Author Topic: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind  (Read 8356 times)

SuppaTime

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Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« on: February 27, 2016, 09:06:59 AM »
How do people get their DW board on and off the roof racks when the wind is blowing like stink?

Back when I used to rack my windsurfing board, it always worried me that it would get picked up by a gust and fly across the parking lot. I would clip a carabiner tied to the roof rack onto the board bag while I got the straps in place. But no board bag with the DW board. Any tips?

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Glowmaster

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #1 on: February 27, 2016, 09:42:33 AM »
I had Patrick at Banh Pho put in 4 inserts on the rails, even with the center LiftSup.  I put simple webbing straps between the inserts and it lets me handle the center and the rail together which helps me take the board off the vehicle when it is windy here on the Cape.


Eagle

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #2 on: February 27, 2016, 09:49:22 AM »
We are lucky in that we can always park and hide behind a few trees for wind protection - even temporarily when necessary.  Even still it can sometimes be a 3 or 4 person operation depending on the vehicle and conditions.  Otherwise it is a very dicey proposition which we do not even attempt.
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PonoBill

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #3 on: February 27, 2016, 10:04:18 AM »
I use the rope method Dave Kalama perfected. He's taken it a lot further than I have with a locking systems, but the notion is simple, instead of straps you get long ropes, which you tie in the middle of your rack and leave them there permanently (assuming you want to carry two boards). For my wife's Volt I still use ropes, but I add a loop to each that makes it easy to secure the ropes to one end of the rack.

You find a way to tie the loose end securely, I developed a nice, simple way for my Xterra that none of my friends seems to comprehend, but you want to be able to tie it quickly and repeatably while maintaining tension. the ropes won't crack your rails if you herk on them a bit, and if you use larger diameters they stretch just the right amount and tie/untie quickly.

You can quickly flip the rope into position with one hand while you're still holding the board with the other during loading, and likewise you can untie the ropes but leave them in place during unloading, keeping the board secure until you have it under control to unload. You can even feed the rope out slowly as you sneak the board down the side of your truck if you're unloading in the Gorge.

Most folks use straps. I really don't understand why. the fuss factor is twice as high, the clamps corrode and stick, they don't help you control the board during loading and unloading. They're not secured to the rack, so when you unclamp them, they don't help you control the board unless you hold both ends. With my bad shoulders I need all the help I can get. I bang my boards up enough as it is with my very limited above the shoulder strength. If I was still using straps they would be much worse, especially when I'm in the Gorge or unloading at the Ponds here in Maui. You can toss the ropes around easily, even in high wind, without worrying about the metal clamp dinging your rig.

Here's a video I did on the method last year with my grandsons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OHat6MqL60
« Last Edit: February 27, 2016, 10:14:56 AM by PonoBill »
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headmount

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #4 on: February 27, 2016, 10:24:19 AM »
Teaming up on the load and offload is essential.  Sure maybe 90% of the time you could handle it yourself but why risk such an expensive piece of equipment just to look cool.  We all team up around here.  PBill and I were doubling on a board once and a gust lifted both of our lard asses off the ground for a moment.  It's just crazy not to.

I disagree with my pal PBill about straps but he's correct about checking corrosion on the buckles, especially in our salt air.  I think that rope force on the rails is more concentrated over less area than a strap.  After seeing leashes rip through many surfboards I'm cautious..  But when I go with PBill we do it his way.  The boards are stronger than you might think.

Area 10

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #5 on: February 27, 2016, 10:24:57 AM »
Turn your vehicle so the rear is facing directly into the wind. Remove the front strap but only loosen the rear one. Pull the board towards you from the rear, through the loosened rear strap.

If you have two or more people and/or the ground is sand or grass then the rest is easy. One person takes the end of the board at the rear of the vehicle and the other takes the other end as you pull the board away from the vehicle without it touching the ground. If you are on your own, and the ground is hard, then you will need to place a footwell mat or similar on the ground to protect the board and then pull the rear (or front of the board if you load it the wrong way round like Americans do) of the board through the strap and rest it on the ground, with the nose (or rear if you are US) of the board still held in place by the rear strap. Then you have to loosen the strap some more until you can pull the board out completely, keeping it at all times being pulled directly into the wind.

We manage to load and unload boards successfully using this method even when it is gusting 50 knots. But you do need to practice, and ideally you will buy your vehicle and roof rack with downwinding in mind. Cars with low factory-fit roof racks are infinitely easier than vans or pick-ups for downwinding.

Scope out carefully your entry and exit points to find shelter if you can. It's the downwind equivalent of watching to see where the rips are if you are surfing.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2016, 10:27:26 AM by Area 10 »

Eagle

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #6 on: February 27, 2016, 10:30:00 AM »
PBill - that is nice system without getting on the bed.  We also have a guy who uses a similar truck rack setup and use ropes to tie down as well.  Since we normally stack 4 or 5 boards at a time - 1 or 2 guys get up on the bed to place the boards and pads - while 1 or 2 guys handle the boards on the ground.  But prepping the ropes speeds up the process a lot.  On our cars we use simple D-straps that have been very reliable and easy to use and sometimes stack 4 or 5 boards as well.
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PonoBill

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #7 on: February 27, 2016, 10:33:09 AM »
Small diameter rope would be bad, but the larger diameters flatten enough to spread the load. Straps don't stretch, and the buckle gives a 2 to 1 mechanical advantage in tension, so it's easier to overstress the rails. I've seen lots of people crack rails with them.

