RV Windsurf Equipment Carrying Options

[Gdawg]

Looking for advice from those of you who have an RV / Motorhome and windsurf. I'm looking at buying a small Class C and am wondering about the pros and cons of the various gear carrying options. For the most part carrying equipment inside won't be an option, hence I'm looking at either roof mounted racks or a hitch mounted basket like this: http://www.etrailer.com/Hitch-Cargo-Car ... 2018F.html. Anyone have any real world experience with either approach which they can share? Kiters are welcome to chime in as long as they can resist making smug comments about how if I just switched sports I'd be able to fit all of my gear in the glove compartment.

[Gord Baines]

I've got a custom rack that holds all my gear vertically off the back of my RV. Nothing wrong with carrying everything on the roof, but I prefer the relative ease of loading and unloading gear while standing on the ground, especially in high winds. You'll see a lot of variations of this method in the Gorge. PM me your e-mail address and i'll send you some photos.

[rvanderbyl]

Nothing wrong with carrying all you gear on a rear mounted rack system. But having owned a class C before I wouldn't own one again unless a wife or family situation deemed it necessary. Pm me your email and I will send pics of what I consider to be the ultimate in roof mounted carrying solutions and info on why I designed it that way!
Cheers, Ray

[eastside]

How come the rest of us can't see the ultimate roof rack system RV! Racks are almost as exciting as fins.

[rvanderbyl]

I think it's because you all actually sail...even if the wind is a bit light at times. I prefer to spend my time on the beach looking at or thinking about nice racks. To me a little more interesting than say...fins...for example;)

[KUS]

I prefer to spend my time on the beach looking at or thinking about nice racks

You're not alone buddy, I think a lot of us guys get distracted by this

But back to the storage issue. Pondered this long and hard, wasted endless hours in fact over the years and through several vehicles.

downsides of rack on the rear of the Class C:
-more length (parking, ferry costs)
-more weight (the frames on these things are already way overextended and they break routinely at the hitch)
-poor weight distribution
-no security
-holiday over if you back into something or have a rear ender
-storing stuff on end is usually not good for the stuff
-everything gets covered in dust!!

downsides on the roof:
-more sun exposure
-more drag...maybe...
-corrosion
-you fall off w/ wet booties/wind or drop your boards off the roof

downsides of a Class C....don't get me going been there, never again

There are tons of rigs on the internet to look at, they all have some sort of problem. I still think after all these years that keeping sails/masts inside with boards outside is the way to go....hence basement storage is a must and I put the wet sails into the shower for a day. An alternative that is risky is a roof rocket box where things get mouldy or all wet and you get to lose the lid in high winds or on the highway

At the end of the day I went minimalist to keep down drag, weight, corrosion, total clearance height of rig/rack:
Two plastic wood 1x3 strips across the roof 6' apart attached with an aluminum 1" strip running it's full length, bolted into the side of the rig (no leaks). Stainless doubled (every attachment has a back-up) eyelets, for straps/high quality bungies, inserted through the aluminum into the plastic wood ~2 feet apart. The plastic wood cut at an angle to reduce drag. The space created allows water run off and some circulation or your alu roof will corrode bigtime. (I used a coffin bag for a while for 2 boards and it settled on the roof causing micro holes in the aluminum in two summers). I use a 5/8 climbing rope chunk to lower/hoist the board bags on the leeward side and can also tie a quiver bag on the roof as well as kayaks or SUPs as necessary. I carabiner board bags to one another, kayaks and crab trap too. I loop a safety rope around the air conditioner and tie the front ends of all heavy items with carabiners onto it....if the rack ever fails, even on all four corners, stuff would still be dragging and not kill anybody.
Another advantage of this type of system is you can unclick items individually and don't have to undo the whole friggen rack to get the bottom item for example.

[Gdawg]

OK - now I've got to ask - why the hate-on for the Class C mohos? What am I missing apart from drastically underestimating the cost of ownership and overestimating my annual usage? I'll be travelling with a windsurfing wife and 2 small kids to the extetnt that this influences your response.

