[boarder_child]

hey im looking at getting an insight this january. however, my main concern is that im a boarding freak! there is now room in that car for most of my gear- except maybe a skateboard and mountian board has anyone used a roof rack that they'd recommend? the main thing i keep reading is to be careful of roof damage- hows that??
the main set up im looking for is a roof rack to carry snowboards and a box(for my surf gear-sails- ect)

if anyone knows of a good and reliable rack, i'd own you one.
ps i keep hearing about Saris racks?? and i know thule doesnt make one for the car

amanda

 

[Dougie]

I don't think there are any regular racks that fit the Insight. Obviously they have a huge impact on fuel economy!

Perhaps the thing to do would be to put the board in a bag, then strap the bag directly to the roof? Maybe with a thin sheet of foam underneath, sort of like those cheap canoe racks?

How long is the board?

 

[boarder_child]

my boards all very in sizes from 150cm to just over 6 feet. the problem still would be my sails

 

[james]

I've thought about this, and I think the only solution for sailboards would be a lightweight trailer. Quite aside from what it would do to the aerodynamics of the Insight, I just don't think there's enough roof area for a rack to hold securely.

 

[Dougie]

Ok, so I thought you were talking about snowboards, which could possibly fit inside the car.

 

[Kevin Dougherty]

Here are a few links for roof racks. I had a friend who managed to tote around a 40 foot ladder on his Insight with one Yakima roof rack over the A pillar and a homemade strut built into the hatch.

http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/vie ... +rack#6065 [url="http://www.dartmouth.edu/~...p://www.dartmouth.edu/~sullivan/roofrack.html

 

[red2000insight]

roof racks

I suggest you check out the Saris rack for Insights. I have one, and have used it for a mountain bike, skis, and a 13 foot kayak. Yes, the gas mileage is decreased, but that's no surprise. Good luck!

 

[Shotster]

my boards all very in sizes from 150cm to just over 6 feet. the problem still would be my sails

If you're heading in a direction _with_ the prevailing winds, I say just mount the sails on the Insight. Who knows, you could get 150+ mpg.

 

[Dougie]

There might be a small market for a really well-streamlined roof rack or carrying bin arrangement. Not so much on the Insight because it's so small, but if you could cover the Prius and Civic too; maybe profitable?

First, the mounting needs to be secure. Then the compartment needs to be shaped properly. Not hard to do, but for some reason all the ones I've ever seen are horrible from the aerodynamic viewpoint...