Car Topping????

[Ripper]

Oh well... I'm thinking of going for a Kayak and sadly since i only own a car, was considering to haul the thing on top...

the hitch is that the bloody thing weighs in at a cool 35kg's.... Does anybody have any idea as to the max car topping wight that a passenger car can take... In my case it's an ae100 sprinter

[The Don]

Oh well... I'm thinking of going for a Kayak and sadly since i only own a car, was considering to haul the thing on top...

the hitch is that the bloody thing weighs in at a cool 35kg's.... Does anybody have any idea as to the max car topping wight that a passenger car can take... In my case it's an ae100 sprinter

Hi Ripper,

35Kg's should be ok but you would probably need to install roof bars and secure the kayak on to that.

The other issue is an aero dynamic one especially if the kayak is upside down as it will create lift as the car is traveling. This causes 2 problems

1. Tension on the ropes holding the kayak down so you would need to make sure its quite firmly held together.

2. Lack of grip. So you need to drive slower than usual, and driving in a straight line as much as possible, especially if its very windy ! (or on the coastal road where there is a heavy cross wind)

[Ripper]

Hi Ripper,

35Kg's should be ok but you would probably need to install roof bars and secure the kayak on to that.

The other issue is an aero dynamic one especially if the kayak is upside down as it will create lift as the car is traveling. This causes 2 problems

1. Tension on the ropes holding the kayak down so you would need to make sure its quite firmly held together.

2. Lack of grip. So you need to drive slower than usual, and driving in a straight line as much as possible, especially if its very windy ! (or on the coastal road where there is a heavy cross wind)

Hey thanks Don

I found this cool little gadget on ebay called the vacu-rack. It works with four large suction cup that you simple install on any flat even surface and it supposedly can take upto 200lbs of pulling power and not come off.. I looked all over for a bad review on this product but came empty handed...so chances are...the bloody thing works

I was reading through forums related to the topic and most folks give similar advice...and also they advice to stop and check the whole tie down system every few hundred km's or so... But with our roads...I'd say every few dozen miles

Stil not set on the right boat...one is canoe weighing only 13kgs but that thing can't take surf and white water... the Kayak that can handle both weight 35Kg's and cost half the price of the canoe.... So most probably i'll end up with the heavier Kayak

Thanks again DON for the quick reply

[The Don]

Hey thanks Don

I found this cool little gadget on ebay called the vacu-rack. It works with four large suction cup that you simple install on any flat even surface and it supposedly can take upto 200lbs of pulling power and not come off.. I looked all over for a bad review on this product but came empty handed...so chances are...the bloody thing works

I was reading through forums related to the topic and most folks give similar advice...and also they advice to stop and check the whole tie down system every few hundred km's or so... But with our roads...I'd say every few dozen miles

Stil not set on the right boat...one is canoe weighing only 13kgs but that thing can't take surf and white water... the Kayak that can handle both weight 35Kg's and cost half the price of the canoe.... So most probably i'll end up with the heavier Kayak

Thanks again DON for the quick reply

Thing with suction cups is, they might be sensitive to temperature. So double check if it works on the tropics !! Cos things like metal expansion might have an impact on the effectiveness of these gadgets. Personally I will be a bit on the edge if I was using suction cups on something so heavy but you can make a believer out of me

[Ripper]

Thing with suction cups is, they might be sensitive to temperature. So double check if it works on the tropics !! Cos things like metal expansion might have an impact on the effectiveness of these gadgets. Personally I will be a bit on the edge if I was using suction cups on something so heavy but you can make a believer out of me

heh heh... don't mind taking a few chances here and there so what the heck... I can anyway do a testing run and some hard turns etc to see if things come apart...

need missus clearance first so this will anyway have to wait a bit