Board / Roof Racks

evil-monkey · 21-07-2008 2:07pm #1

Hi all. Took up surfing at the start of the summer and really starting to fall in love with it.

Anyway, need to get roof racks for the car for my board. Any suggestions?? There are so many types out there?? Should I go with the normal style roof racks, or is there a specific type of surf board rack i should be going for??

Car is a 4 door Renault Megane if that matters. Seen a few different types around the web and wondering what ye're thoughts on the matter is...

Thanks in advance

TheTubes · 21-07-2008 2:21pm

i got a set of these and they are sh1t.
the "cam lock" is useless, if you are geting a soft rack get something with "D-rings"

If you are going for a propper roof rack I see a lot of people with Thule roof racks.
They do have fancy add ons for carying boards but i dont know anyone who uses them.
you can get square or aero bars, aparently the aero bars are quieter.

evil-monkey · 21-07-2008 2:30pm

TheTubes wrote: »

i got a set of these and they are sh1t.
the "cam lock" is useless, if you are geting a soft rack get something with "D-rings"

If you are going for a propper roof rack I see a lot of people with Thule roof racks.
They do have fancy add ons for carying boards but i dont know anyone who uses them.
you can get square or aero bars, aparently the aero bars are quieter.

i'd be more inclined to go for a rack designed specifically for boards. the normal roof racks are very expensive, and that's before add ons, and i won't need em for anything other than boards anyway...

how do "d-rings" work then??

TheTubes · 21-07-2008 2:34pm

drings:

Are you looking for a soft rack or a hard rack?
soft rack is just straps and pads (30-50e), hard rack is the metal bars (150+).
i'm not sure what you mean by a roof rack designed especially for boards, i havent seen any hard racks made especialy for boards.

edit: cam locks (crap)
tie%20down%20straps.bmp

Gone West · 21-07-2008 2:36pm

Yeah for some reason those cam locks clip on backwards, and can never be 100%
Get a shortboard that you can fit in your car

Or micksgarage.ie do all the thule roofracks you can shake a stick at.

evil-monkey · 21-07-2008 2:45pm

sorry guys, what i meant by racks specifically for boards i meant soft racks (forgive the noob)

right, so i'm thinking soft racks with d-rings...how do the drings work exactly?? do i take the soft rack off the car when i'm finished with it??

TheTubes · 21-07-2008 3:03pm

i take mine off when im not using them but you could prob leave them on, might wear out faster or something?
plus i think that if you have them on in heavy rain the strap inside the car gets wet.

the ends of the straps will be like this:
51W8EE5SF9L._SL500_AA280_.jpg

you just loop the open end in and around or something, im sure they will be instructions, shudnt be too complicated tho.

im kicking myself for not spending an extra 5e and geting these
price them in town (you're in cork?) and will probably work out cheaper than that site when you inc delivery.
tubes do have some roof racks, dont know price or if they have d-rings.
there is an army surplus store off mccurtain st. by the LV that i think does roof racks so they may have them.
incide probably have them too.

on ebay you can get these or these for about 40e inc delivery, so if you're not in a rush and the prices in town are a lot higher you could try them.

let us know how you get on.

WithCheesePlease · 21-07-2008 3:35pm

TheTubes wrote: »

tubes do have some roof racks, dont know price or if they have d-rings.

Got a soft rack in tubes and it has cam locks. Didn't even know there were different types when I was getting it, I just asked for one and was handed that and bought it! But I've never had a problem with it... I can't remember what brand it is, but it seems fine to me...

How are they meant to be so bad??

evil-monkey · 21-07-2008 3:43pm

TheTubes wrote: »

plus i think that if you have them on in heavy rain the strap inside the car gets wet.

hmmmm... anyone use hard racks?? if i got hard racks would i need to get some sort of soft cover for them?? price Mont Blanc hard racks at 120 euro...not bad...

TheTubes · 21-07-2008 3:44pm

gearoid_healy wrote: »

Got a soft rack in tubes and it has cam locks. Didn't even know there were different types when I was getting it, I just asked for one and was handed that and bought it! But I've never had a problem with it... I can't remember what brand it is, but it seems fine to me...

