MR2 Roadster Owners Club

The Workshop => General => Topic started by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 21:25

Title: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Anonymous on January 12, 2005, 21:25
hola gang,
i need help - i am trying to resolve an issue i have with the 2 - the need to carry an 8'4" surfboard  s:) :) s:)  

After seeing this post on spyderchat on how to make a bike rack for the 2

http://spyderchat.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11297&highlight=bike+rack

i got to thinking that this design might be possible by using the tow hook points to connect to the car and the rest of the rack in one piece that drops onto these points - does that make sense?   s:? :? s:?  

(http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/surfboard-roofrack.jpg)


i know there are plenty of people here with tons more experience in this kind of thing and would really appreciate any feedback

cheers
Si[/img]
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Post by: Tem on January 12, 2005, 21:37
I think you're gonna fly with that thing, if you ever drive with speed  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

I don't really see a major difference to just fitting the board with the Classic Carriers Surfboard carrier. Here's a pic of their ski carrier, but I assume the surfboard version is similar, just with different connectors.
(http://www.classic-carriers.nl/pictures/toyota/toyota_mr2_06.jpg)

You really, really, need to drive slowly with surfboard anywhere on the car anyway. I don't think it matters if it's straight or slightly aligned upwards.


...besides, that huge cage around the car would look silly  s;) ;) s;)
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 12, 2005, 22:05
why not just, buy a crappy 500 quid wonder and leave the poor 2 alone, it's done nothing to hurt you!!  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

poor thing, he dosn't mean it, really
Title: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Anonymous on January 13, 2005, 14:24
mmmmmm ok not as bad a response as i thought i might get by suggesting i put my 2 in a cage   s:) :) s:)  

Tem, the classic carrier surfboard attachment is only rated to 7' and having driven lots of other cars with boards on the roof i know what you mean about flying but i think there is something inherently wrong about fixing a 2.5m board (which will jut above the roofline and overhang the back) at a 30 angle, held only to the boot lid - added to the fact its directly over the hot engine.

Kanujunkie,  i know it looks stupid but it would functional and a lot cheaper than buying and insuring a second car (not really an option due to finances) - also it would be totally removable once at the beach

like i say a crazy plan and i'm still trying to find a suitable solution so any ideas welcome
cheers
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Post by: so.simple on January 13, 2005, 14:34
I can only applaude your iniciative. Yes, it is a crazy plan, but you deserve credit for being creative and coming up with a solution for a problem you have. Just my 2 cents.

Wouldn't you have trouble with the police? Here in Portugal, something like that wouldn't be allowed.
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Post by: Darth Paul on January 13, 2005, 15:36
Yep, I applaud this hair-brained plan too.  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:   I like out-of-the-box thinking – even if it probably would be illegal and extremely horrible.  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

What I don't understand is, having fitted it, why you would need to repaint your car – the front silver and the back green.  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:  

(http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/surfboard-roofrack.jpg)
Title: Re: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Tem on January 13, 2005, 15:48
Quote from: "da monkey"i think there is something inherently wrong about fixing a 2.5m board at a 30 angle, held only to the boot lid - added to the fact its directly over the hot engine

I know it sounds bad, but from what I've tried, I'd say it's ok for about 30mph. And personally I wouldn't go faster even if the board was level.

Just think of it has a big spoiler, it's not really much more. And air isn't forced to go through the whole board, cause it can escape from the sides the moment there is some pressure on it.
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Post by: Anonymous on January 13, 2005, 15:50
Do you have a hardtop???

If so these "may" work;

see here! (http://www.handirackuk.com/)

I'm pretty sure if you did have a hardtop that you wouldn't be able to fit both of them to it (or close the windows for that matter  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:  ) but you could perhaps put the other one on the back of the car somewhere and rest the board across them...
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 13, 2005, 20:28
Quote from: "Mr 2"Do you have a hardtop???

