Riof rack?

[ZombieOTTR]

So I don't live far from where I do most my paddling. The problem is I have a 2001 honda civic and it had a sunroof. I'm assuming this means that soft racks are out of the question. The other problem is that I just dropped a very large chunk of change on a board and paddle so I have very little funds left. Any suggestions?

[ZombieOTTR]

Typing on a phone isn't fun... ment to say roof rack lol

[kayadogg]

supthecreek has been able to fit a 10'6 (I think) inside his Civic. Passenger seat reclined all the way, rear seats down, slide it in through the trunk. Easy peasy. I've used soft racks with a sunroof with no issues but if you're going to be paddling a lot, definitely invest in an aftermarket rack. You should be able to get a setup for under $300. Actually, come to think of it, I have a Thule rack from fiance's Ford Focus that we're not using. Where are you located? I can check the model to see if it would be compatible with your car. I'd let you have it for really cheap.

[ZombieOTTR]

I'm up in New Hampshire. Not sure if my board is going to fit in the car though lol. It's a 12'×36" atlas extra.

[krash]

I have an '08 Civic 2rd ex, had a 2012 2dr ex, but traded with my daughter for the '08, before that had an '01 2rd ex all had sunroof's...

I used soft surfboard racks, Dakine, for 140k miles, traveled up to 4 hours at hiway speeds carrying surfboards, kayaks, and canoes (not all at same time... and never had an issue. I did re-enforce, enhance, the soft foam pads after  a few years when they started to wear and colapse with 4" round pool noodles .... have 110k miles on the '08 now and upgraded to hard not so cheap Thule Aero racks. My daughter put about 80k on the '08 and she also had soft surfboard racks for 5 years to haul her surfboard.

The only down side of the soft racks is the straps that run through the car will wick water when its raining out and the drips fall at the lowest point which always seems to be over the seat or your lap. I loved the soft racks and still keep them in the trunk as a backup.

They can be installed and removed in a couple minutes, unlike the hard racks that I seldom remove because it takes a good 20 minutes. With short surf boards its good, with kayaks, canoes, and my SUP I always add a bow & stern line due to the short space between the racks, like 18 or 20 inches.

With the SUP I have a Yakima SUPBrah because boards have no where to attach a bow/stern line, but its kind of a hassle to install, adjust, secure soon I'll make a similar style bridle from line/rope with several less adjustments.

'08 Civic, this is with the Thule racks and 12'6" Riviera on board for visual size.


It would take a bit to find a photo of the '01 with 14'6" kayak strapped on the soft racks, but if I find one I'll post.