crazy plan for a roofrack - any thoughts welcome

[Anonymous]

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:?  




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]

[Tem]

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.


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;)

[kanujunkie]

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

[Anonymous]

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

[so.simple]

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.

[Darth Paul]

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:  

[Tem]

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.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a hardtop???

If so these "may" work;

see here!

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...

[kanujunkie]

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.

[dreambackup]

you could use the inflatable thingy on the soft top...  s:idea: :idea: s:idea:

[kanujunkie]

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

[Anonymous]

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

[MRMike]

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?

[kanujunkie]

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:(

[filcee]

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;-)

[Anonymous]

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.

[Tem]

classic carrier surfboard attachment is rated to 7'

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?

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;)

[Anonymous]

Yea phoned them and they said they only do sky attachments.

[Anonymous]

 m 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:

[kanujunkie]

why not try posting on Spyderchat and seeing if someone over there has one.

[Anonymous]

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 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 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 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

[Tem]

"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...

[kanujunkie]

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.

[Anonymous]

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

[kanujunkie]

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