If so these "may" work;

whatever you do don't use these for equipment that goes on water!, the tiny sand particles, that are supended in the water will make short work of knackering your paint once they collect around the front edge of the pillow. I spent the last 19yrs doing watersports and i've seen 3 cars need there roofs sprayed from these type of things in that time. Make sure you have an airgap under the roofrack.
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Post by: dreambackup on January 13, 2005, 20:49
you could use the inflatable thingy on the soft top...  s:idea: :idea: s:idea:
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 13, 2005, 21:02
the soft top doesn't have the strength in it, plus the straps going thru the windows would bugger the seals and probably garot you whilst you drive.

Why not put it in the pax foot well and strap it to the seat?

done it with a small canoe, looked v. silly, but was only a short trip
Title: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Anonymous on January 13, 2005, 22:05
yeah have used those soft racks before but i dont have a hard top and think Kanujunkie is right re the paint and the soft top

putting the board in the car with the top down is fine in summer when it doesnt rain, but i wnat to be able to go to Devon on a regular basis and it wont always be when the sun shines  s:) :) s:)  

dmn maybe i'll just have to admit defeat   s:( :( s:(

thanks for the thoughts guys
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Post by: MRMike on January 13, 2005, 22:23
I like the idea! Haha How about strapping it to the side of the car? At least then you wouldn't get the buffeting...perhaps tie it to the door?
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 13, 2005, 22:25
I do a lot of WW canoeing and i couldn't work this one out either. I'm still getting mates to give me a lift everywhere, not good, i end up always feeling guilty  s:( :( s:(
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Post by: filcee on January 13, 2005, 22:49
Two other options:

1. each trip, rent a car big enough to take a proper rack and board
2. sell your board, and rent one on each trip to Devon/Cornwall

being the proud owner of one of CJ's Malibu's, that only sees daylight for about 5 days a year, I would say the latter option is the better one.  You can rent pretty well right on the beaches these days which saves carrying the thing backwards and forwards too  s;-) ;-) s;-)
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Post by: Anonymous on January 25, 2005, 14:06
Mr T said that any boot rack that carries anything that covers the boot vents will make the car overheat. Thats why they stopped doing a boot rack. Classic Carries dont do one that would fit a surfboard. I have crawled the web for hours. All I need is something to carry a 6ft odd surfboard. This might have made my mind up in getting a RAV4. But I realy dont want to change the vehicle. Any1 else got any ideas or companies that do a siimple boot back that I can convert to carrying my board.
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Post by: Tem on January 25, 2005, 14:29
Quote from: "da monkey"classic carrier surfboard attachment is rated to 7'

Quote from: "j80rjo"Classic Carries dont do one that would fit a surfboard. I have crawled the web for hours. All I need is something to carry a 6ft odd surfboard.

So who's right?  s;) ;) s;)  Did you actually ask Classic Carriers, or just browse their pages?


Quote from: "j80rjo"Mr T said that any boot rack that carries anything that covers the boot vents will make the car overheat.

Mr T says a lot. Funny how the Classic Carriers (suitcase) rack is more or less common, yet no one has experienced any overheating issues with it  s;) ;) s;)
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Post by: Anonymous on January 25, 2005, 14:53
Yea phoned them and they said they only do sky attachments.
Title: surfboard rack
Post by: Anonymous on January 25, 2005, 21:57
 m http://www.classic-carriers.nl/ (http://www.classic-carriers.nl/) m

(Part # 30170) is the number of the surfboard attachment, rated for 7' boards

hope this helps

not convinced myself, but then i need it for a 8'4" board   s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 25, 2005, 22:12
why not try posting on Spyderchat and seeing if someone over there has one.
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Post by: Anonymous on January 26, 2005, 17:32
They said on email that the surfboard attachment is for a body board. Here is the email

If you tie it down properly yes, and keep the speed down. At your own risk.
Regards,  EvV
Original Message:
-----------------
From: James  e classic@bart.nl (mailto:classic@bart.nl) e
Subject: RE: Part needed


The body board only part, can it hold a surfboard if needed about 7ft max.
For short trips?

