Recommendations for good roof racks?

Can't find the right forum, then post your general surf-related remarks here!

Moderators: jimmy, collnarra, PeepeelaPew, Butts, beach_defender, Shari, Forum Moderators

jcarst85
newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:45 pm

Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by jcarst85 » Fri Nov 05, 2010 11:40 pm

Hi guys,

I've downsized my car so need to invest in a roof rack. I've looked at Rhino Rack but I think that might be a bit of overkill. Any suggestions for a good rack that will hold a board on the M1 (110km/hr). Thanks.

mustkillmulloway
Owl status
Posts: 4893
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:15 pm
Location: i live in a pineapple under the sea

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by mustkillmulloway » Sat Nov 06, 2010 12:15 am

honestly....buy a good board bag that has tie down thingos fitted

i love em cause they work and tranfer from car to car

other than that , and given u not concerned by looks, get a cheap pair out super cheap auto

so long u install em proper they will work great :idea: it's more about the quality occy strap u buy imo

p.s fins should always be towards the bonnent

only kooks place boards on nose 1st :!:
reginald wrote:Hang on, now all of a sudden I'm the bad guy. How the try again did that happen?

Daytrader
newbie
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:03 pm

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Daytrader » Sat Nov 06, 2010 8:50 am

Definitely Thule - can buy conversion kits for about $20 each time you switch cars - used to transport my windsurfer to Pt Stephens with them and never had a prob. Bombproof.

Chong
regular
Posts: 219
Joined: Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:49 pm
Location: Down The Coast

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Chong » Sat Nov 06, 2010 9:23 am

Rola Racks http://www.rola.com.au/ . They are pretty robust and don't look as chunky as other roof racks.

User avatar
macca202
Harry the Hat
Posts: 3097
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 11:27 am

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by macca202 » Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:35 am

everything mkmw didn't say
i've got rola racks and they look good and work well.
you shouldn't use occy straps to tie down things to roof racks. they are elastic, so when the air at >110km/h hits the large surface area of your board, bad stuff can happen.

gibber
Local
Posts: 626
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 4:49 pm
Location: On retreat

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by gibber » Sat Nov 06, 2010 11:39 am

Thule are pretty good. I've got them on my car and am pretty happy with em
The four wheel drive near my old place has pairs of rhino metal jaw straps for $10 a set. Pretty good bargain

JET01
barnacle
Posts: 1048
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 4:04 pm

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by JET01 » Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:06 pm

there's a dude on the gumtree selling some soft racks $20.
Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.

northeasterly
regular
Posts: 102
Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2008 3:44 pm

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by northeasterly » Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:06 pm

I've had a set of Rhino racks on my old small car. They were drilled into the roof. I used to stack them up with double board bag (filled with all the family's stuff and both my boards), pram, my bike with my daughters seat on the back, and a duffle bag stuffed to the brim. Then I'd drive off at 110ks + up the highway without ever having a problem.

I changed cars and now have Rola racks. They're just like the Rhinos only more expensive. These aren't drilled into the roof because of curtain airbags. I rate these roof racks as well. I've loaded them right up and always arrived with everything still there. Thule racks are the recommend but they looked a bit too bulky for what was needed.

Quangers
Local
Posts: 589
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2008 8:55 pm
Location: down a secluded bush track

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Quangers » Sat Nov 06, 2010 10:13 pm

macca202 wrote:everything mkmw didn't say
i've got rola racks and they look good and work well.
you shouldn't use occy straps to tie down things to roof racks. they are elastic, so when the air at >110km/h hits the large surface area of your board, bad stuff can happen.
Fcukin A. I remember driving behind a mate with his brand new Rabbidge long board on the roof held down with occy straps... we were cruising at about 110 when a big truck went past - whoosh, up went the board, occy straps breaking... it did about 4 flips, twenty feet into the air and came to rest on the side of the road on some big (half brick sized) rocks. The holes in it were impressive. He wasn't real happy about us laughing either.

User avatar
Trev
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 30934
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: Any Point Break

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Trev » Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:41 am

Thule (pronounced Tula by the makers in Scandinavia) are pretty good but Rola racks are more aerodynamic (ie quieter).
They'll both cost you though.
Someone mentioned Supercheap. They have a brand called "Pro Rack" which is Kiwi and they are pretty cheap but sound. (On special for around $160 ish when they have catalogues out every few months).
I have Rola Racks but bought Pro Rack adapters for my Kayak and had to ring them about something. Got a young lady who knew what she was talking about and gave me an answer in about 2 minutes).