[KUS]

OK - now I've got to ask - why the hate-on for the Class C mohos? What am I missing apart from drastically underestimating the cost of ownership and overestimating my annual usage? I'll be travelling with a windsurfing wife and 2 small kids to the extetnt that this influences your response.

awh, I just really dislike vehicles that don't do ANYTHING well, motorhomes in general require constant maintenance but at least with some it's worth it and they actually let you enjoy some time. I happen to think short <25' fiberglass Class A's is where it's at but that's me. Mine has also had it's own tale of woe here and there and my middle name is McGiver.....Even Class B's can be very nice if not a bit cramped, maybe add-a-room tent. Some guys seem to make it work, Robin has a propane powered one, Jellyfish socializes and feeds the world and gets tons of use. Class C's in general tho are the RV industry's cruel joke for the outdoor oriented father, you mean well but are destined to fail, the rigs are built with spit and paper, overloaded and under-carriaged, and in the end you lose a whole bunch on money and gain shitloads of stress/work. You are much better off with a loaded Nissan Armada and stay in a nice motel or B&B, better for the marriage too....or rent one

anyway, racks, here is vertical one on a Class B

[Joostio]

being an RV tech myself I can say all motorhomes have problems. I don't think there is much difference between A class or C class as far as durability. When buying a motorhome you want to find one where the sealants have been kept up on. THEY ALL LEAK! It may not show water leaks on the inside but it doesn't mean they aren't full of water in the walls. Moisture is any motorhome's worst nightmare. I have a C class that I just bought from my work to sell, I spent several hours replacing wet rotten wood in the front bunk, a common area for leakage. I am lucky I have the know how and tools to do this myself, it would have been a $3000 job at my shop. The motorhome I have and use regularily is a B class. A fiber glass top and van body has minimal places to rot. The down side is the lack of space. I would only own a B class my self. When buying a motorhome it is worth having it inspected by a reputable shop for signs of moisture and rot.

[KUS]

I spent several hours replacing wet rotten wood in the front bunk, a common area for leakage. I am lucky I have the know how and tools to do this myself

yep, that's lucky alright
There is a difference between a fiberglass/foam and aluminum/steel framed unit and one built with wallpaper, fiberglass insulation and pine beetle lumber held together with a single staple made of Chinese steel...I have owned both, actually all 3. But yes, they can all leak....of course all the bunks leak, and that is the key item about C classes, cantilevered over 4-5', with loosely stapled sheet metal roofing with seams, end capped with goo, who comes up with this stuff? Yep, good advice to have it inspected and also re-do all the seals and screw strips. I do my window seals every 2-3 yrs

[Joostio]

we see lots of problems with the laminated foam and fiberglass ones too, big delaminations. Atleast they are easy to spot when you buy them. I like that the wood and tin ones are easier to fix. Changing your window sealants like you do is very important Kus, good on you. We get so many customers with newer units with big rot jobs as they did not have them looked after. At $90/hr the repairs get expensive. We have a trailer at the shop right now, 2005 arctic fox 30 travel trailer. Floor is completely toast and the roof is bad too, the estimate is around $17 000.00 to fix it, the people are pulling rrsp's to pay for it, I shake my head.
I got my C class cheap and after the repairs I should make some money on it. New valves on the tanks, furnace motor, LPG regulator, awning replaced, completely resealed and rot repaired. At $90/hr the bill would be pretty high, done on my own time not so bad. A few more touch ups and she will be up for sale.
As RV tech's we always say "RV stands for rotting vehicle"

[Gord Baines]

Experiences vary, I guess. I have had my Class C since '04 and built my rear-mount rack in '05. Go to the Gorge for about a month every year, haven't had any of the problems Markus mentioned:

- The rack only makes for two extra feet, for a total of twenty six, so extra cost at the ferry is negligble and I don't have any issues parking.
- Rack isn't hitch mounted, so no issues there.
- No issues with weight distribution either.
- Never had a problem with security, cable locks work just fine to deter/prevent theft. If your stuff is stored outside and someone really wants it, they're going to get it no matter where it is. All you can do is make it inconvenient for the opportunist who wants to grab something quickly.
- I have a camera mounted to my rack so I haven't backed into anything, yet.
- The base of my rack is 2"x2" steel, so someone would have to hit me pretty hard to damage the boards, and a hit that hard would likely ruin your vacation, rear-rack or not. Besides, all those reflective bags are great for getting the attention of the person behind you.
- My boards are each stored vertically, in their bags, secured in their own slot, on a padded base. My sails and masts are stored in the same way in a quiver bag, and my booms are hanging inside a boom bag. I'm open to hearing why this is bad for my gear.
- My gear doesn't get covered in dust back there, either.
- I maintain my Class C, checking all the roof seals, etc. each spring when I put it back on the road. Eight years and no issues, and we get a wee bit of precipitation in PA.

