[Scottj522]

Has anybody got a plan or diagram of the measurements for a hobie pa14 to sit on roof racks. I have a hiace van and am looking at easy options or measurements for my roof racks, want to keep the hull in the best shape if possible.

 

[Nativeman]

Well my roof racks are about 800 - 900 mm apart.. The PA sits on top in the upright position and I find the center point of the hull and have in in the middle of the racks. Tie it down with cam straps firmly, not over tight and a rope from the rear handle to my tow bar for piece of mind if heavy braking is needed.

 

[Dodge]

I have a hiace van and am looking at easy options or measurements for my roof racks, want to keep the hull in the best shape if possible.

Mate my advice is re the HiAce which I also use, and not related to a PA14 as I carry a Swing on top.

I use Rhino racks and they are 2m apart, with the rear bar being 300mm in from the end of the gutter, I also side load the kayak so do not have to protect the rear van door when loading.

However with the PA14 you will likely load from the rear, so think you would have to move the back bar further to the rear, so when you lean the boat onto the rack it clears the top of the rear door, and imagine you will then have to move the front rack backwards as well to compensate, but you will know once the boat is on top.

 

[rodrocket]

I have a pa12, had a pa14 before.
I have Thule "slide" bars and load from the side.
I would not buy these again and would agree with a rear load system, best with a roller to aid easy slide on.
I'm looking at the same thing myself.
I have a Mitsu outlander wagon. Bar spacing is 1m.
Def tie bow handle to front bumper or whatever if driving any distance at higher speeds.
Cheers. Rod
I'd like to know what you end up doing. Give a report please.
Cheers again

 

[Scottj522]

Cheers for the advice guys, I'm gonna load it up tomorrow afternoon for a trial and adjust the bars to suit. Will post pics up once done. Thanks again

 

[suehobieadventure]

What is the problem with the Thule slide bars ? I have almost been tempted to buy a set so interested to know what their weakness is.

 

[Scottj522]

Here's pics of it all loaded up.

 

[Dodge]

Looks good mate attached similar to my method, except my yak is upside down, now all you need to carry is a milk crate to stand on when strapping the beast in place.

Suggest you keep an eye on the gutter weld near the rear rack as it will take a lot of weight initially when loading, if you can move that rack a touch forward to give more weld support, and still give clearance required from the paintwork, think it would be a good option.

 

[proctor]

Hobie suggest there cradles spaced at 67 inches, my PA 12 cradles ended up at 57 inches for the best fit. The front cradle sits under the mirage drive slot and the rear cradle is around the rear rod holder area so i'd think about moving the rear roof rack forward a little.