Anyone have any of these cars and use as a surf mobile? The 2021 sec row does not come out. But I was wonder if you slide one seat all the way forward.and other all the way back. Is there enough room to go diagonally?
how about Highlander . Can board fit in there well ? I know they will come past the driver seat a bit. Just looking for comments or pics.
side note .I hate how no car manufacturer gives the length of the cargo area only volume .
I have the 2014 Sienna which dimensionally is similar. Any shortboard will go in between the seats resting on its side - my 238 sticks its nose just past the back of the driver's seat. A Kona (11'6") will fit diagonally with the nose resting just on top of the dashboard. I usually remove the right rear passenger seat which allows me to fit sails/masts/booms over there and still seat three (or four with one of the jumpsuits deployed.) If you can't remove the back seats (weird!) you can probably lay them back almost flat, and then a shortboard 220cm or shorter will fit lying flat resting on the reclined seat between the tailgate and the passenger-side front seat.
Mine has 97k miles and has been reliable. My previous Sienna, a 2004 AWD, made it to 246k before giving up the ghost.
An interesting topic that has been discussed before. My aging car is very space effecient and hopefully has more years to go. Having said that I have looked at replacement options if the need arises. In general for new/newer vehicles:. SUVs are designed for people, not cargo like windsurf gear. They are glorified but less space efficient mini vans. Maybe the super large ones are ok (eg Toyota Sequoia) but I haven't looked at these. Minivans, on the otherhand generally can take cargo (some better than others). Of course this a depends on how much space you need and how many passengers come with you. It also assumes you want to avoid roof racks. I liked the hybrid idea of the Toyota Sienna (2021) as I drive alot and better fuel efficiency is good. BUT with the mid row seats not coming out is a deal breaker. I really like the look and interior space efficiency of the 2022 Kia Carnival. However, not hybrid...
Are your sure the mid seats can not be removed?, I mean they may not be made to just pop out, but they must be bolted in place. I removed the rear seats on a Toyota Venza (even though they fold down), needed to remove 4 bolts, and built a platform over that area to store supplies for when I go backpacking out West, also so I can sleep in the back when car camping in the National Forest.
There is a "hack" already on how to take the seats out.very east . I think it was a 10mm and 17mm socket was all that was needed to remove seats . Then there are thes two plugs (one for each seat) the plugs into wire harness to simulate an airbag. So the cars computer thinks the seats are installed, when they are not. But if is not a quick change. For me i need to seats one day..and not when sailing.
Any thoughts on what would happen if the airbags around the interior of late model cars go off in an accident with 2 boards and 3 sails etc ?. Do these cars deactivate airbags when their is no weight on the respective seat detected ?, or are the systems dumb ?
I've unplugged the passenger airbag on my car as I hardly ever have passengers (I connect it back when I do - 5 second job). I just worry if the airbag will do more harm that good if I have an accident with gear.
Select to expand quotejn1 said..
Any thoughts on what would happen if the airbags around the interior of late model cars go off in an accident with 2 boards and 3 sails etc ?. Do these cars deactivate airbags when their is no weight on the respective seat detected ?, or are the systems dumb ?
I've unplugged the passenger airbag on my car as I hardly ever have passengers (I connect it back when I do - 5 second job). I just worry if the airbag will do more harm that good if I have an accident with gear.
don't you get an airbag warning message ???
Sort of. A dim red light on the dash emits. When I first got my car, I did some investigation on what this would do to the airbag controller unit. For my system, it will operate the driver bag as normal in a crash (important requirement satisfed).
But, I do wonder how dangerous and an airbag + gear becomes when deployed with a car full of gear. I doubt they discussed this scenario in the acceptance meeting.
Sky King
i have a Highlander. When I carry my 245cm length board inside, it has to ride on its side, blocking the passenger side view. Not ideal. At a launch recently, I met a guy who specifically bought a VW Atlas for windsurfing. His rationale is that the headrests are removable allowing him to lay the seat backs flat (or low) and his boards could law flat on top.
Select to expand quotejn1 said..
Any thoughts on what would happen if the airbags around the interior of late model cars go off in an accident with 2 boards and 3 sails etc ?. Do these cars deactivate airbags when their is no weight on the respective seat detected ?, or are the systems dumb ?
I've unplugged the passenger airbag on my car as I hardly ever have passengers (I connect it back when I do - 5 second job). I just worry if the airbag will do more harm that good if I have an accident with gear.
Be warned that you are voiding your insurance by doing that-if they find out!
Toyota RAV 4 works back seats down, front passenger seat folded back with head rest removed. Can lay flat a ultrasonic with a fox 120 on top and 3 sails on top of that.
