Canoe Rack for a Rebel Off Road XPLOR Rack?

[ToJTornottoJT]

I am trying to mount a canoe on the top of my Rebel Off Road XPLOR rack. I need it to be higher than the cab roof so it does not rub. I am looking for something made by Thule, Rhino Rack, or some other manufacturer like a set of crossbars that will bolt to my XPLOR rack. I just need the crossbars, but I need them to bolt on.

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[ggdillon]

I am STILL sorting how best to get my canoe over my soft top, but the rough plan eventually is to use any of the aero-shaped crossbars with t-slots on the top and bottom, and use the t-slot on the bottom to mount them to some sort of rack.

Here's the rhino rack ones from etrailer, but thule, yakima whatever all seem to have similar designs.
https://www.etrailer.com/Roof-Rack/Rhino-Rack/RRVA180B-2.html

Or, if worst comes to worst, you could just drill a hole through the aluminum and bolt it that way. Maybe use a piece of appropriately sized steel or aluminum barstock from McMaster with a hole drilled into it as a kind of t-slot washer to help spread the force out.

If that alone isn't high enough to clear the roof (and with my soft-top, I will certainly need extra clearance), I was thinking of using uni-strut or c-channel between the rack and the aero bars to give me another couple of inches. But with your rack there may be a good commercial offering from thule or yakima... not sure.

Good luck. Share what you finally do. I'm curious to see what you come up with.

 

[Fpolanco]

Out of curiousity, if you mounted the kayak directly on the rack, how much room do you have between the kayak and the hardtop?

Whenever people come into my store looking for kayak carriers, after a brief conversation, 80% of the time, pool noodles become the most cost effective option…

 

[Fpolanco]

Or even these…

https://www.rei.com/product/672423/...EZhfgd278NPG6NIFsHxoCPXEQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

[Aceman8772]

X-plor rack which I like a lot. My set up is cheap and ugly but effective. Pool noodles cut in half to act as a pad against the rack. However, I found that I had to tighten the ratchet so tight that it would rub on the soft top.
Enter the hard plastic blocks. I cut those in half to fit on the rack. 9cm wide and a nice match. The holes allow air flow under the board. I then decided to add more so that I could carry the board with the truck in man bun mode.
A pool noodle with a slice in it acts as the protection for the board from the ratchet straps.

All the blocks and pool noodles are covered in duct tape for UV and water protection so the foam does not break down as quickly.

I have found very short bungee straps secure to the rack well. Once the board is in place and ratcheted down, it doesn't move anywhere. The ratchets secure the whole set uo to the rack. The bungees just hold the blocks and pad in place during loading and unloading. Top speed tested was 70 mph.

I like that I can quickly and easily remove the setup. No tools required.

I also like that I can adjust the height for top down or up.

The most expensive item was the ratchet straps. I think all in for less than 50 bucks.

Thanks for letting me share my setup.

 

[R.ridecuda]

Unistrut from Lowes or hd works good. Bolts to the rack cut outs. Wrap pds around bars with zip ties. This has two kayaks on top.

 

[ToJTornottoJT]

I did this for now and it works fine for a 14' canoe. I am still working on a rack solution.

 

[R.ridecuda]

Here is what I made .

Bolts down easy peasy

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