mounting racks on campershell

Any opinions or experience on mounting racks on a campershell? I can't decide weather to mount the raingutter mounts on the side, rail to mount track mounts, or finally go with the foot pad install.

I really like the new thule professional tri mount bars but I'm not going to speed that much on the rack system.

-Brian G

I bought a Leer shell a few months ago and had them install the rails. Glad I got the rails 'cuz I needed to slide the racks to find the right fit over the extended cab.

Al
 

Brian,

Here's my low budget rack set up on a Toyota Tacoma SNUGtop camper shell.  I mounted the false rain gutters at the far ends of the camper shell and where they would be partially supported by the window frames.  The used Thule racks and supports were $50 from craigslist.  False rain gutter supports from a coworker for $20 and kayak saddles/straps from EBay.  Cost: a little over $100.  It can hold two kayaks snuggly as can be verified by Great Bass 2.

If I had a new truck/campershell and about $500, I'd probably spring for the track rails, clip-on towers and hully rollers.  BTW I always dismount the rack after each trip.  PM me if you have questions or want more pictures.

Gary

I had the same system on my truck as Sandman. It worked great.
I no longer have the truck but use the Yakima system on my SUV.

I bought a Leer shell a few months ago and had them install the rails. Glad I got the rails 'cuz I needed to slide the racks to find the right fit over the extended cab.

Al
 

Are you carrying your boats deck side down or up? Got pics? Thanks for the reply everyone!

-Brian

Brian,

When I'm cruising solo I load my yak upright with the bow facing the front.  However, I make sure I snug down and strap down the tupperware hatches.  The front end is lighter and I can hang it over the cab without too much yak hanging out in the back.  I only use one tie down strap in the front so I can "see" that there's no movement while driving.

If I'm doubling my load I move the saddles to the far side for one upright yak and the second yak is mounted deck down and strapped to the cross bars.

Sorry, no pics...

Gary

I was going to go with the rails but opted to save some dinero and take the cheaper route.  False raingutters on the back end of the shell with Yakima 1A Raingutter Towers and a set of Q Towers up front on the cab.  No saddles or stackers, just flip the yak on top and strap her down.  I did opt for the Yakima Boatloader and am glad I did, considering that my Outback is a fat pig and the truck has a 2" lift.

Don't have any good pics available from here at work, but this gives you an idea:

Until I sold the Toyota pickup, I had the same as Sandman, but with Yakima parts, and  hully rollers at the rear.  For my P15, it worked well, and I could rest the stern on the ground and lift the bow onto the rollers, then lift and roll the yak forward (if I was careful), all without straining.   
  Now I've mounted the racks on my Accord, and they also work well, but the Hully Rollers aren't much use except to cradle the boat - I rest the stern on the ground, have a 1/2" pipe that I push into the rack pipe (it has a flange on the outboard end to keep the yak from sliding off, and a rope to tie the pipe to the rack), lift the yak onto the pipe and slide it forward from the stern, swing it over to catch the forward saddle, then lift it into the rear rollers.
   On both vehicles, the yak is top- up, and I have 58" bars, so two yaks will fit side by side one top up on the cradles, one top down on the bare bars (the top down one fits a little under the top up one).  I'm careful to tie off inside the towers, so the straps don't slide off the bar. And ALWAYS have the bow tied to the front of the vehicle, and almost always, the stern to the rear. Sometimes the straps loosen after a couple of stops and starts, so it's not a bad idea to pull over and check them after a couple of miles, then they're good for the trip.

I use rails with my Yakima "J" cradles on top of my Tacoma with a Snug-top shell. I also use both bow and stern straps just because I would feel awfully dumb if something ever happened that could have been prevented or minimized by taking the extra 2 minutes to put those straps on.

I use the "J" cradles so that I can carry my wife's kayak and mine on top of narrow (48") bars. It's a little tougher to load by yourself, but using the rear tire as a step I can get the boat on top of my truck pretty easily. The "J" cradles hold the boats tight, but they can be a sail in heavy wind and you wouldn't want to go through a drive through with the extra 28" of height they add to my truck.

I have the false gutter mounts,and they work, however, I wish now that I spent a few $$ more and gone with the rails.