How are they meant to be so bad??

maybe its just mine that are sh1t, or maybe just the fcs ones...
i pull em tight, then let go and about 2 inches of the strap slips back through the lock, so i have to pull it tight, then tie a knot over each lock, the lock may aswell not be there :rolleyes:

evil-monkey wrote: »

hmmmm... anyone use hard racks?? if i got hard racks would i need to get some sort of soft cover for them?? price Mont Blanc hard racks at 120 euro...not bad...

you would need something like these,
the pads fpr the bars then straps to tie the board down.

tonyfillony · 21-07-2008 3:53pm

Well i used to use soft roof racks on my car. I found that they used to scratch the top of the roof. So when i got my new ford focus the first thing i did was to buy a roof rack for it. I saw alot of people driving around with the thule roof racks that are built to fit any car. These look horrible on some cars so for an extra bit of money i got the proper focus roof rack for my car and it looks the business

WithCheesePlease · 21-07-2008 4:02pm

TheTubes wrote: »

maybe its just mine that are sh1t, or maybe just the fcs ones...
i pull em tight, then let go and about 2 inches of the strap slips back through the lock, so i have to pull it tight, then tie a knot over each lock, the lock may aswell not be there :rolleyes:

Wow, no, not the case with mine. Pull the strap through, and they stay in place til I loosen them again.

TheTubes wrote: »

plus i think that if you have them on in heavy rain the strap inside the car gets wet.

yeah - where the straps go in through the door the rubber (seal dealy) gets pushed back and can let rain in. You can hear the wind whistle in as you're driving too. I'd always take mine off when I'm not using it. More so because the straps are just annoying going through the inside of the car.

spurscormac · 22-07-2008 7:59am

I got an FCS double soft rack - iIt's sturdy and easy to put on & take off.

If I did it again though, I'd buy a hard rack for the roof, cos when it rains, the water seeps down along the straps of the soft rack and into the car, and in this country thats more often than not.
It also take a little getting uesd to the noise & vibration of the boards as you drive.
At first I was afraid they would come off, but they are very solid, just the little amount of play in the soft straps along with the wind resistance causes the shake.

So if you can afford it - I would go for hard racks.

c - 13 · 22-07-2008 8:20am

I dont know. I never had a problem with the standard cam soft racks. Used one for months on a Polo Saloon because I couldnt find anyone selling proper racks for it.

Never damaged the door seals, the whine was annoying but tolerable, had three boards transported safely in a single rack several times, never came loose, small bit leaky in the rain but bearable. An absolute pain in the arse taking it on and off though.

I'd still go with the hard rack if at all possible though.

I eventually sold the car when more of us started surfing and traded up to something a bit bigger to haul the gear. Best purchase ever

evil-monkey · 22-07-2008 8:30am

TheTubes wrote: »

maybe its just mine that are sh1t, or maybe just the fcs ones...
i pull em tight, then let go and about 2 inches of the strap slips back through the lock, so i have to pull it tight, then tie a knot over each lock, the lock may aswell not be there :rolleyes:

you would need something like these,
the pads fpr the bars then straps to tie the board down.

and how exactly do these strap the board down to the hard racks??

ronanoc · 22-07-2008 9:38am

I bought a soft rack last year and it was great for a while. keeps the boards on tight, and could hold 4 boards.
Downsides:
Car gets wet when it's raining.
Way too loud, can't hear anything when driving. You have to shout to talk to someone else in the car.
Scrathches the roof.
Because the straps soak up water, the d-rings start to rust and it doesn't go as tight as it should.

I woud recommend getting a proper hard rack. Its a bit more expensive, but it's worth it. Particularly if you don't want to ruin your car!

evil-monkey · 22-07-2008 9:39am

judging by the general comments of you all, me thinks i shud go the extra few quid and get a hard rack...

TheTubes · 22-07-2008 9:40am

evil-monkey wrote: »

and how exactly do these strap the board down to the hard racks??

seriously?

ok... this pdf should pretty much explain it all!

