I'm considering getting a NC 17 Daytripper kayak, but to transport it I need a car roof rack. I'm wondering how big a problem the moon roof is on my car. Does a typical rack like a Yakima's or Thule's mounts go outside the moon roof or will the glass cause a problem? Also are those foam mount blocks that you sit right on the roof worth the trouble?
Mark
Have moon roof antd thule
If ther roof retracts into the rool no worry. Mine does that ok and if I set it to go up ant an angle it hits the rack, ther is a clutch and again ok.
I use foam blocks if I am in a rental car or my non-rack vehicle. they take extra time but are adequate with bow ans stern lines. If it takes and extra 10 minutes to rack and unrack with blocks and you paddle 50 days a year thats 8 hours a year racking and unracking boats. times 5 years thats 40 hours + the disfunctionality of foam blocks. Is you time worth $ 6.50 an hour? remember it’s rack at home unrack at put in rack at put in, unrack at home. I confess I do not use bow and stern lines when paddling the lake that’s five minutes fron my house. I do try to shove the boat forward though. Spometimes I wind the strap around the antenna so you’ve got to check stuff like that. If you also live fooolishly don’t say I told you to do so.
Roof rack/Moon roof
I have a Yakima that I mount on my Nissan Altima which has a moonroof. The roof retracts into the roof so there is no problem. Best advice was to contact the manufacturer and get their advice. The foam blocks may do in an emergency, but I want something a bit more substantial with my boat.
Captainclyde
NO PROB-JUST CLOSE IT B4 RACKING
– Last Updated: Apr-12-05 8:10 AM EST –
your boats AFTER paddling... And KEEP it that way until the boat's had a chance to drip dry -without you being the drip, LOL!
Makes the trip home a lot more pleasant after you've had fun as you
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
Noise
I assume every set up is a bit differant. I installed Thule racks on my Jetta wagon. Everything works very well. I did note that with the racks installed with or without the boats loaded that when the moon roof is opened the racks create a lot of extra noise.
Mark
Have Moon, Sun roof
on 2001 Explorer Sport. Thule 450 mounts work great. Created mucho noise with moon roof open however.
TO REDUCE NOISE
– Last Updated: Apr-12-05 8:09 AM EST –
clad your bars with pool/swim noodles.
We have Yakima RailRiders and crossbars on the Jeep. Sally didn't mind the wind noise, I thought it was an just on this side of subliminal but totally invasive howl. I ended up covering them in pooll noodles slit halfway thru lenghtwise and held on with clear strapping tape and it worked like a charm. It stopped the howling, helps seating the boats on the bars (don't use cradles or rollers), and is great for finding your car in the parking lot.
OTOH, we have Thule crossbars hooked to the stock roof rails with 450 CrossRoads on the Mazda6 Sportwagon, which has a moonroof. Even Sally picked up on the wind howl above 45 with this new setup. So she GLADLY acquiesced to the noodles. However, Thule bars are square, and the noodles didn't fully close, and the howl was replaced with a kind of low frequency buzzing -an improvement, but still bad. So I covered the open slit with tape, and the buzzing became as hissing -I didn't get all the opening fully taped over and closed with the tape, I think. So we Back at work after 4 days off to take time with my sister Medora and her husband Duane, down here for a conference in Satellite Beach and a long weekend mini-vacation. The 4 days was the mini-vacation. The reluctance to return to work just confirms my desire to retire. Gotta win that lotto…
No more bar noise!
Makes life a LOT more bearable at speed with the sun roof open to our Fabulaous South Florida Sun when we're on the road and when we're not in the mode to tote a boat to
PADDLE ON!
-Frank in Miami
good combo.
this way you can drive around with your boat on your roof and reach up and pat it lovingly at the same time…
The sand is not good though
Sooner or later you get sand in the sun roof mecanism… my sons old beater volvo makes a terrible grinding noise but still works.
ditto that
sand thing. Make sure to rinse your kayak as well as you can before putting it on top.
Moon/sunroofs and foam blocks
I have a Honda Civic with a Yakima rack, Hully Rollers, and Hull Raisers. The sunroof works fine but is wicked noisy. I can hardly wait to custom cut a noodle to see if I can change that.
That said, when I bought my first boat I had planned to just use the blocks to get it home - just a matter of a few miles. The dealership refused to even help me load the boat because they feared liability issues if the weight of the boat damaged the sunroof. For other reasons I have replaced a sunroof before. I bought a rack. Trust me, the cost of a roof rack is much cheaper.