Date:         Tue, 4 Apr 2006 06:30:29 +0200
Reply-To:     Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Joy Hecht <jhecht@ALUM.MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: How Far can a ....
In-Reply-To:  <013f01c6578f$0e5e2ab0$2f01a8c0@FirstLaptop>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Hi Zoltan,

How long are your kayaks?  The one I was traveling with is 19 feet.  People
kept saying I should push it further back on the racks, but basically I
wasn't going to put it on the racks in a way that it wasn't balanced, with
the cockpit squarely in the middle between the two saddles.  I had about
three feet of overhang off the rear end of the vehicle, and the bow went
about up to the front of the roof, over the luggage rack.

My rear rack is are mounted as far back as it can go on the poptop, and the
front one placed just behind the skylight.  Then the boat was placed evenly
on the racks.  If your boats are shorter than mine, so you're okay with less
spread between the racks, you might be able to push the front one back a bit
more and thereby shift the weight back a bit more.  Just make sure you have
enough spread for the boats to be well anchored.

There are also laws about how much overhang is legal off the back of a
vehicle.  I think four feet is the max before you could get hassled, though
it could vary from state to state.  I always hung a flag on the back of the
boat when I drove with it.


Joy


****************************************************************
Joy Hecht
and Matilda, 1989 Burgundy Vanagon

For musings about life and the vanadventures:
http://www.joyhecht.net

****************************************************************

:::-----Original Message-----
:::From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM] On Behalf
:::Of Zoltan
:::Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 4:26 AM
:::To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
:::Subject: How Far can a ....
:::
:::Hi guys,
:::I was wondering how to put the rack on the pop top.  And how far can the
:::kayaks hang out at the back.  What is the normal recommendation on this?
:::Thanks for all the advice.
:::Zoltan