Laser Cartopping w/ racks?

0dylan

0dylan

...
Hi,

We bought some racks the other day to cartop my laser. The racks were 48" long, and thats a little short for the 4'6" wide boat. My question is whether it is possible to cartop a laser on 48" racks. Otherwise, we'll have to take them back...:mad:


Thanks,
0dylan
 
If you have the option of returning them for the longer bars, then do it for all the reasons listed above. I had 48" load bars on my car long before I got my Laser so returning them wasn't an option. The key for me was buying the proper accessories to support and tie down the boat. I got padded bar covers and locking straps from my local dinghy shop. I've recently made multiple trips with my boat from southwestern CT to Boston and Newport, RI with no issues.
 
the areas of the boat that actually come in contact with the bars isn't always at 4'6".
you can get by with them, but as mentioned, it will be harder to add the spars, etc.
if the 48"ers are well padded, and your tie-downs are good, go for it.
if you're returning, you should only have to take back the actual bar. not the clamps, etc.
the dealer can make a swap for longer bars. always be aware that those bars are up there when you exit the car. you should try to have them longer on one side of car, so you can add spars. some people add tennis balls to the tip ends for extra padding against your head.
 
So what you guys say is that I should probably get longer bars b/c it'll be safer and I won't have to hassle with the spars sticking out the passenger window. Sounds good, thanks!


0dylan
 
My racks much less than 48", seem to work fine

main.php
 
Like naesb81, my roofbars are much less than 4 foot wide (3 foot 7!) and I had no problem.

There is a degree or two of deck camber at the beamiest point which means the load is carried on the edges of the cockpit. Padded roofbars are therefore a must!

Luckily, my roofbars are quite tall. This meant that I could sling the spars under the roofbars without them touching the car roof.

I had the boat tied down fore and aft, the launching trolley upside down on top of the hull. The trolley was tied off port and starboard on angled lines (bow and stern springs?) and the trolley was tied to the boat.

During the 40 mile drive 3 police cars passed me and only gave a cursory glance, so obviously they were happy with the rig.

Hope this gives confidence in your roof rig,

Al.
 
hey, thanks. As a matter of fact, it turns out that the used racks that we bought were faulty. Then, we bought a pair of 78" racks to go with the bases, and the used bases were faulty. so, we have a new pair of everything yakima with new 78" bars. It's GReat!!!

Thanks,
Dylan
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top