Surf Rack Repair

I've had a Thule rack on most of the vehicles I've owned since I graduated from undergrad (almost 30 years).  This last set I bought for the Ridgeline has been showing signs of the rubber coating on the clamp/foot coming off.  Well - the signs weren't wrong.  The coating just peeled off.

I cleaned them off with the Dremel and sprayed them with black Plasti-Spray.  They look like new - but time will tell if the plasti-coat will stand up to the road.

I started with the backs because they were pretty much shredded.  I'll reinstall these and see how they hold up for a few weeks.

Hauling a 7th Hull

The kids had a couple of regattas this weekend and I hauled the boats to Kaneohe.  There was a need for a 7th hull for the Saturday race and the team didn't want to pull a second trailer - Super Truck to the rescue!!!!

I finally got a chance to rig up the double hitch receiver and the Thule Goalpost Hitch Rack!

The setup worked, but since the rack was now subject to the motions of the trailer (both connected to the dual receiver), I did notice some lateral motion in the rear rack.  Not a big deal, but something to be aware of if you plan on using a similar setup.

Everything else was as normal - great teamwork and an enjoyable day of sailing (for everyone but me - I ended up doing some hydrofoil research and helping at the CSSH Plant Show - but those are separate blog entries).

On the way back I ended up bringing the 7th hull back and the motion issue was not there - confirms the trailer was the variable.

New (to me) Hitch Rack for Long Loads

I got this rack from someone shedding a bunch of stuff (military PCS I'm guessing).  I'll take some better pictures of it this weekend, but it is a Thule Goal Post.

I mainly got it for the situation when we are towing a trailer full of boats and we need to bring one more.  I can use a double hitch receiver with this rack on the top receiver, and the regular 2" ball on the bottom.  I'm pretty sure I can get a 14' Laser between the Goal Post and the trailing Aerobar in a very stable configuration.  I think the span between the two bars will be 8' (I'll measure it when I have time and can take better lit pictures.

Running Boards on and Adjusted

I've been taking the truck back and forth to the dealer and the tinting shop to get detail stuff taken care of, so I haven't actually got the surf mobile put together yet, but yesterday I did get the runnign boards adjusted to the full outward position.  I definitely like these bars a lot better than the options from Honda.

For sure the feel on the Ridgeline is different than the Tacoma.  The Taco was definitely taller at the nerf bar and the cabin step in, but I don't miss that - I think it will just take a bit of time to have the change become the new norm.

I plan on reinstalling the roof racks later today and taking this setup out for a spin with the longboards tomorrow morning!

Why I Haven't Been Posting

We've been busy with a few things other than playing in the water.

Marlon had a busy weekend with the Hawaii Youth Symphony...

And we traded in the 4Runner for a Honda Ridgeline!  The 4Runner was a great vehicle, but we really just needed a truck - especially with all the work we are doing around the house (not to mention a truck bed and roof rack is way better for carrying SUPs and surfboards).

We liked the 4Runner a lot - BUT WE LOVE THE Ridgeline - dare I say even more than we loved the Surf Taco...  So much easier to load cargo into this vehicle - and now I don't have to get nit-noid and anal about picking dirt out of vehicle carpet (whew says everyone in my family)

Marlon and I got the top rack set up.

This week I'm getting the rustproofing-tinting-paint protectant-and other stuff done.  The running boards will be last and that should be next week.  After that the new surf mobile will be fully operational!!!  I love having a truck again (and this is a great one)!

Racks Back on the Surf Taco

Like the post title says, I put the rack back on the truck on Saturday. I have been hesitant because the parking garage I have to use when I'm at work has a couple of spots where the antenna 'rubs' the concrete beams. I've been studying the clearance issue and I believe I can get to the floor where I am supposed to park without getting stuck. I have a couple of inches clearance from the top of the rack to the top of the antenna - I may do a test run today (Sunday - nobody should be at the building so I can take my time driving the route, stop and get out to look at the actual clearance). I have also noticed I have been getting better gas mileage without the racks on. I only have three tanks of gas worth of data, but I'll take the racks off again in the future to test this out. It may be the fact that I had the spark plugs changed out as well... In either case, it feels good to have the racks back on - the truck stands out from a sea of similar vehicles (this is the favorite truck of Hawaii by far) and I can find the truck faster in a parking lot.

