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Guest
Guest
Pondering the load stops question got me thinking about other stuff on the roof racks.
Not so much about boats, although there have been inadvisably stacked too-many boat pyramids on short shuttles, stuff strapped on through doors (not, ahem, through open windows), a suction cup roof racks on a VW Beetle roof (not a lot of crossbar spread there), even a boat carried on a Fiat 850 Spider with that suction cup rack on the rear hood and a crude 2x4 frame above the windshield up front. The convertible roof could not be raised, and checking the oil was an issue. Luckily it did not rain but underpass briefly.
The oddest non-boat thing I have strapped to the roof racks was while helping a friend move 400 miles away. We needed to move everything in one trip, with a long bed Toyota and a Celica.
I was Tetris packed in bed up tight to the truck’s cap roof, zero visibility out the back, passenger seat and floor stuffed, with an open tunnel glimpse of the right sideview mirror. Not that I would be passing anyone.
The last thing to go, which wouldn’t fit anywhere else, was an oversized wicker rocking chair, which was tied atop an assortment of bed frames and rails and other long linear stuff on the crossbars. Might as well get tied on upright and facing forward.
It was full on Beverly Hilllbillies. There was a long stretch of Jersey Turnpike on that ride. At every toll booth I asked “Hey, is granny still doing OK up there?” My mileage sucked.
The most inconvenient thing ever strapped to the roof racks was an 18’ long set of vinyl gunwales. On a car with a short roof line. I did not think to bring a ladder to strap them to, or a canoe to stuff them inside.
Tied down as best I could there developed some concrete Turnpike bump harmonics that had both ends madly flapping. Three or four oh-crap pull overs later the ends were duct taped bent near the bumpers. They still flapped a bit, and getting the duct tape residue off the bumpers and gunwales was not easy. Horrible drive, and a lesson learned.
Not so much about boats, although there have been inadvisably stacked too-many boat pyramids on short shuttles, stuff strapped on through doors (not, ahem, through open windows), a suction cup roof racks on a VW Beetle roof (not a lot of crossbar spread there), even a boat carried on a Fiat 850 Spider with that suction cup rack on the rear hood and a crude 2x4 frame above the windshield up front. The convertible roof could not be raised, and checking the oil was an issue. Luckily it did not rain but underpass briefly.
The oddest non-boat thing I have strapped to the roof racks was while helping a friend move 400 miles away. We needed to move everything in one trip, with a long bed Toyota and a Celica.
I was Tetris packed in bed up tight to the truck’s cap roof, zero visibility out the back, passenger seat and floor stuffed, with an open tunnel glimpse of the right sideview mirror. Not that I would be passing anyone.
The last thing to go, which wouldn’t fit anywhere else, was an oversized wicker rocking chair, which was tied atop an assortment of bed frames and rails and other long linear stuff on the crossbars. Might as well get tied on upright and facing forward.
It was full on Beverly Hilllbillies. There was a long stretch of Jersey Turnpike on that ride. At every toll booth I asked “Hey, is granny still doing OK up there?” My mileage sucked.
The most inconvenient thing ever strapped to the roof racks was an 18’ long set of vinyl gunwales. On a car with a short roof line. I did not think to bring a ladder to strap them to, or a canoe to stuff them inside.
Tied down as best I could there developed some concrete Turnpike bump harmonics that had both ends madly flapping. Three or four oh-crap pull overs later the ends were duct taped bent near the bumpers. They still flapped a bit, and getting the duct tape residue off the bumpers and gunwales was not easy. Horrible drive, and a lesson learned.