What do you do when you cant fish - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

slobslayer · 09-11-2012, 08:59 PM

Well I think about fishing or I do something that has to do with fishing like tinker with my boat or kayak. I think i may have a problem

. Well i got off work early and had nothing to do so I decided to attempt to build a roof rack for my toyota so I can carry two yaks and materials for work. As you can tell im not a fabricator or a certified welder but i can stick two pieces of metal together. Any ideas or ways to spice it up or improve this rack? Anybody who did this before or has some skill with metal. As of now i plan on adding foam surf racks and calling it good.

MrM · 09-11-2012, 09:39 PM

If I could "fix" my rack, I'd extend it forward more. Makes the kayaks for stable when making those longer hauls. Food for thought.

Also, you could build up a rack for that BWE MOTHERSHIP in the background of the 3rd pic.

Edit- Didn't notice those hooks you added on the ends at first. Nice idea!

slobslayer · 09-11-2012, 09:43 PM

I thought about that but dont want to drill into the cab of my truck. I wish i could take that boat it hasnt moved in about 7 years!!

arnie · 09-12-2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slobslayer

I thought about that but dont want to drill into the cab of my truck. I wish i could take that boat it hasnt moved in about 7 years!!

That's not the only boat on Medina that hasn't moved in years..

slobslayer · 09-12-2012, 09:50 AM

You live on medina?

MrM · 09-12-2012, 10:36 AM

finyak · 09-12-2012, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slobslayer

Well I think about fishing or I do something that has to do with fishing like tinker with my boat or kayak. I think i may have a problem

. Well i got off work early and had nothing to do so I decided to attempt to build a roof rack for my toyota so I can carry two yaks and materials for work. As you can tell im not a fabricator or a certified welder but i can stick two pieces of metal together. Any ideas or ways to spice it up or improve this rack? Anybody who did this before or has some skill with metal. As of now i plan on adding foam surf racks and calling it good.

So who's Caltrans lift truck is that in the background?

slobslayer · 09-12-2012, 10:13 PM

The neighbors, we have a garage seperated from the house dwon the street.

Fiskadoro · 09-13-2012, 10:03 AM

What do you do when you cant fish?

Hhhhmmmmm....

I prefer: Women, Jameson Whiskey, riding bikes, and motorcycles. Building things like bikes, motorcycles, kayaks and boats. Making a few sculptures, installing art and other things. Rebuilding engines, boat motors, anything that breaks. Custom fabricating in steel, stainless aluminum and bronze for cash. Though not necessarily in that order.

Honest truth... I hate to say this, but you kinda built your rack wrong.

The deal is that the base is little too narrow.

It's just a matter of leverage, the long extensions to the side increase the leverage and pressure on your welds, base, and mounting points, while the narrow footprint decreases stability. Together it's kind of a problem.

Generally with any kind of overhead rack you want the attachment points as wide as possible even wider then the actual storage area above them. The rack in your last pic is built that way. Or just look at any truck lumber rack to get the idea. Widest stance possible for stability and rigidity with a narrower load area to keep the weight inside the mounting points.

I'm not saying your rack won't work, but keep a couple of things in mind.

The more weight you have on one side the more it will try and pry up the other. So if possible keep the weight toward the center.

If you ever load anything heavy on it like lumber or steel tubing, you want the weight right in the middle right between the legs. Same if you only load one yak. Tie it in the middle not on one side to minimize the pry bar effect.

Hopefully you used some good hardware to mount it because it's going to take some stress, an you might want to use some 4x4 backing plates underneath to increase the strength at the mounting points.

Obviously you have some skill. I teach a lot of people how to weld and I always say the same thing....it's only metal. I'd pull it, cut it back apart then reweld it back together with with the same metal but with some wider supports.

Something like this:

That would be a lot stronger.

If your happy with it and don't overload it, it'll probably be just fine. Just be careful about how much you put up there. Also if you ever lend the truck to anyone makes sure whoever uses it knows that if they use the rack they should not to put all the weight on one side.

Personally I like to make things that are absolutely foolproof. I had a buddy that built a rack that was very similar to that for his jeep and he used it for years, with no problems. Then one day his girlfriend borrowed the jeep, and totally destroyed it in less then thirty minutes with a load of home depot of lumber.

Jim

addicted2sp33d · 09-13-2012, 10:30 AM

Other Hobbies: Fast Cars, Fast Motorcycles, Bicycling, Hiking, Golf, Home Improvement Projects, Automotive "Improvement" Projects, and all kinds of general tinkering... and just recently returned: Football!

