Ridgeline as a Surf Rig

[mvenino]

I am looking to buy a Ridgeline, but a requirement for me is to be able to carry with me at all times my surfing gear. Wetsuits , and stuff no problem with the in bed stoage and flip up seats. But have 2-3 surfboards from 7 ft to 8 ft in length, and need to keep them secure . Roof racks by themslves are out , can not leave boards on them un-attended, even with locks

Here are my ideas. Comments , Pros and Cons , and any other ideas welcomed

1) Get a leer cap, and may be able to slide the 7 ft board thru the center window, Ridge has a 5 ft bed. ? But this is only one board, and need to try it out to see if it would fit thru. Will be test driving the RTL next week so can try it then.

2) Leer cap, which may have a flip down window, and then replace the factory window on the Ridge, with a full slider. So I could possibly keep 2-3 boards inside the cap and thu the cab of the Ridge . This sounds like it might get ugly and expensive ?

3) Factory Honda roof racks, and running boards, and then a Thule type cargo box . May get hot in there and may not be the best for the boards, unless could ventilate. Then could leave the bed opened , and can use for hauling stuff, and then do not have the added expense of the cap. Theft could still be and issue.

4) Some may suggest a full pick up with a cap to better handle the length factor of the boards. But have had nothing but used high mileage cars with lots of repairs for last few yeas and want something reliable, that I can drive and and not be bothered with anything going wrong. So I want to buy Japanese. Test drove the Frontier, and liked it , and test drove the Tacoma , was okay. But as soon as I got into and drove the Ridge seemed like so much more bang for the buck over the others . It blew the compettion away

Next , Interior

Will be geting in and out of the Ridge wet and sandy . So if I opt for the RT or RTS which has cloth seating , then I could use a product like the Wet Okole , which is a neoprence cover and are availbele for the Ridge .HAS ANYONE USED THESE ?? Even still cloth may get funky .Want to keep things in budget, but maybe the RTL with leather would be a better choice considering the abuse they may get . Flooring , I see alot of all weather mats our there, so that should not be an issue .

Looking forward to any feedback . Surfs up , In New Jersey water is 42 degrees, and air today was in the 20s .Hope the Ridge has a good heater . Cowabunga

Hey maybe some wood side panels, the first Woody Ridge

[Lingered_I]

I'd say that option 1 is a non-starter. The sliding window is about 10 inches wide. Your boards would not go through it.

Option 2 is probably out too due to the cost of the modifications.

There are a few ladder racks available to give you full length storage above the roof line. Search the forum.

There's also a company out of Hawaii that makes seat covers made from wet-suit materials. http://www.wetokole.com/HONRIDGEF.html
Going with cloth seats and getting those covers might work out better than leather.

[kanji]

I've fit my brother's long board at the back of my RL, and adding some round foam tube pads on top of the rear bed door rails to protect his board. the cleats near the door of the bed does a really good job of holding the board down. I just use some bungee and some ratchet straps and strap them down. I keep his wetsuit inside the trunk one time after he was done, and left the plug, unplug for drainage. I've seen people with RL use a Canoe rig from their hitch in combination of the honda Roof rack to transport multiple long board with them, unless you use short boards, and the bed or roof rack should do.

My 2cent.

[Altamont]

that's a tall order. first, don't buy the Ridge for its high mileage. I drive gently and I have yet to get 20 on the road, even without my rack setup.

I'm not sure how long or where you'll be leaving your boards unattended (overnight in Newark?) but most people just roof rack 'em with cables. in these parts folks leave multi-thousand dollar sea kayaks up there all the time. I guess if you left your stuff in the same location, unattended, for long periods of time the chances of it getting swiped go up.

I don't know how long surf boards are but I can't imagine them going in a Thule/Yakima box. these boxes' load capacity in far shorter than the outside dimensions of the box, which is usually about 92 inches for the big ones. my 92 has about 86 of usable length.

a canopy or even a van with glass windows (they all have them) isn't really any more secure. you're one broken window or cut cable away from losing your stuff anyway. the only really secure way is a panel van with a cage, unless they steal your whole van!!

so I say go with an Element!!

[mvenino]

Originally Posted by kanji

I've fit my brother's long board at the back of my RL, and adding some round foam tube pads on top of the rear bed door rails to protect his board. the cleats near the door of the bed does a really good job of holding the board down. I just use some bungee and some ratchet straps and strap them down. I keep his wetsuit inside the trunk one time after he was done, and left the plug, unplug for drainage. I've seen people with RL use a Canoe rig from their hitch in combination of the honda Roof rack to transport multiple long board with them, unless you use short boards, and the bed or roof rack should do.

My 2cent.

Did not think about the in bed storage having the drainhole, which sounds great for all the wet stuff.

Thanks for the info on securing the board in the bed with the foam rubber as protection. I also see one guy with the bed extender, and can then lay some boards diagonally .

[mvenino]

Originally Posted by Altamont

that's a tall order. first, don't buy the Ridge for its high mileage. I drive gently and I have yet to get 20 on the road, even without my rack setup.

I'm not sure how long or where you'll be leaving your boards unattended (overnight in Newark?) but most people just roof rack 'em with cables. in these parts folks leave multi-thousand dollar sea kayaks up there all the time. I guess if you left your stuff in the same location, unattended, for long periods of time the chances of it getting swiped go up.

I don't know how long surf boards are but I can't imagine them going in a Thule/Yakima box. these boxes' load capacity in far shorter than the outside dimensions of the box, which is usually about 92 inches for the big ones. my 92 has about 86 of usable length.

a canopy or even a van with glass windows (they all have them) isn't really any more secure. you're one broken window or cut cable away from losing your stuff anyway. the only really secure way is a panel van with a cage, unless they steal your whole van!!

so I say go with an Element!!

By high mileage , was not referring to gas mileage, but rather that all recent vehicles I have owned , all have a lot of miles on them 120-200 thousand, and also needing repairs alot . Tired of buying some ones problems, and want something new and reliable . Enter the Ridgeline, as my choice . The Element is a good suggestion for SURF RIG , plus inside I believe is all rubberized. But I will have to test drive one and compare features . I can not see the element stacking up to the Ridge in a lot of departments . But always keep an open mind . Plus the Element looks wimpy and the Ridge looks Bitchin

The Thule/Yakima box sounds like it may be a workable option. Basically the 3 boards that may want to keep on-board are 7 ft by 20 inches wide , by three inches thick, 7,8 x 20 x 3, and 7,8 by 21 x 3 . Not sure if all 3 could stack inside but if 2 did that would be good.

Much appreciated

[jj's ridge]

Quote: "Will be geting in and out of the Ridge wet and sandy . So if I opt for the RT or RTS which has cloth seating , then I could use a product like the Wet Okole , which is a neoprence cover and are availbele for the Ridge .HAS ANYONE USED THESE ??"

The Wet Okole's are the way to go! Waterproof, sand brushes off easily and they look great ( in my opinion, because I have a set, lol) They are expensive but are worth every penny, in my opinion. I would think that they would be a MUST have for a surfer like you!

[spun07RTX]

dude, RL would make a sick surf rig! throw a huge, lockable shuttle box on the rack and your done.

It makes an great snow surf rig, I can vouch for that......course our boards are shorter



other than that, toyota tundra, 8' long bed with locking cover

[firefighter3666]

I don't surf so I can't weigh in on options for locking the surfboards on the truck. However, the guys at SportRaxx http://www.sportraxx.com/products/sp.../sportraxx.php make a sweet looking rack system for the bed of the truck. Now, if you could convince them to modify their snowbard rack for a surfboard and you'd be good for the long board flat on top and the short boards on each side.