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March, 2024

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Custom Ski Rack

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Chubbs.
Posts: 1018 - Karma: 2,647
Due to the fact that Yakima Roof Racks are a huge dent in a skiers pocket me and my dad decided to custom make some racks using the same bars Yakima uses but for a fraction of the price.

They are $300 cheaper than Yakima.

What do you guys think?

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I will be buying a Yakima Powderhound ski holder to go on top.
Mar 3 2013 4:47PM
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Chubbs.
Posts: 1018 - Karma: 2,647
Everything will be painted black.
Mar 3 2013 4:49PM
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icculus.
Posts: 749 - Karma: 3,963
that's sick man!! Hope it holds!!
Mar 3 2013 5:22PM
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Troy.
Posts: 5070 - Karma: 12,545
It's dumb but that's because I get 50% off Yakima. Thanks NSP.
Mar 3 2013 5:32PM
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broto
Posts: 9039 - Karma: 25,659
how is it secured?
Mar 3 2013 5:42PM
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bakedpow
Posts: 8770 - Karma: 10,462
how sturdy are those plates that connect the bar to the car? cuz iv been able to bend those with my hand, not sure if they are the same kind tho
Mar 3 2013 5:46PM
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Chubbs.
Posts: 1018 - Karma: 2,647
there are the u bolts that put pressure on the bar and keep it from moving
Mar 3 2013 6:08PM
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Chubbs.
Posts: 1018 - Karma: 2,647
theyre all bolted to the car and the bar will take the pressure. It takes alot of force to bend them we use a metal clamp to bend it
Mar 3 2013 6:09PM
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broto
Posts: 9039 - Karma: 25,659
no shit but how is the plate its bolted to attached to the car?
Mar 3 2013 6:30PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
cool idea, but when i have $2000 plus worth of ski gear on my car, ill spend the extra $300 to be sure that i have a reliable rack system that wont come off
Mar 3 2013 6:37PM
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Chubbs.
Posts: 1018 - Karma: 2,647
yeah vw has bolts under the weather stripping
Mar 3 2013 6:40PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
I'm pretty sure this would be as reliable, if not more reliable than a yakima rack.
Mar 3 2013 7:00PM
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KingTaco
Posts: 2510 - Karma: 2,824
yeah seriously. last time i checked the materials on a yakima or thule are just some plastic and cheap metal. this looks sick
Mar 3 2013 7:56PM
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wintersway
Posts: 5115 - Karma: 128
bought my oem bars and large ski/board rack for under $200 for my golf.. buy used.

got mine from a buddy at work though.
Mar 3 2013 8:56PM
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Blake.P
Posts: 9894 - Karma: 3,585
actually i didnt read how it was mounted on. not a bad option then.

also i've never had to deal with something like this because my escape came with a factory installed roof rack, which is bolted into the car in many different spots
Mar 3 2013 8:59PM
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funkmaster
Posts: 617 - Karma: 1,876
looks legit, i did a similar project last summer for my moving trip. i made a bike rack with a 2x6, some scrap bits of 2x4 and a bit of hardware.

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cost me maybe 10-20 bucks tops vs like 200 bucks per bike. held together fine made it from ontario-BC. you can definately save a lot of money in some circumstances by doing stuff yourself
Mar 3 2013 9:35PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
thule has always been 100% structurally metal all the way down to the rubber pads. It's just a flimsy plastic cover that you see. Yakima has always had structural parts of the base rack made out of plastic, but I have never seen that part fail. There is no doubt that they make good racks, especially thule. But they are ridiculously over-engineered. They are on the roof so strong that they will dent the car when people drive into stuff with them. I don't mean the sheet metal on the roof either, I mean the doorframe. When I installed roof racks I would shake the vehicle back and forth on its suspension to make sure it was on solid.

When I was doing it on my own car though I just pieced together a rack from old stuff. It was 10x as sketchy as any properly fit thule rack, but I knew there was still no way it was going anywhere.

When I was up in the yukon I saw a roof rack made out of two small trees like 2" in diameter and ziptied to the siderails of the car. It probably worked fine. I would put my skis up on it.

Basically I think that people overestimate the forces that are actually involved. Then again you still see them flying off all the time. I think basically it just takes a bit of common sense. It doesn't matter if you are using tree branches and zipties or a $500 Thule base rack. If you use your head it's gonna work, and if you fuck up you might see your skis take off on a one-way flight.
Mar 3 2013 9:46PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
red forester with bike rack on the left and box on the right. awesome combo!

this was mine.

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I've done 3 surfboards in the box and two bikes beside it
Mar 3 2013 10:21PM
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theblackrod
Posts: 2162 - Karma: 575
i have yakima mounts you can have for $50 plus shipping... 4 towers, 3 sets of different clips (they are the "universal kit" they sold) and plenty of rubbers to keep the paint on your car clean. I'm serious. i have 2 sets of yakima towers for round bars. you are more than welcome to buy a pair off of me for dirt cheap.
Mar 4 2013 11:36AM
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theBearJew
Posts: 10951 - Karma: 15,633
I bought my rack for $150 off CL. Got towers, clips, bars, and a bike mount for cheap. Just hunt CL and you'll find a good one eventually.
Mar 4 2013 11:42AM
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SamtheEagle
Posts: 1658 - Karma: 713
looks legit. I would be scared to put thousands of dollars of gear onto something I made but my Thule box opens randomly on the highway these days so I guess maybe I should try something myself.
Mar 4 2013 11:54AM
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tripnip
Posts: 1882 - Karma: 482
My dad instead of a rack he uses a PVC pipe that is sealed on one end and locked on the other
Mar 4 2013 12:37PM
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chicken
Posts: 6843 - Karma: 2,122
strap it shut.
Mar 4 2013 8:21PM
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*JDBP*
Posts: 312 - Karma: 2,006
Me too, Faggot.
Mar 20 2013 10:05PM
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SamtheEagle
Posts: 1658 - Karma: 713
thats what im doing while waiting to get it warrentied. apparently they have a 25 year warranty so hopefully they will fix it for free
Mar 24 2013 3:31AM
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Timmy.
Posts: 507 - Karma: 22
seems pretty legit, but you can get an oem vw one for like $150 haha plus vw one looks nicer
Mar 24 2013 10:39AM
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himay5
Posts: 208 - Karma: 174
You should get the yakima fatcat instead. Got it for this winter and love it.
Mar 24 2013 12:14PM
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