Fitting roof rack

[kayakloz]

thanks for all your replys ive sent an email to kari tek for details and info on there roof rack

[Blutac]

i have thule aero bars i used to use on my mondeo, i cant think of a way to mount them on the bongo for the kayaks so looks like i'll have to buy new

keep the info coming this is helping me make a choice

cheers Dave

[Rhod]

Mountaingoat wrote

My point was about the tie down problems and your need for bullbars. It is one thing about the aft roof being able to take the load and another the strain being put on the roof should a strong gust of wind catch the boat.

The engineers assessment was on the strength of the roof itself, as well as the mounting points. Geoff reckoned that the roof fixings are very strong & quite able to take the sideways forces.

Tying down long boats fore & aft is generally recommended practice - to minimise the forward breakfree potential in a collision as much as anything else. But it does potentially stabilise the whole load as well & because the securing points are at the extreme ends of the load it is,an effective way of minimising the twisting effect of winds.

We should still be able to modify the rack to clamp to the gutters if necessary, but it does complicate things significantly & makes mounting a roll-up awning difficult, so I'll only do it if I feel that the set-up is weak without the modification.

As I say, it's a work in progress & we'll see how it goes once the bars are mounted. Will keep you all informed of progress.
Rhod

[Rhod]

Keefyfisher wrote

Or it makes the load more unstable and subject to excessive and unnecessary loads due to all the boats being locked together and unable to flex independantly, possibly giving rise to damage to the boats, and possibly exerting more shear into the bolts/fixings in the AFT roof.

Fair point - after writing it I did realised that I should have refernced my comment to open boats rather than "long boats" - don't think I've ever seen sea kayaks tied down. Open boats being carried upside down are a slightly different case I think & movement on the rack is more likely than with kayaks in cradles, or with uprights (where it's impossible!). Not quite sure what the local police think when an OPen Boat Symposium turns up with the wierd & varied ways people have of attaching as many open boats as possible to one vehicle Anyway the thread was about roofracks & not about how to tie boats onto them, so I'll shut-up now

Keefyfisher also wrote

To mount a roll up awning to a roof bar bracket is the easiest part. Either drill the legs of the roof rack bracket, 1 at top, the other at bottom on each unit, then bolt through the awning cassette.

Doesn't really work for an AFT unfortunately though, since you could only use the awning with the roof down. One advantage of a tintop I guess.

[Simon Jones]

I've been looking at my roof rack & will probably either get some more brackets made up or re-using the ones from the roof rack, which I don't tend to use. Then, i'll fit some cross bars to rest the kayak(s) on.



I think I'm going to mount the kayak flat, rather than on it's side. What are the merits of mounting them 'proper' way up (as per Tim AKA Samual) or bottom side up - which would seem to be more aerodynamic.

[Rhod]

Simon
The advantage of putting the kayaks on their edges is mainly that you can get more on, whereas if you load them flat then you can store wet kit in them! However, I've also been told that plastic boats should be carried on their sides since there is more chance of them deforming if carried flat. Personally, I'd carry our sea kayaks flat for reduced side windage & increased storage - but since they're plastic I'll stick with the words of wisdom & stick them on their sides!

My Kari-tek system is now sitting in boxes in the hall, so I'll report back once I've got it fitted - probably next weekend.

Rhod

[Croz]

Been lurking and following the thread as I have fitted a KariTek rack.

I got it from Geoff and Anne in January. At the time I discussed having them custom some roof brackets but after following up other links decided to go with Thule bits as I have a collection from various cars over the years (can't seem to part with them and the garage is a nightmare to get into !!). The Thule brackets and fitting kit for my old 120cm bars are 960 and 2126.

The Kari Tek rack is a success but the first time I did a load test with my sea kayak I caught the side of the vehicle with one end of the medium lifting bar extensions (I'm short and so needed the extension to enable me to reach the thing when on top). I learnt to hold the bar walk away from the vehicle and then lift (as in the Kari Tek site photos (RTFM is a good maxim as always!).

Next week will be the full first field test as I plan to go to Loch Lomond for a start of the season warm up.

David

[Rhod]

I finally got a chance to fit the roof bars & Karitek rack at the weekend. The rack is the 1.9m version, which was chosen in order to accomodate 2 open boats side by side. This does pose a couple of problems however. Firstly it means that the overall width of the rack (lifting handles are the guilty party) is just very slightly wider than the wing mirrors & therefore technically not entirely legal - unless I remove the handles while in transit . Secondly, it might put a bit more leverage on the roof mounting bolts while loading. I'll see how things go, but may end up cutting the rack down to fit the Bongo better.

Overall it seems to work ok with two sea kayaks, or one open boat (I didn't have a second open boat around to test it with), but placing the J-cradles & tie down brackets so that the various combinations of boat will fit is a pain! Lifting the boats onto the roof with the rack is incredibly easy , but I had a lot of trouble getting the sliding sections to engage in the T-brackets that lock them down. Largely a matter of knack (from what others say) & the wide rack may not help, but the fact that the Bongo was parked on a slope probably didn't help either.

Apologies for the lack of illustrations, but the internet connection at home is so slow that it's not worth having a machine there & the work system won't allow us to access photobucket. If anyone is interested then I can email photos to them - or someone else might want to post them for me?

For those that already have the Karitek system - apparently the hand screws on the swordplates are liable to work loose over time & it's advisable to add a pair of back-up straps to stop them working loose. I believe that Karitek are looking at replacing them with 13mm stainless nylock nuts.

Rhod

[The Great Pretender]

I've been looking at my roof rack & will probably either get some more brackets made up or re-using the ones from the roof rack, which I don't tend to use. Then, i'll fit some cross bars to rest the kayak(s) on.



I think I'm going to mount the kayak flat, rather than on it's side. What are the merits of mounting them 'proper' way up (as per Tim AKA Samual) or bottom side up - which would seem to be more aerodynamic.

Mounting it bottom side up give you an aerofoil section as in a plane wing.
IT WILL TRY TO TAKE OFF.

[Simon Jones]

Rhod, I'd be interested to see some pics. If you want to send them to me, I post them for you (dropped you a pm with my email address)

Went to pick up our second kayak on Sunday (nice 500 mile round trip in the snow). It was mounted bottom side up on the car - didn't take off though. When we took it off the roof, the bottom looked a bit flat, but when I unscrewed the hatch cover they was a huge rush of air & it popped back into shape. Looks like the cold termperature had caused the air inside to contract & form a vacuum. Next time, I leave the drain plug out to equalise the pressure. At least I know it doesn't have any leaks.