Date: Mon, 04 Dec 1995 10:40:38 -0800
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: gbuhlman@direct.ca (Glen Buhlmann)
Subject: Re: sport racks on Westys
At 12:29 PM 12/4/95 -0600, Mark McCulley wrote:
>Any opinions on the definitive ski/kayak/bicycle rack setup on a Westfalia
>('87 to be specific)? I've done a bit of research and come to the following
>conclusions:
>
>For bicycles, a three-bike carrier on the trailer hitch (ball-style) seems
>optimal. There are several manufacturers of such racks, Bauer is one. With
>a 2" receiver hitch, you can carry four bicycles. These racks generally
>will fold out of the way to allow access to the rear hatch. If you don't
>have a trailer hitch, it might be worthwhile to install one if you carry
>bicycles very much. I don't really like those racks that rest against the
>rear hatch and hang from 1" webbing.
>
>Skis are problematic. The above-mentioned bicycle racks have attachments
>for skis to allow them to be carried standing vertically. However, on
>Vanagons there is not enough clearance between the bottom of the skis and
>the ground. I guess you could fabricate some sort of extension to give the
>rack more clearance. Thule and Yakima make attachments to allow their
>gutter racks to be used on Westfalias. These attachments must be bolted to
>the fiberglass poptop and you can't carry much more than skis. I would be
>hesitant to put kayaks on this setup. The roof rack isn't optimal in my
>opinion because it's too high to access without standing on something.
>Someone must make some nifty ski racks just for Westfalias...
>
>For kayaks, the only solution I see is Thule gutter racks with the long
>feet. These will attach to the gutters on the Vanagon and rise above the
>poptop. The main drawback is that you have to remove the racks to raise the
>top. Not a big problem really when you consider that you will most likely
>be driving to a destination and then removing the kayaks for a while. I
>carried two triple sea kayaks with this setup on my '74 this past summer.
>Cruised to Lund, BC from Seattle with no problems at all--the racks were
>rock solid. I wouldnt want to use this setup for skis because the racks
>interfere with raising the poptop.
>
>Any other opinions out there?
>
>-Mark McCulley
>'74 bus
>'87 Westfalia
>
>
Why do you recommend the Thule gutter racks attached to the Vanagon gutters
and not the bolt-on fake gutters? When I bought my Westy, it already had
these fake gutters attached. I bought a Thule rack and am fairly satified.
You're right that it's difficult to put things on or take them off without
standing on something, but I have carried surfboards on the rack and you can
still pop the top without taking them off (kayaks also although I don't own
a kayak). I also bought a ski attachment and can easily put skis or
snowboards on the rack without standing on anything.
I'm pretty sure I will never be able to manage putting bikes on this rack
but since I have a 78 with the spare tire mounted in the front I can put a
bike rack on that (same as the hitch one you mentioned but a little
sturdier). The only thing that worries me about this is that if I have 2 or
3 bikes they might block out my headlights too much for night driving.
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Glen Buhlmann | Do invisible cats drink evaporated milk? |
| GB Computer Consulting | |
| Burnaby, BC | |
| <gbuhlman@direct.ca> | |
| '78 VW Westfalia | |
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