Hullavators SUPinator

We saw this truck as we started heading back North. He was Thule'd out to the max (not a bad thing). He did have a Bark paddleboard up top - definitely a person that knows what he likes. And probably doesn't like lifting SUPs.

My Truck

My Truck with the racks setup for carrying our kayak.

No noticeable noise in this configuration (at least today driving to and from work). This setup is all too common back in Hawaii. The really long OC-1 canoes and Unlimited SUPs are supported really well with the large separation between bars. I also got the ball mount for the hitch so I can break out the Weta (soon). There really isn't much left that I will do to the truck - I'm happy with it the way it is - maybe a few more stickers...

Amphibious Assault Craft

After surfing and lunch, we went to pick up our new Amphibious Assault Craft. I switched the 422XT rack to the back position anticipating the longer load and it worked well to kill some of the noise (electrical tape on the 422XT Top Bar accessory mounting channels helped a bunch too). The color scheme didn't upset La too much - she did like the Lowland Camo pattern better than the Yellow Jacket we looked as earlier. The outer hull is mostly olive with some mixing of tan. The inside hull has a lot more color mixing (brown, tan and olive). I thought I'd be storing this on the back porch - for loading and unloading, this piece of gear will have to live in the garage (after I make more space...). We didn't have time to break it in today - needed to unpack the beach gear from the truck and wash all the salt and dirt off the truck. I am looking forward to getting everyone on this and having more fun on the waters up here in Northern Virginia!!! More to follow on this as we spend time getting proficient and pushing this to it's carrying and fishing limits

More Adjusting - Taco Bed vs Thule Xsporter

Before and after shots

More modification to the Thule Xsporter in order to mount it in the Surf Taco. I looked at the clamps last time I had it setup (just after I cut the curly lip off of it) and there seemed to be some pressure on the top rail of the truck bed. I read some more of the posts on the Tacoma forums and the other folks who have 2012 Tacomas just stripped the whole rubber pad off. So tonight, as I prepared the vehicle for a trip out to the beach (Lewes - Rehoboth - Betheny) for some surfing and to pick up our new amphibious assault craft, I went ahead and did the same. The before picture was how I had the feet last time; the after is where they are stripped naked. Installed on the truck, it was real easy to get them on and the clamps are rock solid now. I'll look for the rail compression in the morning (it was dark when I placed the rack feet on).

Taco Rack Load Testing

Lazy Sunday today - to break the cloudy weather induced slump, I loaded up a SUP (9'8" Starboard Element), strapped it down and grabbed La for a drive. We got it passed highway speeds and the board didn't flinch. With the spacing on the towers, the crossbars had enough space outboard of the tower so that I could run the strap under the outer part of the crossbar - I've been doing this for the better part of 20 years now and I haven't lost a board yet. The carrying tower on our Odyssey is designed around the factory rack and I have to adjust the strap wrap - it's not as elegant as the truck's setup, but it still works (we just have to keep a better eye on the boards). The wind noise did pick up with a board on top, but it wasn't bothersome. I'm happy and give this rack 2 thumbs up!

Taco Roof Rack Road Test

No additional noise was made from the roof racks as I was driving freeway speeds. Maybe the loud grunge music played into that finding, but seriously - no additional wind noise was heard while I drove around today. Also there were no apparent issues with the install either - these new bars and the new feet went together a lot easier than the earlier generations I'm used to. I'll throw a SUP board on top tomorrow and test that.

New Racks Installed

I installed the Thule racks on tonight. I got the new Aero Blade cross bar. If you are planning on using this setup, I set the front measurement tabs to 45.5, not the 43 indicated on the fit kit. The instructions also show how the feet sit in relation to the door clamps - from the instructions, you could not get both (foot pads in the position shown on the instructions with the indicated measurement). The rear bar went in fine according to the instructions. The Windsurfing Hatteras bar pads will be there until I can get a set of Dakine extra long pads (top padded version). Overall it seems like they'll do well - I'll take them for a spin unloaded and then loaded tomorrow.