a travesty of Toyota-controlled design, it's now very short roof rack is nearly useless. Oy!

Hope this helps.

Ern

PS I like the Malone flexy wings for weight distribution and shock absorption, but their inherent bobbing both limits the usefulness of bow and stern tie-downs, and can look a bit alarming as the bow bounces over one's hood when hitting a highway pothole. Yet he did his research here. These seem like a really protective, sturdy and stable platform at high speeds without the need for tiedowns. Other systems of course pin the hulls more stiffly, which looks more secure at speed, but one then balances that vibe with a higher chance of hull damage if straps are very tight on small surface area mounts, especially if your 'yak is loaded, be it with gear or water.

[lhunt]

In addition to the newest (2010) Outback being a travesty of Toyota-controlled design, it's now very short roof rack is nearly useless. Oy!

I went from 30" to 50" on my (Toyota'ish) Vibe, which has a short lugguage rack - you can see if you look closely that the luggage rails stop behind the front of the rear door.

I already had the vehicle-specific Thule kit for the factory-installed rails (had been using it for a short rec boat). I bought half-pack feet and towers marketed for Vibes without the rails and used that on the front. Maybe overkill, but I'm happier safe than sorry.

Lisa