My pre-summer modification was to modify my "roller" BBQ Grill so it runs on the house gas line with a Quick Connect line, and modified nozzles so that it can now reach 800+ degrees.

When it fires up, it sounds like a welding torch.

It can cook 1" thick steaks to perfection in about 2-3 minutes (Well-Done is about 5-minutes) and make juicy steakhouse-quality steaks from cheapo cuts of beef.

09-11-2012, 09:39 PM	#2
MrM Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: The Matrix Posts: 643	If I could "fix" my rack, I'd extend it forward more. Makes the kayaks for stable when making those longer hauls. Food for thought. Also, you could build up a rack for that BWE MOTHERSHIP in the background of the 3rd pic. Edit- Didn't notice those hooks you added on the ends at first. Nice idea! __________________ -Kevin

09-12-2012, 10:36 AM	#6
MrM Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: The Matrix Posts: 643	__________________ -Kevin

09-13-2012, 10:03 AM	#9
Fiskadoro ....... Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,509	What do you do when you cant fish? Hhhhmmmmm.... I prefer: Women, Jameson Whiskey, riding bikes, and motorcycles. Building things like bikes, motorcycles, kayaks and boats. Making a few sculptures, installing art and other things. Rebuilding engines, boat motors, anything that breaks. Custom fabricating in steel, stainless aluminum and bronze for cash. Though not necessarily in that order. Honest truth... I hate to say this, but you kinda built your rack wrong. The deal is that the base is little too narrow. It's just a matter of leverage, the long extensions to the side increase the leverage and pressure on your welds, base, and mounting points, while the narrow footprint decreases stability. Together it's kind of a problem. Generally with any kind of overhead rack you want the attachment points as wide as possible even wider then the actual storage area above them. The rack in your last pic is built that way. Or just look at any truck lumber rack to get the idea. Widest stance possible for stability and rigidity with a narrower load area to keep the weight inside the mounting points. I'm not saying your rack won't work, but keep a couple of things in mind. The more weight you have on one side the more it will try and pry up the other. So if possible keep the weight toward the center. If you ever load anything heavy on it like lumber or steel tubing, you want the weight right in the middle right between the legs. Same if you only load one yak. Tie it in the middle not on one side to minimize the pry bar effect. Hopefully you used some good hardware to mount it because it's going to take some stress, an you might want to use some 4x4 backing plates underneath to increase the strength at the mounting points. Obviously you have some skill. I teach a lot of people how to weld and I always say the same thing....it's only metal. I'd pull it, cut it back apart then reweld it back together with with the same metal but with some wider supports. Something like this: That would be a lot stronger. If your happy with it and don't overload it, it'll probably be just fine. Just be careful about how much you put up there. Also if you ever lend the truck to anyone makes sure whoever uses it knows that if they use the rack they should not to put all the weight on one side. Personally I like to make things that are absolutely foolproof. I had a buddy that built a rack that was very similar to that for his jeep and he used it for years, with no problems. Then one day his girlfriend borrowed the jeep, and totally destroyed it in less then thirty minutes with a load of home depot of lumber. Jim Last edited by Fiskadoro; 09-13-2012 at 10:12 AM.

09-11-2012, 09:43 PM	#3
slobslayer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Santee Posts: 384	I thought about that but dont want to drill into the cab of my truck. I wish i could take that boat it hasnt moved in about 7 years!!

09-12-2012, 09:50 AM	#5
slobslayer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Santee Posts: 384	You live on medina?

09-12-2012, 10:13 PM	#8
slobslayer Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Santee Posts: 384	The neighbors, we have a garage seperated from the house dwon the street.

09-13-2012, 10:30 AM	#10
addicted2sp33d Here fishy fishy fishy... Join Date: May 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 774	Other Hobbies: Fast Cars, Fast Motorcycles, Bicycling, Hiking, Golf, Home Improvement Projects, Automotive "Improvement" Projects, and all kinds of general tinkering... and just recently returned: Football! My pre-summer modification was to modify my "roller" BBQ Grill so it runs on the house gas line with a Quick Connect line, and modified nozzles so that it can now reach 800+ degrees. When it fires up, it sounds like a welding torch. It can cook 1" thick steaks to perfection in about 2-3 minutes (Well-Done is about 5-minutes) and make juicy steakhouse-quality steaks from cheapo cuts of beef.