It's another of those notions that bucks the standard method and to use it conveniently you have to leave the ropes in place most of the time, which isn't suitable for a lot of people, but when people try it they don't go back to straps.
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Bean

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #8 on: February 27, 2016, 11:14:11 AM »
As if PB's video was not enough, here is a short clip of DK doing the same thing:
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=kalama+imagine&&view=detail&mid=A26A6C9CFEA9571ADCDDA26A6C9CFEA9571ADCDD&FORM=VRDGAR


SuppaTime

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #9 on: February 27, 2016, 11:41:33 AM »
Hmm, I can see the problem now that I have.  I have a van and the roof racks are not close enough to the rear to lean the board against the rear rack and slide it into place, as per Bill's video. Easiest approach for me alone is from the side but that is the most vulnerable to said board going airborne. Looks like it will always be a team operation when it is windy. Or buy a truck.
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PonoBill

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #10 on: February 27, 2016, 03:25:25 PM »
I mostly load from the side, works just as well as long as you have the ropes in position to do that quick flip that secures the board. Most of the boards I've seen blow off cars (lots--I've been hanging in the Gorge since the 80's) do it when people are screwing around, getting the straps on after loading. Or the pop the second strap loose and don't hold both ends. The board is free to fly off.
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Area 10

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #11 on: February 27, 2016, 04:56:26 PM »
Hmm, I can see the problem now that I have.  I have a van and the roof racks are not close enough to the rear to lean the board against the rear rack and slide it into place, as per Bill's video.
Get a roof bar roller then. They extend rearwards from your rear roof crossbar specifically to enable you to load long things onto roof racks from the rear.

I wouldn't advise loading a long board from the side on your own in high winds. Chance of expensive disaster would be about 50%.

And know your friends well. I was loading a vehicle with multiple boards in high winds, and I had one friend at each end of the top board holding it down while I untangled some straps. While I was looking down at the straps the two friends became so engrossed in their conversation that they both let go of the board. It flew right off the rack and landed on my head, then took my wing mirror off, and finally landed on some Tarmac causing expensive damage to the board. It hit me quite hard, and the fin just missed my head. It literally could have killed me.

You get to know who you can trust, downwinding. And who you can't.

covesurfer

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #12 on: February 27, 2016, 05:24:35 PM »
I still use straps and like them. I normally leave a set on the rack when I unload the board for a run so that the time to secure the board on re-racking is minimized. It is true that the buckle can dent the car or ding a board when you toss them. One set of straps that I have has a neoprene cover over the buckle that decreases the chances of a ding.

The ropes are also pretty darn good. I was a big skeptic when I first saw the system and listened to Pono extol the virtues. But it does work, it's quick, it's simple, cheap and secure if you can tie a knot that won't let go. The best part of the rope system, to me, is how quickly you can get the rope over your board or boat and get it tied down. Way faster than straps.

I never load my downwind board from the side onto my Honda van racks. Always go on from the rear. Even solo, it's not an issue UNLESS THERE'S WIND. I just carry the board on my head in roughly the middle and hoist the nose up and over the rear bar - I have big thick foam pads all the way across wrapped with pipe tape. Once on the rear, I walk the board forward until it's on the racks all the way. At that point, I'm at the van tailgate where the strap, already wrapped around the bar, can be tossed over the board and secured.

In big wind, like you find in north Kihei, it is really chancin' em to load or unload solo.  HM and I watched our pal's 14' board get caught by a gust a few years ago, while he was trying to solo load it (wouldn't wait for us to help), and it ended up really wrenching his back. You just don't have leverage to control it if it's blowing more than about 15. Not only are your downwind pals important in board handling, you can all keep your eyes on one another and make sure everyone got in ok. And, you get to listen to your more adventurous companions tell you their whale stories at the end of a run too.

When doing the loading and unloading, don't ever try and rush. It's good to be methodical and deliberate and pay attention to what you're doing. Never take a hand off the board until it's secured. Knowing your paddle partners well is really helpful. You develop a system and it works. Now Pono, I'm not going to say any more so you are getting off easy here.  ;D ;D ;D

It is always a consideration that a nice, hollow, maui-made SIC Bullet is somewhere north of $5k these days.

PonoBill

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #13 on: February 27, 2016, 05:26:58 PM »
The biggest benefits of rear loading/unloading if you can park your vehicle aligned with the wind are far less sail area and you can hold the tail of your board yourself. Assuming you're using ropes or a pre-threaded strap you can flip the rope into place and control the board. No guarantee that an errant gust from a strange direction won't cause problems, but it's generally manageable.

It also helps to have tall friends.

Oh, and if you have a rudder bar, when loading from the rear you need to tilt the board up on the rails until the control pedal gets past the bar.
« Last Edit: February 27, 2016, 06:03:42 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

covesurfer

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Re: Racking and de-racking DW board in high wind
« Reply #14 on: February 27, 2016, 05:32:57 PM »
Hey, I know what you're gettin' at PB.  Devin and I have unloaded and loaded plenty of times with no carnage. And, you wouldn't mistake either one of us for tall. We get by. Ever since that Randy Newman song about short people, we've been getting a bad rap.

On the other hand, your (Pono) truck in Hood River is nearly impossible to load on unless you are the Jolly Green Giant or equiv.


 


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