Getting Comfortable

You know new gear has been accepted by the masses once you drive around and see it nonchalantly hanging out in the back of a pickup truck.

I saw this Armstrong Foil while driving towards Kaimuki. Interesting shape on the foils.

Getting to Work - Just Barely

Here are a couple of pictures of the truck with the racks on going through the parking garage I park in at work. Even without the racks, the antenna provides entertainment in the form of scraping against the bottom of the garage ceiling.

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.

Front Hitch Receiver All Pau

Here it is - lucky I was at my sister-in-law's house (she was a heavy equipment mechanic in the Army) - I needed a bunch of tools that I didn't have with me... Thanks Clarinda and Anthony! I slipped the bike rack in since I didn't have any other attachments handy. The rack is really high compared to the rear hitch receiver. I am planning to use a cooler carrying rack with rod holders in the hitch, but also try using the front hitch to maneuver a trailer around - I haven't tried it, but I have heard it is easier than backing a trailer. The Bed Extender that I had used to carry the Big Tuna kayak also inverts into a vertical extension - I am going to see how it can be used up front. I've also seen fishing beach carts mounted in hitch receivers with the right accessories - looking forward to the experimentation and making the Surf Taco more versatile!

Buried in Snow

Yes that is my truck. Yes that snow is piled up on the tonneau cover to nearly the height of the cab. Yes we had to dig the truck out - 3 hours of shoveling. Now I really hate winter. Thank goodness we have a short driveway...

Pulling Out a Stuck SUV

I took a trip to Kauai a few years back and got a Dodge Charger for a rental car (it was all the rental company had). I had a little free time and I wanted to check out a beach I had hiked to a much longer time ago. The paved road ended and turned into a hard packed dirt road. The hard dirt road ended in a series of cutouts between naupaka bushes where you parked your car, walked out to the wide beach and proceed to have a wonderful time. Dodge Chargers and deep sand banks disguised as hard pack dirt road don't go well together. After sweating my ass off trying to dig the car out (by hand), a local guy in a Toyota 4x4 pickup truck came rolling along and offered to pull me out. He got me back out on to the hard pack and I offered him the money I had in my wallet ($60) but he said 'no - I'm just glad to help out'. I said mahalo and we parted ways. Since that time, I bought my Surf Taco and one of the first things I bought was a tow strap. Yesterday I got my chance to pay it kokua forward and pull someone who was stuck out of their predicament. I love my truck!

Hooked SUP Arrived, Part 1

I've been tracking the delivery and I saw it arrive at the local freight terminal this morning. I called and asked if I could just stop by and pick it up. I loaded it (104 degrees out today) and drove it home. I had a migraine by the time I got home so I didn't unpack the board until evening time. No issues with the box or pick up. The Bak Flip Tonneau folded up and I had the boxed board (with a red flag of course) hanging out the back of the bed. Have I said I love my truck??? If not - "I love my truck" and I am stoked the board is here!

Loaded for Friday Water Time

Big Tuna Kayak to carry two kids, snacks, drinks and fishing gear - check. La's SUP so she can buzz around the reservoir while we are waiting for the van maintenance to get done - check. Good weather to go paddling in - check. Sweet truck to haul our butts and gear to the inland beach - check. Hopefully we'll catch something tomorrow in the dam reservoir... I'm not coming home skunked a third time from that lake... We'll paddle straight for the actual dam and start casting everything we have at those fish. This is make it or break it time - and I'm not leaving until we are victorious, or La says so, or the van's maintenance is done. Or if it gets too hot - but those fish better watch out!

Surf Taco Mods

Besides the Bak Flip Tonneau cover, I got a few other things for the Taco. LED interior cabin lights - pretty easy to pop out the map lights if you use a small allen wrench as a hook to pull the bulbs down. I also got a hitch receiver rubber boot (just to help keep debris from getting in). And lastly - I'll spend the better part of today installing the tailgate locking mechanism. Wish me luck (and a clear wifi connection for the youtube instructions to play).

