C-Forum

i drive an f350 crew cab truck and paddle an outrage x...i bought the outdoorsman 300 by yakima....two sets..one mounted on the front of the bed and one in the rear....when i tried to laod my boat, the bow of the boat hits the cab of the truck....i need about 6 inches(who doesnt, i know) added to the height of the bars...
according to yakima customer service, they dont have any solutions other than mount a rack on the cab which i cant do b/c its a company truck and needs to be removable...or use the receiver dry dock hitch device which doesnt allow you to open the tailgate when in place...
does anyone have a suggestion or know of a way to add 6" extensions to the racks to make this work...surely i can be the first one to have this problem...
thanks in advance for the help!!!
allen in alabama

Put some foam blocks on the front rack, none on the rear. It should pivot the boat up, giving you enough clearance.

http://www.rutabaga.com/product_images.asp?pid=1004068

I have an F250 superduty crew cab. I put one set of the outdoors man on the bed rails for one bar in the back. I used the Q towers with the Q clips to put a bar over the cab. I take the Q tower bar off of the cab when I am not hauling boats. I can place that bar pretty much anywhere from about 6 inches behind the windshield to 50 or 56 inches (I can't remember the exact measurement right now) back. It is in no way permanant and it has not even put a scratch on my truck yet. It is not nearly as cost effective as the foam block suggestion but it lets me place the bars exactly where I feel the boats are best supported. You would need to take one of the bars from the Outdoorsman and put Q towers on it. You should have what looks like a type of rain gutter running front to back on both the driver and passanger side of the truck. I used a Sharpie and made a small mark in those rain gutters that shows me where to put the Q towers when I want to put the bar back on. That makes alignment a breeze and nobody else even has a clue the marks are there. I hope I understood your question correctly and that this helps.
DAVE

I took my towers apart....Added PVC to the height I wanted and a longer bolt...used a cotter pen to replace pen.

No such thing as bad weather...just bad clothing.

Sorry....Also my old Outrage...on some racks I just needed to put the stern up front.

Super suggestions...I will try turning the boat around and have the stern up front---easy fix if thats the case...also, i ahve already ordered the half set of qtowers and will try that too..i bought the one for trucks without raingutter b/c i do know what you are talking about, but i didnt consider it a raingutter,,,im probably wrong and will have to send it back...
as far as the pvc trick, im a bit confused on where you added the pvc? the tops of my towers have a square base that wouldnt allow pvc to fit over it unless you get some big enough and then it would fall all the way down to the bed...also how did you attach the top bar holder to the pvc...
again thanks for the help!!!

I can't tell from the pictures on line exactly how this thing goes together. I can't exactly tell what laeljon did with the PVC either. But, if the top part of the racks has a short "riser" section with a short bolt like the old 1A (?) raingutter towers, then maybe I have an idea of what laeljon did and I might have something to offer. I bought a "high rise" (?) kit for an old truck I had where the shell was taller than the cab but I had gutters on the cab - the "high rise" kit were short sections of aluminum (4"?) that went between the tower base and the block that holds the cross bar. They had a longer bolt and some parts to replace the pin that holds the clip in. If that sounds right, you are welcome to them if I can find them.

Otherwise, I like the bar over the cab - Q towers if you must, 1A rain gutter towers if you can.

Allen,
I sent you a pm with information on my truck.....

how about a 2by6 across the top... (paint to match)... much easier on the gunwales

thanks for all the help--i stopped by a local machine shop i do business with and presented my problem...their solution is to cut the base of the top portion of the outdoorsman off, fabricate a 6" extension made of similiar channel tha tthe rack is made of and then reattaching the cut off base to the top of the extension and im back in business...i may go that route as it seems to be the solution that i can best get away with...i greatly appreciate all the other suggestions and may end up trying some if this doesnt work...
Again thanks
Allen

You could use Q-towers on the cab--they are removable, just as easy as the sportsman to take on and off. You could use one of the bed mounted racks just behind the cab and a set of Q-towers on the cab--they are removable. Did someone tell you the Q-towers aren't removable?? or does that cab not accept Q-towers. This seems llike a better solution than cutting up the Outdoorsman--which would void any warranty. Just my thoughts.
Good Luck
B

i have been told that i can use the qtowers on the cab...i was just thinking that it would leave a scratch and/or not be easily removable--i have learned that they are as several folks have said so....
you brought up a good point---is the warranty that important...has anyone had problems with yakima products...specifically the outsoorsman series..i mean they are basically a few pieces of welded steel...i do know welds can break...so as i ramble on, warranty may be important...
how easily are the qtowers removed? i know there is an initial instal that requires measuring etc, but after that, is it really that easy where on a sunday evening when i pull into the drive from a long weekend of paddling, i can take them off and drive to work naked?
thanks for all the advice..this place is great.....

We have Q towers on our van and they work fine. The measuring is to get the towers on the bars right, mainly. They basically clamp to your roof and door frame, with the door closing over the "clip". They have left no mark on our roof, minor compression of the door gasket (that springs back), and after extended use, some wear on the paint inside the door (where the clip rubs) - nothing a dot of touch up paint wouldn't cover. To fit another vehicle, all you need is another set of the clips.

Why not convince the company that they need you to have a pipe/ ladder rack for you to haul your boats err equipment to the riv i mean work.

Aric

i like your creative thinking about needing a rack to work purposes, but in this time of $4.00 diseal fuel prices, im trying to fly low on the radar screen with the company car...know what i mean....