New van outfitting

[latremorej]

Not sure if this should be in the DIY section but here goes

When your group consists of 2 families (10 people) and 2 canoes it's nice to have a van. Well I traded in the 2006 town and country for a 2016. The 2016 S had no roof rack but it had all the inside stuff that Mrs L wanted. So, here I go drilling holes in the roof of a $30,000 plus minivan.

 

[latremorej]

No Title

One screw striped out, break out some extra silicone. The rails went on really well. 10 holes, 2 rails

 

[latremorej]

No Title

When there are 7 or 8 riding in the van, it don't leave alot of room for gear. For some reason, town and country owners must not need a hitch. There isn't a dealer in the USA that has one with the tow package. (At least not in my neck of the woods) Here we go with the Hidden Hitch, from E-trailer. This will give more storage with the hitch mounted basket.

 

[latremorej]

Tomorrow, I will put the canoe and hitch basket on and snap some pics

Jason

 

[Canotrouge]

looking good!!

 

[makevx73]

No Title

Very nice! Drilling those holes would send chills up my spine, but sealed up well, probably are better than the factory ones.

Vans are great!!

 

[redoleary]

You sir are fearless! Nice job on the racks.

 

[Iskweo]

Ohhhh that is always nerve wracking. I used to have to do that for dealer prep when customers wanted roof racks on their new suburbans and such. Once you have done a few it is ok but the first one is an exerience in self doubt. Good job persevering.

As an aside....the drill guide is the exact one I mentioned in another post about drilling straight holes. Very useful item.

Happy hauling.

Christy

 

[latremorej]

Yes, nervous for sure. Had dreams about it leaking all night and how to fix it. Lol

The drill guide with stop is very important. It helps locate the hole and stops the bit from walking on you. Also prevents un wanted holes in the head liner!

Thanks

Jason

 

[Guest]

Not sure if this should be in the DIY section but here goes

So, here I go drilling holes in the roof of a $30,000 plus minivan.

Well and bravely done Sir, and well documented. I would have been sweating bullets. The drill guide was the ideal tool for that installation.

Unlike DougD I gather that the van radio didn’t short out when you drilled the first hole.

That is some pretty work. The rails are not unattractive and being able to detach the towers and crossbars is invaluable.

What’s the hull nestle, gunwale stops, brackets or cradles or?

78 inch bars? How’s the driver’s side crossbar for head clonking on exit?

I have a slit tennis ball on the left side of that crossbar. I guess I oughta be considerate and put one of the passenger’s side as well, but the driver’s door sees 90 percent of the exiting.

Something else easy that helps with wide crossbars is adding a little 1 inch square of reflective tape to the ends of all of the bars. Both sides of each crossbar. That bit of bright helps considerably, both for walking around the vehicle at night and for road or parking lot visibility.

Eight little squares of High Intensity tape will light up the crossbar ends from any direction.

http://www.identi-tape.com/hi-intensity1.htm

Step 2. Put the remaining 7 inches of tape on anything hard-sided you want to be able to find in camp and/or not trip over at night.
Step 3. Buy more High Intensity reflective tape.

When your group consists of 2 families (10 people) and 2 canoes it's nice to have a van.

I have memories of 10 in a van. Well, not a van, a WV bus. Two adults and 8 kids. Ay caramba; they were of the travelling family sing along persuasion. Packed in like sardines, singing Frere Jacques for an interminable third time at 50 mph.

Knowing how those experiences warped my childhood I bought a 2000 Ford van and we have run it mostly for group shuttles and as a family canoe tripping transport . As a travelling vehicle it has 1[SUP]st[/SUP] class seating ; two captains chairs up front, two full sized benches (one per kid). Plus a mountain of storage where the third bench seat would go.

And gawd bless it, 11 feet of wide, flat rain guttered roof line.

 

[latremorej]

No Title

Well, the 10 people part is a slight exaggeration, hahahaha it's only a 7 seater mini van! I only wish I could talk my wife onto a real van, with towing capacity, and 4WD! I use the rubber white chair leg caps. Still hurts if you hit them but they are much more visible. I'm 5'10" and can walk under them with some clearance in between. The rails are 78" long, the bars are 70something inches. Longest I could find at my local REI. 72 or 76" maybe. Two 36" wide canoes fit though. On the bars now is just the Yakima clamps that would hold down one of their accessories. It works well enough to stop sidea to side movement of the canoe without breakingthe bank. Got that idea here, thanks YC (I think) Jason

 

[Guest]

I'm 5'10" and can walk under them with some clearance in between.

Got any tall passengers or gangly friends you would like to see unconcussed?

OK, that may be why there is no tennis ball on the passenger’s side. My boat toting passenger in the truck is Joel and he couldn’t hit his head on the bars if he jumped up and down.

On the bars now is just the Yakima clamps that would hold down one of their accessories. It works well enough to stop sidea to side movement of the canoe without breakingthe bank. Got that idea here, thanks YC (I think)

Somewhere, on Canoe Tripping I believe, is a topic thread about gunwale brackets, including photos of a couple of very functional DIY designs.

We have both Thule and Yakima racks, and a variety of gunwale brackets and load stops. The manufactured stuff has gotten stupidly expensive, but the Load Stops can be found for half the cost of Gunwale Brackets and with a little padding work just as well.

The /_| angle shape of Thule style Load Stops is actually an advantage. I use the flat | side against hulls that are more slab sided at the gunwales, and the angled / side for boats with lots of tumblehome or for the decked canoes.

http://www.thule.com/en-us/us/produ.../load-accessories/thule-load-stops-503-_-1025

The hard L shape of some gunwale brackets sometimes doesn’t pair well with the shape of canoes sporting shouldered tumblehome, with just the the tip of the L pressed hard against the curve of the hull. Yeah, you can put the brackets on the inside of the hull, but that is a huge PITA for tightening and checking.

For round bar needs I think Yakima stopped making their Gunwale Brackets and sells only their Load Stops.

http://www.amazon.com/Yakima-LoadSt...=1456767193&sr=8-1&keywords=yakima+load+stops

Thule’s manufactured attachments are easier to take off the bar completely, which is beneficial if changing between canoe and kayak, stops or cradles, or hauling other stuff. That easy on/off might be something to consider in a DIY design, and a round bar might afford DIY fittings in the plumbing isle.

Where’s that gunwale bracket thread?

 

[latremorej]

No Title

I don't know where the thread is but I remember that it had some really awesome canoe blocks that were diy made from hardwood. I quadruple checked my work after two nights of restlessness. I came to find that the sheet metal screws that came with the rails from proline were about 5/8" long, which was about 1/8" too long, and I didn't have a good seal. The rails still shifted when I grabbed at them. So, it turns out that I bottomed out on the original screws and the rails weren't tight. I quickly realized that I had stripped out the screws. So, I mounted the 1/4" x 20 x half inch long machine screw. A simple tap set in the drill and in they went. Along with an ample Squirt of silicone, everything is tight and sealed. I have no doubt now that it won't leak. Jason