My wife, kids and I are happy campers.

[JL]

Use straps or rope instead of bungee cords though.

[KUS]

Well, I have given you my opinion while noting that others make this work...of course, once you own one you kinda have to, I wasn't trash talking current owners. It's all part of the adventure I guess

Not to beat this up but the devil is in the details-

-things would depend where you go and on your rig. As said, a huge key is length, anything over 25' and you are looking for trouble. I have problems at 24' parking at the Hatchery, Doug's I barely fit and only cuz I have good ground clearance, super great turning radius, The Wall I don't bother even trying, no turn around, Swell City they will have a fit if you pull in. Downtown Hood River I have about 4-5 spots I check where I can park, am reasonably level and won't get ticketed or I have to go to Windance and bike over Florence Jetty I can just barely turn around and have people get past, clearance is an issue there too but doable, same with Pistol River. Safeway parking lots barely let me into a 2 stall but it's the swing length that's the sticky part as with downtown areas like HR.

-Yes, the rack is cool, ~2 right?, hitch is flush usually with the bumper, then add 17-3/4" for the bar, then the overall 26" of the basket as per the specs, you are now at almost 4', ferries round up. BC ferries 5.35, Coho 5.25/ft, 2.5% fuel surcharge, taxes, return = you do the math, $55 each trip?

-dust and abuse of gear...I was thinking about the trips to the Nat or even Florence Jetty. NO dust then?? When I store roof stuff, no issue as dust/sand flies off, from pothole impacts I have seen board bags chafe right through, board tails split, masts chip (nasty if @the ferule or base). And there is the drag from the boards sticking above the rig. Sails store ok on end as long as you remember to keep the battens up so then with all the padding you need to add the salt water collects in the basket from wet sails and rusts out the base of your basket. If you don't do rough roads I guess not much worry.

-security... without a ladder (I use a portable boat ladder, not the best solution, dropped one board because of it ) I'd like to see you try to get up on the roof of most motorhomes easily, certainly mine...thieves are generally not that clever (like to drive their vehicle...if they have one... beside yours and climb up.....ooops)

-The hitch is the strongest link, the frames on the motorhomes are usually only butt welded, not even lap welded right onto the existing frame. It's then like a bowlingball on the end of a bamboo pole, check it out. Usually also your water tank and heater are back there adding to the load. If you are a one board quiver guy, great. I carry 3-5 boards, 6-7 sails, 3-4 booms, 4 masts, kayak, paddle, rigging gear. Gonna add a SUP. All adds up to close to 300lbs. The rack also weighs, the basket alone is 60lbs.. Alternatively, if you bolt all that perhaps with walls yet onto the back of your 2x2" pinebeetle motorhome wall, it will eventually rip the whole back end right off....and you may hurt somebody in the process too. I drove my old C class around with a full load back there and it felt like the front tires were coming off the friggen road, handling was noticably affected.
bottom line, the shorter the better! If you plan to add 2+' I'd advise to get a 22-23' moho and they are rare.

-backing accidents also tend to happen up higher, I have clipped several tree branches I hadn't considered, hanging flower baskets and a gutter on a building Boards sticking up vertically are a bit of a target. But then you are probably a much better driver than me

-C vs. A class, the biggest difference I think is in the view and space You have a commanding view while driving. I have an overhead bunk I can drop for the kids so I don't lose out on that cool feature (great to have the kids up there) but that is very rare. When they are not in bed I can turn the front seats so they face the living area and make use of this space. The glass is all around the front and sides. The windows can breathe better via vents and the domed laminated roof promotes proper run off and not a bird bath. The heater is forced air and wonderfully silent, also keeping your tanks from freezing up in the ski area. The dust free basement storage also adds warmth in winter and space for skis or sails and can be locked. Once you have had that it is tough....no...impossible to go back.

Anyway, just food for thought. always liked this one for its cool alu cabinet, mega weight on the frame tho

[blackdogvan]

These guys are local & are mulling over a surf / windsport version.

http://www.arbutusracks.com/