Roof-Racking the Island

I use a common bed extender...


...and turn it on its end:


They cost about $40 to $100 US (this is the $40 version that was on sale for $30). If you wanted to mount some saddles on it, you'd probably want to rig up a mounting bar. Or you could mount the Hobie cradle directly on it.

I agree, the straight padded bars I've seen don't really go much good for a boat sitting right side up. I'd also like to see some Pirate Pictures.

I'll take some photos again and post in the next few days guys. It will give me an excuse to get 'Jindabyne Gypsy' out and dust her off after a much deserved lay-off. As an aside, I have become a grand-father again this week, so a TI may be on the cards in the future...Pirate

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Master of the galleon 'Pirates Lot'

Congratulations Pop - I think it's a great succession plan to introduce the grandchildren to the Hobie AI/TI at the earliest possible time. Maybe Hobie can knock up a mini AI they can play with in the bath

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Mickey
2016 AI Hibiscus
purchased NEW Nov 2021 - My 5th
Adventure Island Sailing since 2008

Great idea there Mickey, and with trampolines that hold the soap and facewasher. We're definately onto something here Hobie...LOL..Pirate

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Master of the galleon 'Pirates Lot'

Similar racking system also about 50 dollars http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z211 ... ar%20rack/

www.curtmfg.com

The distance between the goal posts is 45.25" which might allow for loading an AI with amas assembled. I bolted on part of an old truck rack so that I could assemble a PVC roller on it. The roller is made up of two pieces of PVC with the outer one padded and taped. The rollers on the goal posts are also PVC. The crossbar is telescoping which allowed for putting on the PVC roller.

My AI has not arrived yet, but I have used this for loading a variety of different size boats and it works well.

Ted

This is a great thread and I'm getting a lot of really good ideas for when I pick up my Island.

My thoughts.....

Just ENSURE that you tie down the front (especially) and rear as per every rack manufacturers instructions.

My secret shame......I've got a Hobie Oasis that was on Thule racks and on a Thule Hydroglide system that came completely off my car at 90km/h*, because it wasn't tied down at the front and just aeroplaned off, taking everything with it.....the Kayak, the Hydroglide the racks...everything. All I saw was a massive Hibiscus bird in my rear vision mirror cartwheeling through the air.

It was the racks on the roof that let go due to the uplift and the lack of rain gutters on cars these days as well as every car having a different profile for their roof lip.

The problem is that every make of car is different and any general advice can only be taken as a guide.

It was my own stupid fault for not tying down the front & rear.

*It all turned out well (It could have been awful). No one hit and the Hobie survived with one very minor scratch that people don't even notice. The Thules didn't survive.

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Yellow 09 Oasis
Red 2010 AI /Grey tramps.

OasisGuy;
Good advise, I was thinking about the importance of tie down the front and rear. I completely disregarded the lift.
At 90k how did you get away with just a little damage (Tough buggers), I would have though you would have been picking up pieces

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Paul, Rebecca & Stephanie

Another important reason for carrying the hull up the right way. The underside shape of the hull is an aerofoil section which will create lift in a downward direction keeping positive forces firmly on the racks. Inverted hulls will create forces wanting to lift them off the racks so putting enormous strain on the racks themselves.
Considering their weight, amazing how durable the plastic hulls have proven themselves during reported dramas such as this one....Pirate

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Master of the galleon 'Pirates Lot'

Pirate

The hull was right side up which caused the lift, it just took off. I should have been warned when I bought my racks. TJM (Rhino) couldn't supply any for my car (Alfa) and the Thule distributor (and Thule Rep) had never supplied any in Australia, but had some delivered which were for my make. In hindsight they looked like they'd be comfortable with a set of snow skis on them. But as I said....my fault completely for not tying down the front and rear.

Small note....use good quality tie downs, not bungees or similar.

Paul67
I saw the yak about 3 metres in the air in the mirror cartwheeling and it was still attached to the Hydroglide/bars. Looking at what was left of the bars and fittings I think it came in for a pretty good touchdown. I was expecting major damage.....but nothing apart from a very light 2" scratch on the stern.

Maybe Hobie should provide an Auto Landing feature for idiots like me ?

Anyway.....I'm a serious tie downer now.

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Yellow 09 Oasis
Red 2010 AI /Grey tramps.

About 3 years ago my 15' fiberglass sea kayak and the yakmia q-tower racks it was attached to flew off the top of my car while I was accelerating to 50mph. It was a miracle that there wasn't a car following close enough for the yak/racks to hit. This would have been catastrophic. The boat cracked open in two places requiring extensive fiberglass repair. I replaced the whole rack system since I didn't trust any of it. My friend had 3 different Thule saddles collapse under her 45lb 15ft sea kayak, which then would start to slide off the van's roof. The Thule saddles had a badly designed mechanism that would give way and they would flatten. Perhaps the Thule's have been redesigned by now, but there was never a recall. Since these experiences we take nothing for granted and never travel with the yaks without tie downs on both bow and stern and when there are two boats on the roof, we also strap them to each other in the front. And now I never drive behind anybody who doesn't have bow and stern ropes on their roof-topped yaks.

Timo

Ditto Timo.

That's one thing I always do now. I always get clear of cars with anything on their roof, especially since most makes now don't have rain gutters. It seems to be mainly good luck keeping most things on the average roof.

I often carry my yak on my daughters Falcon (med size 6 cyl Ford) and it's got no convenient front point to tie on to. I've got to crawl underneath to find something solid. I assume they don't provide a tow point because of the Auto ? At least on my (manual) Alfa it's got a solid heavy duty screw in eye that comes through the front plastic bumper.

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Yellow 09 Oasis
Red 2010 AI /Grey tramps.

Maybe I missed it earlier in this thread, but has anybody tried securing the hull of the AI right side up into cradles, and then putting the Ama's on top of the hull, securing those to the hull or the bars through the mirage drive and the scupper holes, or even to the cross bars on the boat?

The reason that I ask is because I don't see why this can't be done, and it would allow me to take an AI, and our Revolution on the roof at the same time.

Putting the Ama's on the sides of the hull takes up precious roof space. We're considering an AI, and I want to try it, but I want to know if anyone else has tried this.

Thanks!

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I've carried the amas on top of the hull with the hull inverted. I used the standard cart in the scuppers, with the amas jammed (lightly) between the wheels of the cart and strapped to the roofrack bars. It worked fine, but I haven't continued doing it because it meant I couldn't drive under a couple of low bridges around my way.
I don't have a picture of it on the car, but here is the arrangement on sawhorses - it's how I store my boat.

When on the car, there was a strap passing through the handles of the ama and secured to the roofrack.

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Yes, the Hullavator aint cheap but I got mine for $AUD900 and nothing else makes it this easy with a high Van roof.
I broke one of the Cradle Mounts by ramming it into a downpipe, (they are designed to snap off so you dont wrench the whole rig off your car), totally my fault but THULE sent me another no charge

Since I ride bikes everywhere my Van often only gets driven on Kayak days so I can leave the AI ready to go under its cover and still fit the Van into a low-roof garage at home.



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Fair Skies, Max.

Any luck on the new photos of the pirate pillows?:) I think these could really be great for the TI as well. Can you be more specific on the type of foam and where to get it? Does homedepot sell it?