Q: How can I put a long boat on a short car?
A video that I made & shared on my timeline explaining the use of the V-bar….. love it.
Posted by John W Lasseter on Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Q: How many racks can I fit on my car?
A: By overlapping the Vs, and mounting bars outside of the crossbar contact points (after market only), you can fit 4 racks on a 6 foot cross bar. You would be limited by the width of the boats. But if under 20 inches, there is no problem.
Q: How high do the Vs rise above the crossbars?
A: Standard Vs rise 10.5 inches above the crossbars. However, if there is enough room to mount the bar under the crossbars, It will lower the Vs around 3 inches (depending on the thickness of your crossbars. The tight pack OC Vs are 12.5 inches above the crossbars.
Q: I have horizontal bars that run the length of my car. Can I attach to that?
A: No. You need cross bars that run side to side (door to door).
Q: What cross bars do you recommend? Is round OK?
A: Sadly, there is no scale on cross bar strengths. Weight capacity means little to us paddlers. We are more concerned with lateral wind shears. In the absence of a grading system, we can only go with our guts on strength. Yakima and Thule are leaders in after market base racks, but there are many others that are good too. Thule cross bars offer a flat surface, but the round Yakima bars are fine too. Aero bars and factory bars will fit too. Just make sure the mounting plates are parallel ( equal amounts of thread exposed). Caution- some factory racks are so close to the roof, it is hard to get the plates under them. You can mount the bolts “head down” to avoid the bolts hitting your roof. Standard hardware will fit cross bars up to 3.5 inches wide and 1.5 inches tall. Let us know if you have something larger. Feel free to call Cliff anytime with fit issues. We will make it work.
Q: Will my boat fit in the standard Vs?
A: Standard Vs are good for OCs, Shells, full comp kayaks/ surfskis, and hi kneel canoes. Sea kayaks tend to also do fine in the standard Vs as they are shorter, and therefore gripped closer to the ends where they are narrower. Intermediate surfskis and kayaks will benefit from extra wide Vs. This is a no cost option. The Vs are simply bent wider, and are usually only needed in the rear. Intermediate boats will fit in the Standard Vs, but ride higher than optimal in the Vs. Not sure? Contact Cliff. He will guide you through.
Q: What bar length should I get?
A: Standard length is 8 feet. But, we are happy to make any length you like. Most paddlers would be fine with a 7 foot bar. This is plenty long for a 21 foot boat, and it is easier to center on vehicles with lift gates. Wesley Echols has used 6 foot bars for years to haul his extensive fleet (surfskiracing.com). The Hatch Back Special is 7 feet with the ends in, and the bar with ends out is only 5.5 feet. Bars over 8 feet require a splice (per UPS max length) unless you are picking up from us at our shop or at a race. The splice adds $25.
Q: Is Susan Williams a truly evil paddler?
A: Yes, she steals candy from babies.
Q: How can I save on shipping charges?
A: You can always pick up at our shop. Otherwise, Cliff is often at most of the big races, and can offer free shipping. Also, you only pay shipping on the first rack in a order. Any additional racks ship free.
Q: Do you ship internationally?
A: Yes. For international quotes, we just need your address and a list of products to be shipped.
Q: Do you do custom work?
A: Yes. We recognize that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Custom work and or substitutions allowed. We have built many custom stationary racks, as well as outfitted trailers. Contact Cliff.
Q: Who did your website?
A: Fellow paddler and friend Rosemary Murphy at murphydesign.net. She rocks.
Q: What kind of turn around time for racks?
A: We have racks in stock and ready to roll. We often ship same day. Delivery can be as fast as overnight within 100 miles of Downingtown PA. West coast orders can take up to 5 business days. We use UPS.