How to haul a 10ft 1x10 on the roof?

[Se7enLC]

I just got my Outback a few weeks ago, and this was the first occasion I had to need the roof rack. I fished the Torx wrench out from the spare tire area and moved my rear crossbar to the back location, put the board on the roof, then scratched my head.

I have 4 ratchet straps - one end of the strap has a metal hook (rubber coated) and is 15ft or so long nylon strap - the end is just strap. The other part is a hook, about 4-6 inches or so of strap, and the ratcheting mechanism.

These straps have worked great for me in the past for putting ANYTHING on a roof or in a trailer. You hook one end on the roof rack (or loop around it and hook it to itself), run the strap over whatever you're securing, hook it back to the roof rack, and tighten.

We spent maybe 10-15 minutes trying to figure out how we could do that on the 2013 Outback, and eventually had to give up and just TIE the board to the rack using the straps. There's just nowhere to put a hook. When you swing the lateral bars in to become the crossbars, you're left with exactly zero places on the side to put a hook.

I could switch to using smaller bungee cords or rope, but I've really gotten used to the strength and utility of ratchet straps. I'm considering all sorts of options for how to add loops onto the stock rack, or other crossbars or something. Currently just waiting for the Landing Pad to be updated for 2013 as that seems to offer the best reasonable option - but even so, that also won't really fix the mount-point problem (although it does allow you to loop a strap over the end of a bar, something you can't do with the factory bars).

Thoughts / Suggestions?

[Saint J VT]

Put a flag on the back and have the majority of overhang off the back as the front will have a tendency to want to lift due to the wind blowing up the angle of the windshield.

For a 1X which is 3/4" thick, can't you hitch the bungee hooks (loops) to the edge of the board?

Keep it 40 MPH or slower. Make sure no large knots or weak points are on the rear and not the front, as the board will most likely break there, if weak.

[Se7enLC]

Originally Posted by Saint J VT

For a 1X which is 3/4" thick, can't you hitch the loops to the edge of the board?

I wanted to avoid putting the metal hooks on the board itself, so we wouldn't damage it.

Assuming it didn't cause damage, then what? You'd have a hook on one side of the board. You'd go over the board and past it.... but to what? There's nothing on either side of the roof rack to loop around to come back. On a normal car, there's a rail that runs front to back you can loop around, but on the Outback, that rail swings out and becomes the crossbar.

No way I'm putting a hook on the narrow edge of a 10" board, that's just asking to slide off and end up going through a window or under a tire.

EDIT: A smaller hook like a bungee would fit better, but there's still nothing to hook it to apart from the crossbar or the board itself. Specifically, nothing to stop it from sliding side-to-side or rotating, as a long board would tend to do.

[Saint J VT]

Use a clean rag at each point. Wrap the bungee around the bottom of crossbar (even through the openings in the long side bars) and back up around the top of board as many times as you need.

Even paper towels will pad the edge of the board unless you are driving from Maine to California, in which case you will want to wrap the whole thing in plastic or a large tarp.

The other option is go buy a truck or full size van

[mpnret]

Quik Grip mini bar clamps work well.

[mikelipke]

I usually set one end on the dash, and set the rest on the rear seat back, and drive home with the gate open, it it is that long.
But then, I'm nuts.

[Cobalt]

I agree the engineer that designed the rack has never tried tying anything down

Think outside the box, you are fixed on strapping it down at the point where you start the attachment.

Try this


slip the hook onto the front of the crossbar next to the board, run the strap along the board back to the other cross bar, go under it and then over the board at the back of the crossbar then under the crossbar and run it along the board and hook the front bar with the 2nd hook then ratchet it tight.

Take the 2nd strap and repeat the process starting the hook at the rear crossbar

[crabjoe]

This might sound odd to you or you might not like the idea, but whenever I've ever had to carry a long piece of wood on a roof rack, I used a couple screws and bungee cords.

I'd look at the board and on the side that will not be seen, I'd put a screw in. One screw for each cross bar. This way, I can wrap the bungee around the cross bar, board and around the screw to keep the board from moving front to back or side to side.

Good luck!!

[Se7enLC]

Originally Posted by Cobalt

slip the hook onto the front of the crossbar next to the board, run the strap along the board back to the other cross bar, go under it and then over the board at the back of the crossbar then under the crossbar and run it along the board and hook the front bar with the 2nd hook then ratchet it tight.

I did have that thought the day or so afterwards, and I think that's what I'll do the next time. It still doesn't do anything to help with left/right motion, but it will at least let me use the ratchet straps rather than having to use bungees!

[Ztech]

I carry a 10'4" SUP (stand up paddleboard) inside. Fold down the rear seat(s), remove the passenger seat headrest, slide the seat a bit forward and recline it until it hits the folded down rear seat, feed the board or other long object so the nose or front rest on the dash, pad with a towel or something, close the lift gate carefully as not to push the object into the windshield as it cracks very easily from the inside out. You can also pass a number of 10' 3/4" pvc pipes through the supports of the raised passenger seat headrest, they will rest on the dash a few inches in front of the windshield, a wood board 10' or less would fit easily as well, just carry a towel to wrap around to keep form scratching something.