Putting those "Oh $h1Z" Handles to use (on a Honda Fit)

So it's windless, overcast, and raining and I was bored as heck, so I decided to try mounting my kiteboards to the ceiling of my ride using the "OH SNAP" Handles. AND.. my little project actually worked out! 8)

Note: I had to remove my fins to prevent ripping up the ceiling and to let the boards pack closer together/flatter to the ceiling.

Note2: Rightclick/view image to see a bigger version of the pics.

Side view to show how low the straps come down (note: the lowest footstraps you see are the ones from the center board which is out of the way of people's heads)


Rear view close up


Rear view from further back


View of rear rigging. Note: I used bungies to keep the boards from sliding around laterally


View of front rigging. I still need to figure out what to do with the excess strap :/



I finally get to use that fins pocket on my Cabrinha backpack! 8)



It might look like a chore to put but the boards there, but all I have to do to mount the boards is
1. keep the front strap in place
2. unhook the back strap
3. slide the boards on top of the front strap
4. run the back strap under the boards and hook it in and tighten it up
5. affix the bungies
DONE.

Dismounting simply means reversing the above steps.

I spent $28 total. $16 for 4 of those red ratcheting straps and $12 for an assortment of 24 bungies :D Now I've got room for more kites, gear, or people on road trips

Annnnnd that's probably the only kite action I'll see this weekend :sniff:

good idea...

Thats hilarious.

I got to put my rigging to the test on our kite trip to Corpus Christi, TX yesterday. I was able to fit 4 boards, 7 bow kites, 3 harnesses, 5 bars, 2 pumps, 3 backpacks, and 3 people (myself included) in the car. I should have taken a pic, but forgot to..

For peeps wondering why I don't just buy a roof rack/box, I do have a Yakima roof rack kit, but that would disrupt the vehicle's aerodynamics affect my gas mileage which was one of the reasons I bought the car in the first place (I wanted to take coastal trips for cheap and have room for gear/buddies).

I was able to get 32-33mpg (doin ~75-80mph, had a headwind) on the way over there, and 36-37mpg (doin 70-75, had a tailwind) on the way back. If I woulda done 65mph the whole way back, I could have broke 40mpg easy. I've done 43mpg from CC to Austin in the past.

One other idea I had was installing a hitch in back and having a little board rack or cargo box to free up room inside. Maybe a rack something like this, but short and designed specifically to hold kiteboards:

I had a roof rack once, but the darn thing came apart at 70 mph and dumped my snowboards on the road. I now have a box, and will not go back to a rack. Its a wonderful thing to stuff all your gear into the box and still have room in the car for other things. Yeah, it hurts the gas mileage a bit, but I prefer the peace of mind of knowing my gear isnt coming off....

No, but those boxes have been known to come off...

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Originally posted by Maven454 No, but those boxes have been known to come off...

And if it does, its more likely to damage the box than the gear inside... Not to mention I tend to wrap my stuff before putting in the box meaning if it did come off, its even less likely to sustain damage...

Coming open is different than coming off...
Either would be bad. I would have to guess that that was a fluke. I've seen lots of these boxes and never seen one come open on the road. Just reminds me why I used to check my rear view mirror every couple minutes while driving with the box up there.... heh

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Originally posted by indigo_wolf Paranoid side of me might have also opted for another ratchet strap in the back to limit the downward motion of anything from the bungee family, let a pothole resulted in a concussion for anyone in the back seat. :wow:

There is a ratchet strap in the back too (check the pics above). After our session yesterday I ran a ratchet strap under the velcro of the foot strap to force the board closer to the ceiling giving even more headroom If that's not clear, I can take a pic.

Quote:

Cam straps rather than ratchet straps might keep you from overpowering the mounting screws on the handles. Also faster to cinch and release.

That was definitely a concern -I'll look into those. Thanks for the tip

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Try Googling "storage hitch" or "hitch boxes". The only thing I could find specifically for carrying board type objects was for the niche market of hauling windshields, and as a result was priced painfully high.

We've got a local kiter who is a welder. He said he might be able to whip up something better for the inside, and I'm sure he could make a custom hitch-mounted board rack if I went that route. He digs taking my car to the coast cuz the gas bill split 3 ways comes out to <= $10 :smug: (total amt depends on gas prices. 430 miles round trip.)

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Originally posted by nwsurfwakeskate I'm pretty sure they thought I was going to hijack there car when I was trying to flag them down. ;-)

hahaha yeah, I saw people in one car trying to tell a person in another car that they had a flat tire. I don't know what hand gestures the nice people used, but the flat tire dude flipped 'em off then exited that highway!

Then smoke started coming offa the flat tire and then the tire shifted in towards toward the vehicle and the rim was riding on the asphalt (he had those huge 30inch rims too :wow. He *finally* pulled over and was probably pissed to find he ruined one of his rims.

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Originally posted by burritobandit I don't know what hand gestures the nice people used, but the flat tire dude flipped 'em off then exited that highway!

Sounds like an ad for:
10"x2" LED Scrolling Message Sign With Remote Control - For Car



- Up to 250 characters memory and up to 98 pre-programmed messages
- Easy to control scrolling speed, and LED brightness

Definitely program in "You have a flat", "Your trailer is about to disconnect", and "Your vehicle is on fire."

:singing:

ATB,
Sam