Keeping the Honest People Honest

The high up shot was from the window in our hotel room this past weekend. If you look in the lower right hand corner, you can just pick out the truck and see the stuff we figured most people wouldn't steal out of the back of the truck. The rest of the stuff is either in the cab or up in the room. Well, La and I were discussing how having to move stuff all the time is really negating the benefit of the truck bed. Well - I believe I have solved the problem by getting a Bak Flip for the Surf Taco. 30 minutes to install, no drilling and looks great!!! I also bought an electronic lock for the tail gate - but I'll install that this weekend (so I can take my time nad not jack the operation up). Now we need to go surfing again soon to test out the capability....

Vehicular and Wave Riding Isomorphism

What a title huh? So isomorphism is a capability developing independently in different organisms not linked. The classic example is flight developing in birds, pterosaurs and bats - all can fly, but none are directly related and they are each different. Well, this isn't exactly like that, but it is close. The first pictures are of an old friend and classmate of mine - Greg Wong. We studied at UH Manoa together taking graduate Ocean Engineering classes. We also surfed and played ukuleles. Anyways - after 12 years, he drives a Surf Taco and boogie boards with his daughter and I have a Surf Taco and boogie board with my kids - different oceans and continents, but similar developments. Ok - this is a horrible analogy/comparison/whatever - I'm just glad to see one of us still enjoying the 'aina!!! Surf one for me Greg!!!

Darby Extend-A-Truck Rack

Trying to lift the Big Tuna on to the Thule top racks can be easy, but not necessarily the best option if I'm going to carry other things at the same time (like long SUPs - since they are wide, there isn't enough room to place the kayak and SUP side by side). So I ordered this option from Austin Kayaks (great place to order from if you are looking). I'm going to add trailer lights and reflective red tape for enhanced visibility, and a rack pad so it could slide on and won't bang against the cross rail. We're headed to Annapolis again this weekend - primarily the Sailboat Show, but also to paddle/fish/eat out. I should have the rack decked out tomorrow - check back to see the final product.

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).

2013 Tacos

So pictures of the 2013 Toyota Tacoma have come out. This is the "Limited" trimmed version - heated simuleather seats, chrome mirror-bumper-nose trim, electronic adjustable seats and remote start are the adds; no scoop on the hood is the minus. Chrome = gross to me. I LOVE MY 2012!!! I'll go without the heated bun warmers. Sorry for the radio silence, but I've been drydocked for a couple of weeks now - no real fishing to speak of, no paddling and no trips to the beach. We've got some good stuff coming up on the schedule soon - Annapolis Sail Boat Show, a Virginia Beach run, and an upcoming equipment swap that should change the tone of a majority of the upcoming posts.

Surf Taco Rack Assembled

I took some time after work to put the 422XT rack together based on the research I did on the web last night. If you have a Tacoma and want to use these upright bed racks, you will need to cut off the curved end of the liner on the bottom of the rack foot (first picture). I just took a razor blade, scored the liner/pad and pulled. After that, everything else lined up and I bolted it on. Use 5.5 inches from the outer edge of the upright to the end of the aluminum cross bar (not the black end cap) and the distance should be good laterally. The height lines up within millimeters of the roof racks - I couldn't ask for a better setup. There is more wind noise using this setup (if you roll your windows down) past 45 mph - but that is a small price to pay for way more secure long load (SUP boards) carrying capability. After SEVERAL years of seeing this type of rig ferrying boards around Oahu - I FINALLY have mine!!! Now to go surfing....

Third Rack on the Surf Taco

Not quite "plug and play". Here's the rack Thule 422XT rack I picked up today. My first attempt at installation had me scratching my head. The brackets that hold the rack onto the bed rail weren't clamping down tightly. I did some research on the web and I saw another lead. I'll have to try again tomorrow - ran out of daylight today.

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.

New Surfmobile

I brought the new surfmobile home today. It's been about 11 years since I've started looking at these Toyotas - now, one month after we paid off La's Odyssey, I am now the operator of a longbed version with Nav, Tow and Upgraded Sport packages. As loaded as this is, La's van is still plusher (I don't have heated seats, neat ambiance lighting, driver's seat memory settings or a DVD player), but hey - I got a truck! I threw in the Weathertech mats already - now I just need to add a Thule roof rack and some surf stickers and it'll be time to intercept some hurricane swell!