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Roof Bars


14N

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Hi All,

 

I appreciate this might be a FAQ, but I've searched and can't find an answer.

 

Has anyone found a solution to the roof bar (or lack of) issue? APART FROM the Boofsquire rack, which would be perfectr for me (as I need to carry my kayak), but unfortunately they are sold out with no forcasted future production runs

 

Has anyone (or do you know of anyone) used the 'soft' universal bars such as these?:

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Soft-roof-rac ... 2eb864fb6e

 

Appreciate any suggestions (apart from the obvious get rid of the kayak, get a different car).

 

Cheers, Ian

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Appreciate any suggestions (apart from the obvious get rid of the kayak, get a different car).

In all seriousness, the 2 above are the only 2 real suggestions.

 

I have seen someone strap a surfboard to the roof using those linked roof rack gadges, but not sure I'd do it with a kayak. I used to kayak when I was younger and they can be quite a strain on the roof in high winds (unlike a surfboard).

 

From what I remember, the boofquire is just a modified version of a publicly available set of extendable roofrack in the States. We did find the model number, but the price was just a bit too much to give it a go. If you look at close up pics of the boofsquire footpads you should be able to read the make of them. You could get the generic ones and mod them for the 350z, but I wouldnt want to take it any distance.

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That's great, thanks for the response Chris, very useful.

I'll have a close look at the Boofsquire images and maybe try get a look at some 'universal' roof bards sets down Halfords or somewhere.

 

I won't be taking the kayak too far. Fortunately the local meet/river sessions are held about 5-6 miles from my house, with no real opportunity to get upto much speed on the road anyway. So whichever solution I find (hopefully) will be used with great care and with the understanding that it's only to be used for short distances.

 

If I need to take it a reasonable distance, I'll just have to blag a lift off someone.

 

Thanks again :thumbs:

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As I'm feeling nice...

 

Looks like from this - http://boofsquire.com/pages/media.htm - image 4 is the closest up - looks like a Highland (rings a bell too). So you are looking for Highland Adjustable roof rack.

 

roofrack350Z_detail.jpg

 

This comes up on ebay (it is in the US) - looks familiar no? ;)

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Highland-Univ ... 0621082353

 

I8yPh9qYuEftdeoPjfkcsL61fZ9JTXh4vNDkpanW_-FVZ66P8rKNp7BiFzik5w1cHMl6t_8b2I7z6KQGQnJ3t2rdSBWAY1tP_1FqLddrTejUBv5FvZGhMJJ29oDyruc7

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Appears they are pretty much the same thing. The only think I guess BoofSquire do is to fabraicate some new tubing to match the right dimensions and also bridge the 2 crossways poles with a lengthways one. As you are only doing small distances then you could hack something together or use something similar :thumbs:

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I'm not even sure they do that much Chris! I think they just cut the excess tubing off the end and paint 'em black! ;)

 

To bridge the 2 cross bars, I think I could just use a cheapo roof mounted bike rack and take the 'bike mounting bits' off it. This would also add a bit more strength to the structure. In fact, I think I've still got a bike carrier that I can butcher in garage or loft.

 

Appreciate your help and input. :thumbs:

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  • 9 months later...

Not sure if this is helpful anymore since the post is a few month old, but…

 

I have a Boofsquire rack that I brought back from the US, had to sell my 370Z when I left and bought a Renault 265 here, so I don't have any use for it now (would be interested in selling...)

 

As per the above the rack is fairly basic and I did fear it falling off, but it was fine and New York roads are quite are strong test. I couple of thing I noticed which I think would apply to the boofsquire or a homemade version:

  • Due to the slope and shape (slightly narrowing toward the back) of the boot the rack would slide backwards slightly, placing it part on the spoiler helped
  • I got some helicopter tape to protect the paintwork, otherwise the rack movement would damage it, this also helped a bit with the sliding backwards
  • The cross bracing bar seemed very close to the rear screen, never seemed to make contact even with 2 mountain bikes on the rack, but think it could damage the glass if it did

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Hi James and :welcome: to the forum.

 

The question about racks/bike racks is a frequently asked one and the Boofsquire always seems to crop up in any response. I don't think they're currently being manufactured, and even if they were, getting one over to the UK would be an interesting process.

 

Your 'real world' user feedback is much appreciated, so thank you for that. The Boofsquire is one of those things that we know exists, but finding someone that has used one is rare.

 

I'm sure if you put it in the for sale section of this forum, it would be snapped up as I know a lot of members cycle and have even managed to get their bikes IN the Zed!

 

You'll need a minimum of 15 posts before you can place an ad, but as a former owner, you're as welcome here as anyone else, so feel free to contibute with your Zed ownership experiences and your post count will soon mount up.

 

Cheers, Ian :thumbs:

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  • 3 years later...
Posted · Hidden by GMballistic, June 15, 2016 - Trying to circumnavigate for sale rules.
Hidden by GMballistic, June 15, 2016 - Trying to circumnavigate for sale rules.

i have my boofsquire copies for sale if anybody needs a roof rack - also pendle fork mount bike rack and yakima fork mount road bike rack - both attach to roof rack

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