Kind Regards

James

-----Original Message-----
From:  e james@vansdirect.net (mailto:james@vansdirect.net) e
Subject: RE: Part needed


JAMES,
 THE ENGINE WILL DEFENITELY NOT OVERHEAT , ITS WATERCOOLED AND THE VENTS
ARE PURELY COSMETIC .
THE MR2 BOOTRACK COSTS 298. EURO IN 100% STAINLESS
SHIPPING TO THE UK IS 27 EURO.  WE MAIL REGULARLY TO GB,  NO PROBLEM AT ALL.
THE SURFBOARD HOLDER ( BODY BOARD ONLY) IS:

129. BASE FRAME.
64. HOLDERS.


rEGARDS,  ERIK VAN VEENEN


Original Message:
-----------------
From: James  e classic@bart.nl (mailto:classic@bart.nl) e
Subject: Part needed


I am interested in Classic Carriers Part 030165A and 30170 for Toyota MR2
Roadster
could you send prices for the boot rack and Surfboard holder.

Could you also tell if this would make the engine over heat due to its
position on the car.

Please reply by email @ 1st

I am in the UK, is this a problem?

Kind Regards

James
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Post by: Tem on January 27, 2005, 06:37
"THE ENGINE WILL DEFENITELY NOT OVERHEAT , ITS WATERCOOLED AND THE VENTS ARE PURELY COSMETIC ."

Purely cosmetic?  s:? :? s:?  I wouldn't say that, though I agree that the engine won't overheat with a carrier...
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 27, 2005, 08:58
not really a lot of help that e-mail. Why not get the Classic carrier and custom make a holder for the board, cant be hard, i've made a couple for holding canoes on roofs myself, just make sure theyre sturdy enough for the job and don't scrimp on materials.
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Post by: Anonymous on January 27, 2005, 09:01
I am sure the parts will do the job, what I am worried about is the wind catching my board snapping it or worse ripping the rack off. Need to have a tthink 1st. If I keep the speed down I will probably get away with it. What do you guys think. My board is 7ft but will be down to 6ft 4 soon.

James
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Post by: kanujunkie on January 27, 2005, 09:10
i've got a classic carrier and trust me you'd need a fairly large explosion to rip one of those buggers off, they're built like a brick sh*t house. As for possibly snapping the board, well that could be a possibility, but they are normally built of fibreglass so they should be fairly strong
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Post by: Tem on January 27, 2005, 09:10
Quote from: "j80rjo"What do you guys think.

Quote from: "Tem"I know it sounds bad, but from what I've tried, I'd say it's ok for about 30mph. And personally I wouldn't go faster even if the board was level.

Just think of it has a big spoiler, it's not really much more. And air isn't forced to go through the whole board, cause it can escape from the sides the moment there is some pressure on it.
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Post by: Anonymous on January 27, 2005, 09:17
OK cool, that made me feel better.

After I converted the EUROS its about £350 all in.

I could get a 2nd hand van for that working for a CV company. But then I got the cost of another vehicle.

mmmm, what to do
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Post by: heathstimpson on January 27, 2005, 09:48
Quote from: "j80rjo"I could get a 2nd hand van for that working for a CV company. But then I got the cost of another vehicle.

mmmm, what to do
I would get the second vehicle as it would have more than one advantage. I personally think that the rack spoils the 2's looks and with a 2nd cheap car/van you would have a runaround for other eventualities  s:wink: :wink: s:wink:
Title: Re: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Anonymous on January 27, 2005, 10:16
Quote from: "da monkey"(http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/surfboard-roofrack.jpg)

You should have some triangulation in the forward direction to stabilize it, but otherwise it looks cool. Can even be used to carry hanggliders, ladders, lumber, furniture, flag poles and whatnot so when you're done with it, you can sell it and probably make a profit  s;) ;) s;)

Cheers,

  Lars J
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Post by: SimonC_Here on January 27, 2005, 10:52
[OffTopic]
Lars, can you change your Avatar pic to a website rather than the FTP site it is on at the mo. It pops up a security login screen every time I view a thread!

People at work are starting to notice!   s:oops: :oops: s:oops:  
[/OffTopic]

Thanks

Simon
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Post by: Anonymous on January 27, 2005, 10:57
I still cant make up my mind.
Title: Re: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: Anonymous on May 14, 2007, 13:23
Quote from: "da monkey"(http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/surfboard-roofrack.jpg)

I have another idea, but will have to think about it some more.   I wish I had welding equipment.   s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
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Post by: DannyN on May 14, 2007, 16:23
Could you not fashion some way to strap it underneath the car, so the point of the surfboard sticks out under the the front bumper like a tongue ??  

