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Windsurfing Van travel rack

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Created by FormulaNova > 9 months ago, 10 Jan 2012
FormulaNova
WA, 15086 posts
10 Jan 2012 8:43AM
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Hey, I thought I would just show people my cheap-as-chips van racks that I made up for our annual trip to WA. Every year we end up throwing everything in a pile in the back of the rental van, so this year I thought I would make up something to make it easier for us.



Total cost would be about $100, and its pretty easy to disassemble when finished.

We managed to fit in 6 boards, and a bunch of sails. It was good to not have all the sails crushed under a mountain of gear for a change!



sboardcrazy
NSW, 8250 posts
10 Jan 2012 12:17PM
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FormulaNova said...

Hey, I thought I would just show people my cheap-as-chips van racks that I made up for our annual trip to WA. Every year we end up throwing everything in a pile in the back of the rental van, so this year I thought I would make up something to make it easier for us.



Total cost would be about $100, and its pretty easy to disassemble when finished.

We managed to fit in 6 boards, and a bunch of sails. It was good to not have all the sails crushed under a mountain of gear for a change!






mmm now I just have to get a van.. Looks like a larger version of what my partner made me to store paintings! Looks like a good easy idea..

ikw777
QLD, 2995 posts
10 Jan 2012 12:29PM
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So it's just free-standing in the van? Not screwed down?

FormulaNova
WA, 15086 posts
10 Jan 2012 10:50AM
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ikw777 said...

So it's just free-standing in the van? Not screwed down?


Yeah. Its a rental van, so I don't really want to go screwing things in or drilling holes.

With three supports, the weight of the gear keeps it in place. We also tied a strap to the front of it, to a metal ring on the floor of the Hiace, to stop it moving around. if we had more straps we would have strapped it down in a few more places to stop it moving at all.

rustbucket
NSW, 290 posts
10 Jan 2012 3:00PM
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good simple stuff...and looks very portable when pulled apart

ikw777
QLD, 2995 posts
10 Jan 2012 2:01PM
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What are the uprights? Conduit?

FormulaNova
WA, 15086 posts
10 Jan 2012 1:47PM
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ikw777 said...

What are the uprights? Conduit?


Yeah, its just electrical conduit, fitting into timber with the right size holes made by a spade bit. I used screws through the timber to lock the conduit in place.



jh2703
NSW, 1223 posts
10 Jan 2012 6:12PM
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Haha...good job, my first trip to WA was started at the hyundai dealership. I picked up the new Iload drove home threw everything in the back and drove to Port Perie SA for the first service then onto WA. Needless to say by the time I got to WA my sails were as flat as pancakes and everything I wanted was always on the bottom. After a few days I went to BCF in Gero and bought some double bunk camp stretchers, Problem solved.....my sails went on the top bunk and my boards on the bottom. For some reason I took a MTB that year??? Have no idea why it just got in the way but there was now room for that. It was all tied down with ratchet straps and everything was secure. I've now modified my van to hold my gear full time and no longer have a problem but If I was to fly I'd do the camp stretcher in a hire van, for $60 it done a good job and served it purpose....Good job man

rustbucket
NSW, 290 posts
11 Jan 2012 10:38AM
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wow

never heard of double bunk camp stretchers...you mean one bed above another...

how can they make a portable bunk strongenough to support the top person?

enlighten me more...that idea is great too for portability..any photos?

man some interesting ideas here.

puffin
235 posts
12 Jan 2012 5:33AM
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Check this out for a reusable, portable rack:

members.shaw.ca/kevin_bartlett_175/plyracks.html

The supports swing in and out of the way for storage.

FormulaNova
WA, 15086 posts
12 Jan 2012 11:27AM
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You can't store enough boards in those racks I would need three or four to hold my collection of boards-that-no-one-wants.

I made some racks out of galvanised steel and bolted it onto the wall studs. The boards were horizontal, and once it was fully loaded you had trouble getting to the boards on top.

I ended up removing it as it was cumbersome and the galvanising rusted badly with only a little salt water on it.

Now I have lengths of timber running horizontally with electrical conduit held in holes in the wood to separate the boards, and they stand vertically like in a windsurfing shop. Its heaps easier to get the boards in and out and there is no more rusting problem. Sails and booms can be stored the same way.

My travel rack for the van above was meant to be a cheap/quick way of putting a rack together to stop me and my buddies from crushing our gear. It breaks down to 6 bits of timber and lengths of conduit, so its pretty easy to store.

It was a success as we got 7 boards in, with about 12 sails, and 6 booms in, and none of my gear got crushed!


WindmanV
VIC, 795 posts
13 Jan 2012 9:55AM
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Rustbucket said: "Never heard of double bunk camp stretchers...you mean one bed above another...

how can they make a portable bunk strong enough to support the top person?

enlighten me more...that idea is great too for portability..any photos?"

Try this: www.anacondastores.com/

jh2703
NSW, 1223 posts
13 Jan 2012 11:50AM
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WindmanV said...


Try this: www.anacondastores.com/



That's the one I used, much cheaper from BCF. I don't think I'd ever trust the top bunk for an adult but kids don't break that easy if the fall out(the bunks are only about waist high anyway). I only had 3 boards and 5 sails so it worked for me, Sails and masts on the top and 3 boards in board bags on the bottom and booms hung on hooks on the side. When camping up at corros I'd just clear the boards from the bottom and throw a sleeping bag in and I was set for the night. The bunks were secured in the van with ratchet straps to the cargo tie down points in the iLoad, the whole thing was super stable. Like I said it was done as a quick fix, I had no tools to use so I had to come up with something that used minimal effort.....it got the job done.



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"Windsurfing Van travel rack" started by FormulaNova