Best truck rack set up for down wind boards ??

[SEA]

I'm just curious as to what kind of racks do you use for the down wind boards and what kind of strapping system is the easiest to use. Would love to see some pictures of others rack  setups . This seems to be an issue especially when the boards get into the 14 foot to 19 foot range.

I have lumber racks on my truck and they SUCK for carrying more than one board. I have a Naish 14 glide and I am waiting for my S.I.C F-16 v2 so I need to loose the lumber racks and find something I can carry at least 4 boards.

I noticed that Dave Kalama uses Track racks on his bed and a rack mounted on the roof of his cab. It seems to support his Naish 17 good. I also noticed he uses rope to tie down his board. Seems pretty simple and user friendly.

Would love to hear anyone's thoughts , Ideas and see pictures.

Thanks

[Pureadrenalin]

Yakima has those Outdoorsman 300 with 66" cross bars. You could hold 4 boards=two side by side and two more on top of the other two.

[kneil]

SEA, one problem with having part of the board anchored to the roof of the truck is the torque between the cab and the truck bed.  I have heard it is best to have your racks and anchor points on the bed frame OR the cab roof, not both.  I know of OC-1s that have been damaged that way, but maybe boards are not as much a problem.

[Allan Cheateaux]

SEA, one problem with having part of the board anchored to the roof of the truck is the torque between the cab and the truck bed.  I have heard it is best to have your racks and anchor points on the bed frame OR the cab roof, not both.  I know of OC-1s that have been damaged that way, but maybe boards are not as much a problem.

If you dont tie it down in the middle, you should a lot safer. I have seen wave ski's buckle from this, but as a loose "support", it was all right.

[SUPaholic]

I have one thule on my cab and a custom rack on the bed. The one on the cab can be adjusted as needed for longer boards. I've carried four boards on it (double stacked), no problems, no complaints.  I'm old school and like  to tie it down with rope similar to dave kalama, its cheap, versitile, and i don't worrry about it getting stolen at the beach.

[JC50]

On my pickup, I run a rack pretty much identical to this:

http://www.usrack.com/vanzin_rack.php

Attaches to the bed, but also stretches forward over the cab. Has three crossbars.  Similar to DK's crossbars above, I covered with pipe foam and wrapped with 20mm PVC tape; the stuffs pretty durable and doesn't mark up the boards/boats while making it easy to slide boards up on rack without damaging them.

Agree with above that on a bumpy road, the bed and cab sometimes move opposing ways and could damage a board if it's secured tightly on all crossbars with one of them mounted to cab and the others to the bed.

[SEA]

Good point about truck bed and cab moving or shifting. However I think you'd have to be in some pretty rough roads in order for it to shift enough to damage boards. Yakima has some good racks, and so does Thule. Track racks seem to be the most convenient , as you can slide them forward and out of the way. The Track rack system is pricey ( go bananas is about $820 dollars) , that comes with the two racks and the sliding system. You can get a single Track rack G2 that will mount where ever you want on the bed and then you can mount a single rack on the cab (price for the two racks at Go bananas was about $500). Two adjustable thule truck racks will run about $600 dolars. Any way you look at it your going to spend around 500 or 600 for a decent rack system. I'm just not sure which to get , I'm leaning towards the same system D.K has (Track Rack system and a single rack) kinda pricey but very stable. Considering I will be holding about $10,000 worth of boards when doing runs a good rack system seems like a wise decision.

Was hoping to see some pictures of guys set ups on their trucks. I went for a run yesterday with some friends and one of the guys had a Tacoma with custom welded rack on the back and a single rack on the cab it was sweet. I will post pictures tonight of his and other rack systems.

Aloha

[JC50]

I had the trac-rack with cantilever extension. That was over 1K of rack. I dumped it for the Vanzin look-alike above that cost me less than 500 bucks new, is much stronger, can carry longer stuff (boards, boats, etc...) and when it gets a little scuffed or rusty, I just touch it up with black spray paint and it looks brand new.

Had the Trac-rack for years, wish I upgraded long ago but didn't see racks like i have until only a year or so ago. They really do rock, are strong, cheap, and you can take off rear cross bar. Once set up, I didn't slide the trac-racks around much anyway so while a nice thing to have, isn't really that big a deal. FWIW, that's been my experience.

[warped]

I use the Thule Xsporter, got it from Go Bananas but I think it's a little cheaper at Twogood Kayaks in Kailua.  This isn't my truck, but I have the exact same set up.  I use it with regular tie downs, either DaKine or Go Bananas brand.  Super easy and works great with my F18.

[PDXSTANDUPGUY]

SEA, really depends on what truck you drive??

I have a 2005 Nissan Frontier crew cab with an xtra short bed. Bought it 4 1/2 years ago way before I new of SUPing. I have been all over the board with the rack dilema! I had the Yakima Outdoorsman, didn't like it because it was so high above my cab it really affected my MPG. Plus it looked dumb on that short lil bed. I like the Thule Xsporter best because of it's adjustability but my bed is so short you can't drop the front rack down because of where the rear fender wells are. So I'm down to replacing the truck ( out of frustration I just might) or just dealing with either the Trac Rack or the Yakima being too tall?!

I really want a Sprinter van!!!!

[Pureadrenalin]

My chevy dually I open the rear sliding window and WHALLA I fit a 16' and a 14' double stack with no racks. If had racks possible 6 boards easy no problem. Than again no can use the dually the rest of the week cause no mo gas.lol

[SEA]

So I need one Chevy DOOLY den and a second Job for gas em !!! I kinda like the Maxima station wagon, Low... easy to load and unload and good MPG.

Today I saw many different set ups however I blew it and left my camera in my truck up at Hawaii Kai. All the trucks were where we ended the run and I had no camera. I'll catch em next time. Saw some awesome set ups and got some good ideas.

I will check Twogood kayaks in Kailua and see how much their racks are for my Ford Ranger extra cab.

These "Paddler racks " with the racks and track is $399 ... don't know about shipping ??  we take a beating on shipping here in Hawaii . But these racks look good ...... Maybe someone sells them down here.

   http://www.usrack.com/paddlers_rack.php

Thanks  for the input. Keep it coming.

[stillwater]

Standard lumber rack modified with Thule 78" bars. 14' BARK loaded in picture. I can adjust for longer lengths also. Solid setup.

[SEA]

Hey Stillwater

 Is that the thule racks made to clamp onto factory racks   Thats a good set up !!!  Looks solid and wide would like to see some close ups of how you attached the racks to your pipe racks. Maybe I can use that system and save some money  

Thanks for the pic's

SEA

[WindJunkie]

This doesn't help you with your truck but the best that I've seen is my buddy's beater volvo with 58" yakima bars set 5 feet apart.  Easy low loading and 4 boards no problem.