Rod rack options?

[bdowning]

Since it looks like I'm going to acquire a one-piece 10 ft rod, I need to look into carrying options. Originally, I wanted to get one of those modular rooftop racks because I'd like to carry my bike and rods on the same rack --- until I went into sticker shock, that is. To get what I wanted priced out at about 400 bucks new. I could get two decent flyrods or another custom conventional stick for that price!

So, I'm looking for lower priced options. I do have an 8-year old Yakima roof rack with no attachments, just two crossbars. Are there any kits available or easy ways of converting this into a rod carrier (maybe with PVC piping or hose clamps or something)? Or is there a cheaper way with some other off-the-shelf rack?

The car is a 97 Legacy Wagon without a factory roof rack.

-bd

P.S. I've decided to simplify things by using a separate hatch-mounted rack for the bike, so that is no longer in the equation.


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

[J.MacLaughlin]

BD -

I use a Yakima ski rack on Thule bars, but Yak makes a mounting kit of rubber/plastic circles with lugs on the top that allows you to clip the circles on the Yak bars and then pin the the rack to the lugs.

The racks are those spring-loaded deals about half the width of the car. They're lined with soft rubber (which holds the rods as nicely as skis) and lockable. I carry both spinning and fly rods on mine. Only issue might be height above the roof. You can bend a bail if the setup is so low the reels hit the car roof.

I did this 8-9 years ago, but my recollection is that the rack adapters ran about twenty bucks and the racks were fifty or sixty. I'm sure you could get away for under a hundred.

Jay MacLaughlin

[jagarland]

Try looking here http://www.onthegoproducts.com/index.html They have rod racks for cars that aren't an arm and a leg.

Jack Garland

end

[bdowning]

Thanks guys. The Yakima dealer claims my old rack won't work and I'll have to start from scratch with a new rack a la 400 bucks plus. No thanks. I also checked their web site which I found confusing and not detailed enough to give me the needed info. Also, these are conventional rods with no bail to bend, so elevation above the roof with a ski rack concerns me. Would be nice if their Web site had a FAQ or forum to cut through the marketing gobbledygook, but they don't. Anyway, too many unknowns/confusion with Yak to take them seriously.

The Oregon company that provides Yak adapters seems to have the right solution, although I'm a little concerned about how well the rods are held in the tubes. Using security straps and tip tie-downs seems a bit jury-rigged. Anyway, this seems the most promising option at this point, so I'll check them out further.

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

[Adam-Albino]

<P><FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>B-</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>I made mine for less then 20 bucks. Looks good and very strong. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>Buy the Berkley locking overhead racks (about 8 bucks). I bought pipe clamps at Home Depot (the ones that have a 1/4"/20 thread), Added a 4"pipe spacer and stainless bolts. Took about 10 minutes to make. Whole thing mounts to my tie bars on the roof of my cherokee.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>They hold 4 rods, at 80mph without a problem.</FONT></P>
<P><IMG align=baseline alt="" border=0 hspace=0 src="http://photos.netclubs.com/live/photos/v/9/t/2/t2c710a3839h31nr004cfcdhuo/flyman2.gif"></P>

[bdowning]

Any idea where to get the Berkely racks? They look good, just haven't seen them.

I'm assuming the pipe clamps/spacers are standard plumbing supply stuff?

Thanks,

-bd


<img src="http://world.std.com/~bdowning/fishing_lg_wte.gif">

[Adam-Albino]

<P><FONT color=black face=Verdana,Geneva size=2>Clamps &amp; spacers are standard stuff. see: </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2><A href="http://www.basspro-shops.com/item.cfm?text_id=15992&amp;dept=100&amp;classcode=11&amp;subco de=1">http://www.basspro-shops.com/item.cfm?text_id=15992&amp;dept=100&amp;classcode=11&amp;subco de=1</A></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Verdana size=2>for the racks....</FONT></P>
<P><IMG align=baseline alt="" border=0 hspace=0 src="http://photos.netclubs.com/live/photos/v/9/t/2/t2c710a3839h31nr004cfcdhuo/flyman2.gif"></P>