Roofrack Setup for 3 Epic Ski's

Has anyone got a good roofrack setup for 3 Epic V10 Sport ski's ?

I've got a Nissan Pathfinder & have been looking at Thule with a very wide bar (1500mm).

Matt

Hey Bro,

Check these V-Bar racks out: www.keystonekayaks.com/kayak_013.htm

They are bullet proof strong, you can put three side-by-side and they work great. I have one for my SUV and they way it cradles your ski, they stay solid on your roof even in high wind. And they are very reasonable, $150 each & add a couple bucks for shipping. I take it you're in the United States? I like them because they have a wide cradle area so that your ski is not damaged like some other similar cradles that are very narrow and all the pressure is at on place. These spread out the pressure, best investment I've made.

Check the out....
Hope this helps!
Aloha,
-Rich

I also use Cliff Roach's "GoodBoy Kayaks" "V" bars and highly recommend them. I use them on a base Yakima rack. Current price is $185(US) at goodboykayaks.com/

Contact area is much better than most of the competing products (e.g. KayakPro ez-vee). My car (Subaru Impreza) has a fairly short roofline but with the long Vbars my V-12 rides very solid even at highway speeds. Speed of loading is extremely quick -- much faster than securing a kayak to my Yakima Mako saddles (and adding a bow and stern line).

The GoodBoy Kayaks Vbars look more "homemade" as compared to a product such as the KayakPro, and that puts some people off, but I have no issue with the cosmetics. You could polish or paint the aluminum bar if desired. Attachment clamps are very simple but work well. The "V" cradles cannot be moved to a different location on the bar, as compared to the KayakPro, but I want them at the furthest spread anyway, so this is not an issue for me.

Vbars won't fit all kayaks, but they work not only with my K1 and V12 but also with my 18X and NDK kayaks. Cliff is considering making a wider rear "V" for touring kayaks.

The photo below is from the Keystone kayaks site, showing three Vbars in use.



Greg Stamer

portmanm wrote: Has anyone got a good roofrack setup for 3 Epic V10 Sport ski's ?

I've got a Nissan Pathfinder & have been looking at Thule with a very wide bar (1500mm).

Matt

If you can get the outside cradles out far enough you should be fine for width if not you could put the centre ski upside down on foam so that it sits lower with its sides under the two outer skis).

Ive done this with wide rhino bars on a different vehicle

You don't ned to go to that expense!

We regularly run three boats on a dual rack set up. We simple use two 'pool' noodles, those coloured neoprene pipes that kids muck around with in swimming pools. We place two across the decks of the two racked boats then place the third boat between them, the noodles pent the contact with the racked boats below.

We then strap the top boat directly down to the rack, ie not over the bottom two boats.

We are doing a downwind tomorrow when the southerly is set to hit so may be able to get a photo for you.

Works a treat, and reminds me of the old surfing days of heading up the coast for a surfing trip with the gang.

Thanks for the options.

Kneewall49 - look forward to the photo.

Matt

Pics as promised. Note the rear noodle was a bit ascrew, but we were carrying a double at the bottom on one side. Naturally with all singles it's a little easier to get it neater.

I have 5 of Cliffs Vbars on 2 of my cars. Easy on and off in 5 minutes with just two 13mm wrenches. Skis and K1's fit great and even narrow sea kayaks. If you need the extra length due to you roof attachment points being to short, these are the racks. Even if you don't have this problem, they are still the best racks in town.

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I have 5 of Cliffs Vbars on 2 of my cars. Easy on and off in 5 minutes with just two 13mm wrenches. Skis and K1's fit great and even narrow sea kayaks. If you need the extra length due to you roof attachment points being to short, these are the racks. Even if you don't have this problem, they are still the best racks in town.

Sold a few things on Ebay and paid the money to upgrade my aging Nissan factory racks - they we're creaking too much

1650mm Rhino Aero bars (100kg rating) with 3 sets of kayak cradles. They overhang a little (not past mirrors) but it's actually a little easier getting the ski's onto the outside cradles as it's a direct straight lift - no leaning forward.

$750 AUD from Roof Rack City in Wollongong. The sales staff were great and gave a good discount. Yes, expensive - peace of mind & easy for the whole family to use. Plus, with 5 seats in the car, could put another 2 ski's on top using the noodle scenario and take a large group out for the day.

Already past the wind-tunnel test. 110km/h freeway between Sydney and Wollongong with a 15-20km/h cross wind - nothing moved - too easy.

Some pictures ...