TheTubes · 22-07-2008 9:44am

ronanoc wrote: »

Way too loud, can't hear anything when driving. You have to shout to talk to someone else in the car.

i have a soft rack and never hear anything from it, unless i forget to put a twist in on one of the straps.

tonyfillony · 22-07-2008 10:35am

yup, putting a twist in the straps usually helps with the noise

lim abroad · 22-07-2008 10:57pm

tonyfillony wrote: »

yup, putting a twist in the straps usually helps with the noise

just one twist? the noise out of mine is seriously annoying

dutchgoldtony · 23-07-2008 9:34am

ronanoc wrote: »

Downsides:
Car gets wet when it's raining.

One way of getting around this is to wrap "special lady towels" around the strap at the doorframe! Embarrassing to buy if you're a guy - sorta, but will definitely keep you dry!!!

tonyfillony · 23-07-2008 9:51am

lim abroad wrote: »

just one twist? the noise out of mine is seriously annoying

it just depends , sometimes 1 twist , sometimes 2.

I rememebr when i had my soft rack and it sounded like i was being chased by a huge bumble bee:)

WithCheesePlease · 23-07-2008 10:11am

lim abroad wrote: »

just one twist? the noise out of mine is seriously annoying

After I've secured the board I pull down hard on the chord and put about 4 or 5 twists in it before I pull it inside the car. Never any noise out of it then.

lim abroad · 24-07-2008 12:15am

gearoid_healy wrote: »

After I've secured the board I pull down hard on the chord and put about 4 or 5 twists in it before I pull it inside the car. Never any noise out of it then.

put 5 twists on the chord today before i headed to lahinch,the difference was incredible,no vibrating noise at all!!! thanks guys:)

WithCheesePlease · 24-07-2008 4:16pm

lim abroad wrote: »

put 5 twists on the chord today before i headed to lahinch,the difference was incredible,no vibrating noise at all!!! thanks guys:)

Glad to hear it!

TheTubes · 25-07-2008 8:55am

TheTubes wrote: »

maybe its just mine that are sh1t, or maybe just the fcs ones...
i pull em tight, then let go and about 2 inches of the strap slips back through the lock, so i have to pull it tight, then tie a knot over each lock, the lock may aswell not be there :rolleyes:

I am officially the stoopidest person on the internet.
for months ive been whining about this crap soft rack i got, always having to tie knots over the locks, it took ages to get on and off.

Untill yesterday... I realised I was puting the strap in the wrong way

Didnt tie any knots last night, it went on way faster and was just as secure.
like i said, im an idiot!

evil-monkey · 25-07-2008 9:36am

TheTubes wrote: »

I am officially the stoopidest person on the internet.
for months ive been whining about this crap soft rack i got, always having to tie knots over the locks, it took ages to get on and off.

Untill yesterday... I realised I was puting the strap in the wrong way

Didnt tie any knots last night, it went on way faster and was just as secure.
like i said, im an idiot!

lol...we live and learn. im after getting my hands on a pair of hard racks pretty cheap. will get the rack pads and straps now as suggested and should be all set...

cue · 31-07-2008 9:54am

My car has a sun-roof so they tell me I cannot fit a hard rack to it. Its not really an issue cos the boards fit inside unless someone is travelling with me. Which is why I am considering investing in a soft rack.
Before I splash out - Will a pair of ratchet straps do the same job?

tonyfillony · 31-07-2008 10:11am

eh you i have a sunroof and a hard rack, who told you that?

Gone West · 31-07-2008 11:18am

cue wrote: »

My car has a sun-roof so they tell me I cannot fit a hard rack to it. Its not really an issue cos the boards fit inside unless someone is travelling with me. Which is why I am considering investing in a soft rack.
Before I splash out - Will a pair of ratchet straps do the same job?

ahh, come on now, you don't want to be strapping fibreglass boards to a hard surface like that.

Will prob dent your roof, and damage the boards.

Board / Roof Racks

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