You would have to take the fins off therear end tho in case of speed bumps.

You could make a sort of tray to bolt underneath and then just slide the surfoard in, bit like a holster

what do people think ??
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Post by: Anonymous on May 14, 2007, 16:40
I think the surfboard would get all dinged up at the very least and it surely wouldn't work for a kayak.   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

I'm thinking of using something that latches where the soft- and hardtops latch instead of the front tie-down.  The top would have to be down, but if you are going surfing or kayaking, it probably isn't going to be raining.   It could be combined with the idea above, as in having an optional front section that goes to the tiedown or a different optional front section that latches to the top of the A pillar.  Attaching the whole thing with the front mounting point way up at the bumper would be hard to do without dinging the paint, wouldn't it?  The A pillar mounting idea would be easier in that regard.  The configuration would be incompatible with the hardtop, but then you always have the other configuration for traveling in inclement weather.  Heck, maybe the front section could be carried on the rack just in case?  I don't know... just throwing some ideas out there.

The drawing looks OK, functionally (could use some triangulation as someone said), but I'd rather have something that is more attractive... just putting some more angles in there so it isn't so rectangular would be an improvement.  It could come straight up from the back mounting points just far enough to clear the bumper, then curve forward as it goes up.  Same idea at the front.  It would look a lot better and be stronger to boot.

It would be expensive.  Darn it.
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Post by: kanujunkie on May 14, 2007, 18:05
good god this has been dragged out of the depths  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

i gave up in the end and just shoved the kayak in the pax seat and put a seatbelt around it, would have been knackered if it had rained though  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
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Post by: broudie on May 14, 2007, 18:11
Quote from: "kanujunkie"good god this has been dragged out of the depths  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

i gave up in the end and just shoved the kayak in the pax seat and put a seatbelt around it, would have been knackered if it had rained though  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
That works.
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Post by: kanujunkie on May 14, 2007, 18:27
Quote from: "broudie"
Quote from: "kanujunkie"good god this has been dragged out of the depths  s:shock: :shock: s:shock:  

i gave up in the end and just shoved the kayak in the pax seat and put a seatbelt around it, would have been knackered if it had rained though  s:roll: :roll: s:roll:
That works.

yep when you paddle something along the lines of this

(http://www.rockymountainkayak.com/catalog_images/kayaks/ri_inferno_2006.jpg)
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Post by: Anonymous on May 14, 2007, 18:29
Tem posted a link to it because I started a new topic.  Oh, and I did a search first, but did not find this one.  Wasn't sure if you even call the roof a roof and I don't think searching for roof and rack yeilded much results.  Anyway, I've got a better idea.  The heck with the idea of mounting something to the A pillar.  Add another mounting point up front... opposite side of the one that's there.  The existing one is a tad high and you have to pop out the little plastic piece to see the entire nut  (heavy duty, lots of thread depth, welded in place).  I think one could be added to the other side without too much drama, placed just a fraction lower perhaps.  Then there would be four nice and solid mounting points.  Imagine this.   Symetrical tubes follow the curves of the car pretty much, even allowing the engine lid to be opened enough to check the oil and possibly fill it (if not, add a remote oil filler in the decklid, which would be ubercool anyway).  They'd be pretty wide all the way over the car, narrowing some of course at the topmost part.  Crossed bars connecting them at the top.  It would look like kind of like an external roll cage and I don't see why it couldn't be bolted into an internal one if the top was down.  I'll do a artist's conception when I get a chance.

EDIT:
Oh bloody hell, the top won't fold with an exoskelton looking design.    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:
Title: Re: crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome
Post by: glenonoka on May 14, 2007, 21:33
Keep it parallel, and drop the front a few inches lower than the back and you should be fine. Gas milage may drop a bit, but the wind force will be pushing the car down and not around. A good side wind could still cause lift though. Be careful when you drive, the car is pretty light.