# Another Roof rack question



## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

I need a rack and i don't want to pay the earth for one, but i don't wont to damage my yak. I drive a Holden Astra, I know my yak is longer then my car almost. Do i need the two rack bars to be a certain length apart to support my yak right?
Anyone out there got any advice?


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## troppo (Feb 1, 2006)

Yeah, Magicric, two bars are useful. Too hard to balance on just one bar. I have Rhino industrial racks and even though I nearly choked at the price, really it was worth it. I not only have carried my yak almost 1/2 way around Australia but I have also carried camping gear alongside the yak. Very handy and no problems with it at all. Don't know what you can put on your car, but the better racks can be easy to put on and off and you should have no problems.


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Magicrik said:


> I Do i need the two rack bars to be a certain length apart to support my yak right?
> Anyone out there got any advice?


As far apart as you can Rik and you will be OK, I've had the swing on my wife's civic with no problem..PM if you want a hand only 10mins up the road now if you are Helensvale


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

i dont have a bike rack, come to think of it a dont have a bike or a toe bar to put a rack on :roll:


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## WayneD (Jul 11, 2006)

Magicrik

I have removeable racks that are only 700-800mm apart and they work fine. I have a viking Espri which is a metre shorter though.

Have a look at this link 
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php ... roof+racks

There a few people who have replied to it saying they have longer yaks and that their racks are the same distance apart but they just tie down front and back and it is fine. For my length (3.5 m) I don't bother tying down front and back and there is hardly any movement when flying along at 110km/h.


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

Well I've been phoning around and the only racks i can get that fit my car is a Rola rack for $309 or a cheaper one by rhino for $299.
Look like my yak is staying in for some time till i get the money for it. Plus there's the little problem of the racks only being about 700m-800m apart and Viking said i should have a rack of at lease 1000m to support the yak right.
Looks like I'm in a pickle now


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## reefcheck (Jul 20, 2006)

Hi

Not sure how soft type racks will go for a kayak, but they might get you out of trouble. Try a google on either soft racks or one brand I know called soft rax. Used then years ago and they do work fine for surfboards. The attached link is just one example brochure.

http://www.oceanearth.com.au/downloads/ ... 0rax_2.pdf

Good luck

RC


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

reefcheck you are the man........I think you may have just solved my problem.


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## shayned (Jul 12, 2006)

Rick,
What you are looking at is probably a pad mount style rack which I have on my car. Again the gap is only at max. 800mm, my exploder is 3.5 m and there is no ill effect from using them. I started to look at soft type racks even the DYI type in the end I felt they would give me the tom tits and hung out for the permanent ones to make life a lot easier and safer. Not to mention dodging a few more scratches on the roof of the car. Check DIY for the type of rack made from square rhino bar covers about 40-50 dollars all up.


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## Ferret (Oct 31, 2006)

Hi Magicrik

I got a nice set of 'Rola' roof racks from the wreckers. They only cost me $45. Just because the car is bent does not mean the rook racks are no good



John


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Rik, check out the kwickracks that Viking sell. I use them on my Corolla Seca hatch and the PF is 4.2m. Of course, the Predator is 60cm longer.


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

thanks mate its another thing for me to look at and all of the options you guys have gave me beat paying $300 for a rack.


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## Crikey (Oct 30, 2005)

Rik,

The mate that I got my Hobie Classic from had a Holden Astra and used soft racks to carry the Hobie (inverted). It is 13'4" whatever that is in metres. I never saw how he used to tie it down though.

Hope that helps, at least it confirms the Astra / soft rack option.


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## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

Rik;
:idea: my two cents worth:
If at all possible, position your racks the same distance *apart* as the measurment between two pairs of scuppers (the strongest mid-section part, of any yak) 
same distance or maybe just a tad more, would be better.


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## hairymick (Oct 18, 2005)

> It is 13'4" whatever that is in metres.


4065.65mm or 4.066metres


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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QlpoOTFBWSZTWX0xPgUAACnfgAASUBHvEgTBFCov7/+gIACKiAo8p6ptJkAPUGTIbQgNVP9JT9GqDCA0emSAxA0IQDkoa16qOEssjgOM+c6bSdtz2ucsDoagsY8LBX5VH35dY0iOcxNSlK12oKgTcyyWs353OxlFA5T69tERwpTSCeA7UkT1/XSTOww8nJg0SZjj+v4qQWBfCvObUS1LRe9/LEO/VYfYT2awgpBF1mo0MxgRAvCFMg1ujL+LuSKcKEg+mJ8CgA==


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

The bars distance is set to 720mm. Richo topped round to take a look on Sunday and had a brilliant idea on how to give me more coverage and support on the rack. Like ferret said i phone around about 10 to 15 wreckers today and only one guy had the rack i need and he wanted $110 for it, yes it 1/3 the normal price but i don't have that right now.
Some good news thou i phone the DPI and i can put the yak in coombabah lake but my rods cant be rigged up. 
So I'm now looking to make a Cart to put it up the road.


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## Fats (Jan 6, 2007)

Magicrik said:


> Richo topped round to take a look on Sunday and had a brilliant idea on how to give me more coverage and support on the rack.


I am very interested to know what that idea was.

Cheers

Fats


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

Fats basically proposed a rectangular frame to sit on top of the 700 spaced racks [fixed mount point] when purchased.

Ideally Rik needs bars about 1500 apart and also has to offset the predator on one side because of a centre roof aerial, and also be higher to give clearance above roof for deck shape and sounder mount

The suggestion is to put 2 x 1500 angle alum rails down either side of the car and attach to bottom rack with ubolt/bolts.

At each end connect with 50mm box alum cross bars and noodle, with length to permit an offset kayak loading around the centre aerial; the boat will overhang about 100mm wider than the doors.

Tested the idea with the use of a blanket, some pavers, and a couple of lengths of box alum we had the predator on top of the car and sitting fine with no infringing of laws re overhangs


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2007)

Welcome to the Goldy Rik 8)

Hope to see you round sometime mate, maybe at one of our regular gatherings


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## Magicrik (Jul 12, 2006)

i hope so mate just got to get this rack problem fixed


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