Thule 751 vs 753 feet with paddle board overhang

[Lewis]

I’m looking to get a roof bar setup in the next week or so and sorry to reopen the 751 vs 753 discussion but I wasn’t able to find definitely in old posts whether the lower and more attractive 753 feet would give me enough clearance to open the tailgate if I’ve got a paddle board or potentially a kayak (in future) overhanging at the rear.

I don’t have a rear spoiler.

I will be carrying a 15’ tandem stand up paddle board on Thule Probars using a Thule SupTaxi.

If anyone has any experience of using the 753s with an overhanging load I’d be grateful to hear of your experience.

Lewis

 

[Chunkymunky]

I’m looking to get a roof bar setup in the next week or so and sorry to reopen the 751 vs 753 discussion but I wasn’t able to find definitely in old posts whether the lower and more attractive 753 feet would give me enough clearance to open the tailgate if I’ve got a paddle board or potentially a kayak (in future) overhanging at the rear.

I don’t have a rear spoiler.

I will be carrying a 15’ tandem stand up paddle board on Thule Probars using a Thule SupTaxi.

If anyone has any experience of using the 753s with an overhanging load I’d be grateful to hear of your experience.

Lewis

Ive had my kayak up on 753s- it was very close but did open ok - with bow to rear/ stern to front
I think it depends on means of mounting too, j bars etc. I had the boat directly on the bars- but needed to push it slightly forward due to the bike rack ( no spoiler )

 

[Califorian]

I had some minor trouble with 753s and my early setup that included a roller on Top of the VW Bike rack.
that’s now been changed to a roof mounted roller.
I ended up with a mixture of 751 on the rear and 753 on the front which gave greater clearance. Also by moving them closer or further apart you can change the angle! And also the clearance if that makes sense.
I’ll send a couple of photos in next post

 

[owen_h]

This is on the lower foot pack. Kayak is on the VW kayak support cradle which raises the boat about 3 to 4 cm above the bars. Tailgate raises fully without touching the boat. If I have the bike rack on then it does touch but still ok to open and get at stuff in the back. (Atera Linea bike rack rather than the VW one).

 

[Califorian]

That’s great with the kayak that turns up on the hull at bow and stern. I have a Canadian that sits on the gunwales and the bow and stern curve down. That said even with the bike rack on I could always get access into the boot.

 

[Chunkymunky]

That’s great with the kayak that turns up on the hull at bow and stern. I have a Canadian that sits on the gunwales and the bow and stern curve down. That said even with the bike rack on I could always get access into the boot.View attachment 75410

That looks neat. Any pics of the roller? What do you use ?

 

[Califorian]

The front and middle bars are on 753’s. The rear is a 751 and a roller to assist getting the canoe on to the bars is fitted to the rear bar and roof. Works well. I’m sure for a straight paddle board the 753’s are good.

 

[Chunkymunky]

The front and middle bars are on 753’s. The rear is a 751 and a roller to assist getting the canoe on to the bars is fitted to the rear bar and roof. Works well. I’m sure for a straight paddle board the 753’s are good.View attachment 75411View attachment 75412View attachment 75413

Thanks !
I’d like a Canadian tbh but struggle enough wrestling with getting a SOT on board mine !

 

[Califorian]

Using three wide roof bars gives room for roof box as well, fitted to the front and middle bar

I used the frame of the vw bike rack to hold the roller it worked great for loading the canoe but not so good for raising the tailgate. So I did away with it and fitted the roller in a home made structure as far back on the roof as I could.

 

[Loz]

I had some minor trouble with 753s and my early setup that included a roller on Top of the VW Bike rack.
that’s now been changed to a roof mounted roller.
I ended up with a mixture of 751 on the rear and 753 on the front which gave greater clearance. Also by moving them closer or further apart you can change the angle! And also the clearance if that makes sense.
I’ll send a couple of photos in next post

There is plenty of room to move it forward to open the tailgate. (11’6 SUP)

 

[Lewis]

Using three wide roof bars gives room for roof box as well, fitted to the front and middle bar

I used the frame of the vw bike rack to hold the roller it worked great for loading the canoe but not so good for raising the tailgate. So I did away with it and fitted the roller in a home made structure as far back on the roof as I could. View attachment 75414View attachment 75415

Great setup. Are these 150 bars?

 

[Ch1pbutty]

We have a set of the below; carry’s two 10ft SUP (will also carry about 4 surfboards, I/o SUP’s). It’s lockable & has rollers on the side and works really well. For your length boards on longer drives would also use a bow line which can be shut in the bonnet:

SupDawg

A stand up paddleboard mount which can hold up to two SUP Boards up to 36" wide. The SUP Dawg is fully assembled out-of-the-box, features integrated rollers for easy loading and includes SKS locks.

yakima.com

Yakima Hood Anchor (pair) no. 8007416

Lets you secure your gear when you don't have tow eye hooks for bow & stern tie downs (sold separately) . Hood Anchors secure under the bonnet or the boot.Coated to protect the vehicle's paintworkInstallation is simple - just drop them in placeSold as a pairLength: 22cm

www.roofbox.co.uk

 

[Lewis]

This is on the lower foot pack. Kayak is on the VW kayak support cradle which raises the boat about 3 to 4 cm above the bars. Tailgate raises fully without touching the boat. If I have the bike rack on then it does touch but still ok to open and get at stuff in the back. (Atera Linea bike rack rather than the VW one).

This is really helpful, thank you. Out of interest, how long is that kayak?

 

[Califorian]

Great setup. Are these 150 bars?

The bars I went for are actually the 175 Thule pro bars. They might seem overkill but they sit well within the sides of the van, but do look wider on the roof. I find this gives plenty of flexibility and makes for good access to fit the straps.

 

[owen_h]

This is really helpful, thank you. Out of interest, how long is that kayak?

Kayak is 492cm or just under 16ft 2. Hopefully I will be allowed to use it soon and can take some pics with the tailgate open.