BTW. What sort of car. I have some Rola racks for a Subaru Liberty. Also a set of older style gutter mounts which would fit some cars.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

User avatar
Cuttlefish
barnacle
Posts: 1166
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:06 am
Location: Out the back of Maroochydore

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Cuttlefish » Sun Nov 07, 2010 5:23 pm

Whatever you do don't waste your $'s on the square tube pro racks.
They are fuggin noisey as.
The more expensive model is touted as being the quietest around however. (wishbar or something)
You can buy adapters for the feet on them to transfer to different cars.
The Rola sportsbars I've had were model specific fitment so that was annoying when changing ones ride.
Have a look on Evil bay for some used ones first.
Reduce, reuse rather than automatically buy a new pair.
Save $'s and help the environment. :wink:
Only a rat can win the rat race.

mustkillmulloway
Owl status
Posts: 4893
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:15 pm
Location: i live in a pineapple under the sea

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by mustkillmulloway » Sun Nov 07, 2010 6:15 pm

hey....i paid $5 for my new occys ,bit a spurge but i had a good pay.....beats the old broken leggies i was using

sides...i just leave my board in the car 99% the time

other 1% i take it surfin :lol:
reginald wrote:Hang on, now all of a sudden I'm the bad guy. How the try again did that happen?

User avatar
otway1949
barnacle
Posts: 2254
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 8:51 pm
Location: Austrian river waves

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by otway1949 » Sun Nov 07, 2010 10:17 pm

Just show us your racks!!!! :mrgreen:
Jaffa, I'm opinionated, and I'm sometimes right. So?

User avatar
Trev
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 30934
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: Any Point Break

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Trev » Mon Nov 08, 2010 2:16 am

Cuttlefish wrote:Whatever you do don't waste your $'s on the square tube pro racks.
They are fuggin noisey as.
The more expensive model is touted as being the quietest around however. (wishbar or something)
You can buy adapters for the feet on them to transfer to different cars.
The Rola sportsbars I've had were model specific fitment so that was annoying when changing ones ride.
Have a look on Evil bay for some used ones first.
Reduce, reuse rather than automatically buy a new pair.
Save $'s and help the environment. :wink:
Yep. You're probably right about the noise. I've only ever used their adapters for other rack profiles.
And re-use is the way to go except that since the demise of roof gutters, every car has a different fitment.
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

jcarst85
newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:45 pm

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by jcarst85 » Tue Nov 09, 2010 8:54 pm

Wow. Thanks guys. So much helpful information there. :D The car I have now is just about as small as you can get outside of a hatchback - a 2001 Lancer Coupe. :oops: Thule look good, I like the feature on their website about what racks match each model of car. I'll look into all the others too though.

Just as an aside, I am unfortunately still a bit of a noob re surfing. I have quite a small board atm as I got it free from a mate but two months on I'm still not having much success. What type of board would you recommend from someone in the early stages of surfing.

P.S. Why can't the white water be FURTHER AWAY from the shoreline and the big waves closer??? I can only take so much humiliation being dominated by 1 foot foam clouds in front of beautiful women in bikinis. Then when I eventually become half decent, I half to paddle all the out to the bigger waves where they'll barely be able to see me! Sigh.... damn you mother nature! :lol:

mustkillmulloway
Owl status
Posts: 4893
Joined: Sat Nov 11, 2006 9:15 pm
Location: i live in a pineapple under the sea

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by mustkillmulloway » Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:21 pm

don't stress, everyone was a noob once, shit, dinos still is :idea:

take ya board cashconverters and trade it in on something longer

get a mini mal for summer

have fun, u may want find a more gentle break as well :idea:

p.s hey trev....how much more room is there in my rig with the boards placed on there side :lol:

only took us 400 odd k firgure that one :roll:
reginald wrote:Hang on, now all of a sudden I'm the bad guy. How the try again did that happen?

User avatar
Grooter
Duke Status
Posts: 11244
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 12:37 pm
Location: Titan Uranus

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Grooter » Wed Nov 10, 2010 7:24 am

I got the ones made specifically for my car, probably could have got cheaper ones elsewhere, but after 3 years they've never let me down and will happily carry my 8'6" board at over 120km/h so I'm not bothered if I paid more.

What kind of car have you got?
some cnut wrote:There are only two real problems that we face in life, knowing what we want but being unable to know how to get it and/or not knowing what we want
It's possible to hate the filthy world and still love it with an abstract pitying love

User avatar
Trev
Huey's Right Hand
Posts: 30934
Joined: Mon Feb 23, 2004 3:11 pm
Location: Any Point Break

Re: Recommendations for good roof racks?

Post by Trev » Thu Nov 11, 2010 11:29 am

mustkillmulloway wrote:p.s hey trev....how much more room is there in my rig with the boards placed on there side :lol:

only took us 400 odd k firgure that one :roll:
Yeah. And we could actually get 1st and 2nd gear. 8)
Beanpole
You aren’t the room Yuke You are just a wonky cafe table with a missing rubber pad on the end of one leg.

Skipper
I still don't buy the "official" narrative about 9/11. Oh sure, it happened, fcuk yeah. But who and why and how I'm, not convinced it was what we've been told.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 62 guests