Is it a bad idea to put a longboard on the roof of a small 4 door saturn sl1? I haven't bought a roof rack yet but i am planning on it. Any advice is appreciated.
Ive done it with my friends long board on top of my camry I think it was around 18ft i want to say.. just used the ropes that go through the doors... he was also holding his hand out the window just to make sure it didnt take off.. and it didnt semi suprisingly
Thule Try and use THULE roof racks, they are far superior to any other roofrack systems and you get like 10000 different components to carry anything on them. I think its called the thule hang two system for surfboards, its great. Def will work on your saturn if it four door. I wouldnt trust my boards on anything else.
You'll be fine as long as you put the rack on correctly and tighten the longboard on top. People get into trouble when the try to put 3 or 4 differently shaped boards on top of a soft rack. If you get a good hard rack and install it correctly you can stack up a nice quiver on there safely. 18ft longboard???? pretty sure there's no such thing.
Definitely get a good rack system that is made for your car. I like Yakima--used 'em for almost 20 years--and have had no problems ever carrying bikes, boards up to 9-6, ladders, rolled up rugs, or kayaks. Another poster likes Thule--they work great, too. Get pads and good tie-downs. I always check the load periodically on long trips and always before hitting the Bay Bridge Tunnel. The bars on the rack systems are placed about 4 feet apart, which distributes the load evenly for a longboard--you shouldnt have to worry about the wind flexing and ultimately cracking your stick. I have never stacked boards more than 3 high on a road trip for fear the wind will get into them and make things loosey-goosey.
Sure there is. But usually the have at least a 25 hp motor attached to them and they are called boats.
I got one of them Thule racks for my jeep, they got a rack for everything you could think of. Their surfboard one is pretty good (the one I have) 4 padded corners that are adjustable anywhere on the rack, so it can fit any width board, then straps that crank down tight. No lock, but if I'm bringing my board, its not staying on the car.
Inno makes a locking rack that can hold 2 longboards or 3 shorties. Someone can get around the locks but they should deter the quick grab thieves. The rack attaches to a hard mounted roof rack. I've had my longboard on a Subaru Impreza with no problem. http://www.rv-inno.com/html_pages/surf_boardlocker.html
swedish made is the only way to go............for roof racks. esp. with a small car i would go with a hard rack over a soft rack any day. if you got some extra cash njsur4 is right, thule is the best you can buy. rugged and simple to maintain, plus youll look bad@ss. well maybe ha
yeah youll be good. I have a soft rack and have driven to the obx with 3 different sized boards from less than 6 feet to 8 and was perfectly fine. I doubt the boards would just fly off anyways. Theyd be bouncing around first, then come loose, then fly off......
I never really use a roof rack i just stick my board in the back of my suv but i have a dakine one that works pretty well, but i never really used it all that much so I dont know
I think I'm going to have to consult Big Wave Dave in OCMD to see if this red wetsuit wearing guy is legit. Where do you get an 18 ft blank?? 2 9ft blanks combined?
I'm not saying he's "legit" , but he's out there... I'm pretty sure he makes his own boards; mostly out of wood.