Surf rack for soft top

[hookem]

Have a soft top on my Bronco and was curious if anyone has a solution for surf racks on top? I've used bungee cords in the past but am looking for something more stable and secure. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[br0nc0xrapt0r]

Have a soft top on my Bronco and was curious if anyone has a solution for surf racks on top? I've used bungee cords in the past but am looking for something more stable and secure. Any ideas/suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have pondered the same thing and I imagine the best route would be brackets that bolt through the top onto a cage. That being said the cage would no doubt have to be custom made to be a very close fit to the soft top.

 

[trailpsycho]

It will mostly depend on your cage and soft-topsituation. Which ones do you have? Roll bar clamps can be used to give you muonting points for a couple of exo-tubes to strap the boards to. I plan on using the aforementioned clamps for installing a Load warrior rack, so I can put some gear and canoes up top.

My advice would be to put something soft between the top and the board if you dont make a rack...just to protect the vinyl...done this a couple of times for hauling ladders and such locally. But for a real road trip, you will need to add a rack using clamps--whether through the top or a "reach around" setup. If you are willing to pierce the soft top fabric--hence the through the top. In that case, talk to a vinyl shop and have them install some grommets where you will want your bolts to go through to the cage, clamp or bracket. In my earlier comment about using roll bar clamps, I should have stated that this can be done as "reach around", if you arent running side windows; the exo frame would curve up and over the soft top material...not touching it or abraiding the windows. 1.25 or 1.5 " tube would be fine. This is how I plan to do it. I am not a fan of the hassle of having to remove hardware that is through my top everytime I want it up or down.

 

[hookem]

Yea I'd like it to be semi-permanent so I'm not taking the whole setup on and off. Sounds like the roll bar clamps around the soft top would work as I'd rather not puncture the top.
I had looked for a ready-made setup that would work but couldn't find much online, so looks like I'll have to rig it myself.
Thanks a bunch for the input. Will let u know how it goes when I get around to setting it up.

 

[SteveL]

Boards are light enough you could probably build one that fits a rear hitch mount.

 

[ochretoe]

Boards are light enough you could probably build one that fits a rear hitch mount.

Thats kinda what I'm thinking. I have a hitch on front and rear. Fab up a rack that connects to both hitch mounts and goes up and over the Bronco. Then you could take it all off when wheeling.

 

[lasadoor]

just a thought-

you could construct some racks out of PVC, and use the side-marker holes as mounting points? Contractor racks that extend outside of the bedrails, but sealing your soft top might be an issue. I've kicked this idea around more than a few times. I like the hitch mount, but I think it might be unstable with only two mounting points in front and rear.

 

[Baja71]

Surf's UP!

 

[trailpsycho]

I used to do the same when I had a longboard back when I lived on the Gulf.

The contractor-type rack is another idea I threw around for a couple of years...but now< i just think it would be too much of a hassle to get on and off and with a family cage and clamps something can be fabbed up thats more easily removed.

The front and rear hitch mount sounds great too. My Protofab front doesnt have a front hitch, but I guess I could add one to it one day.

Let us know what you come up with.

 

[matt w]

Look at the Wilderness style racks for Jeeps. I had that on my Jeep for years and liked it a lot! I considered building that concept for my Bronco. I have since come up with anu idea for mounting my Yakima racks to my cage and still run my bikini top.

Good luck with your search!