John,

Whatever you decide on for the rack, always use a bow line to the front of your vehicle. I was traveling about 70 mph down the highway when the front strap holding two kayaks snapped. I hadn't been using bow lines for a while, but I did this weekend, because I was traveling 100+ miles each way. The bow line saved me from loosing two kayaks off of the top of my truck in the middle of the night. This is the second strap that has snapped in two years. The first was one that came with the foam block carrying system, the second was a more expensive Yakima strap. This is also a reminder to regularly check the condition of your straps.

Mike

: I am starting to think about a roof rack to carry my kayak. It looks like it
: could cost $200 and I would still have to customize it somewhat. Has
: anyone built the whole thing out of wood? Maybe oak or ash. What I am
: wondering is how a roof rack is fastened to a car roof? Is it something
: like a dry wall bolt that springs out when you push it through the drilled
: car roof hole?

: I have another question. I have a scanner that I have never been able to get
: to work and so it has been gathering dust. I wanted to post the picture of
: the kayak yoke plans that Ken Sutherland sent to me from Canada but the
: scanner reads picture and line drawings and puts in scattered numbers of
: different sizes in their place, but it will read and print text. Any
: ideas?

: John