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Pick up trucks for windsurfers

 
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7176



Joined: 23 Apr 1987
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 5:10 pm    Post subject: Pick up trucks for windsurfers Reply with quote

Hi,

I would like to hear comments on using a pick truck, full size, 6' or 8" bed for windsurfing. In particular, I would benefit from hearing how you set it up, while noting whether it was the 6 or 8, and how you secured gear.

Thanks,
t
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scooper



Joined: 28 May 1987
Posts: 537
Location: Massachusettes

PostPosted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 7:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've got an 8' bed truck with fibergalss cap and extended cab so I can take the whole family, 4 of us. I love it except for *&%** gas costs.

I made a plywood box for 6 sails & masts, booms go on top of the box. I cover it all with a black cloth to reduce interest from theft, and leave it in the truck 95% of the time. Wetsuits and other gear live in the truck on a shelf that runs the width of the truck. A lot of the truck is still availible for work hauling. The cap locks up but the gear is so unnoticible that I don't always bother.

If I'm going windsurfing by myself, I can throw 3 boards in the back of the truck and hit the road in a couple of minutes. My 3 most used boards fit in the cap with the hatch door closed, so if I park in a restaurant it is hidden, I can still lock it if I want to.

If I'm windsurfing with the whole family, I put on a Thule roof rack. That can handle up to 6 boards for all of us, and leave room in the truck for luggage and other toys. It is completely ridiculous how much stuff we take in that truck when we go to Canada for a 2 week vacation, windsurfing stuff for 4, bikes on a hitch rack, inflatable boat with 10 HP motor, etc.

The 4 wheel drive is nice too.



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iwillfindyou2112



Joined: 13 Jun 2005
Posts: 13
Location: Norfolk, Va

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 12:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been sailing with pickups for 20 years. First had several f-150's with 8' bed, now have a new Tacoma. No caps. I had custom steel racks made for the Fords which through bolted to the rails of the bed. The advantage to this method is that the boards sit tails pointing towards the cab, above the tailgate. The bed is then left for all your other junk. The tailgate will usually close with all the gear inside. A disadvantage to this method is that the racks are not easily moved, although on the newer Fords, you can probably get some sort of system similar to my newer system with the Tacoma.
The Tacoma while smaller than the F150 comes with a sliding rack system which is more versitile than the original steel racks I had (the steel racks were extremely strong and could carry much more than windsurfing boards lumber, etc) on the Fords. The advantage of both of these methods over a truck with a cap is that you can easily carry 6-8 boards on either truck with all the space in the bed for gear, no wet stuff or sand in the back of say a Suburban or forerunner, all boards are easy to get up and down, and if you get a sliding rear window you can toss the empties into the bed on the ride home. Pickups are great for windsurfing, I would never have anything else, and remember if you are in a hurry, you can always jam everything into the bed and it usually does not go anywhere.
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jkrouwer



Joined: 10 Apr 2000
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've had two pickup trucks with caps. Only the 8 foot bed makes sense. Now I have a mini-van (Hyundai Entourage). With the second row of seats removed and the third row of seats folded down, there is about as much room as a pickup truck with an 8 foot bed. In some ways, there's more room, as the masts can go under the front seats and one board goes inbetween the front seats. To protect things, I put down an industrial vinyl mat that I cut to size. All in all, it's a better set up than the pickup truck because of the reduced vehicle length. I can finally park in normal spots. Gas mileage and ride are better too.
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infantryoif



Joined: 20 Mar 2008
Posts: 8

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i have a nissan frontier with a 6' bed and it works great for the small amount of gear i have right now. the roof rack will hold one or two boards, and the bed is long enough to hold the rest of the equipment, although items like masts protrude out the back a few feet.

the amount of stuff you can carry will only be limited by your imagination. i've seen some pretty elaborate homemade storage racks retrofitted to pickups.

however, the van guys do have the advantage of being able to secure their equipment within locked doors.
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RickCronk



Joined: 08 Jul 2004
Posts: 167

PostPosted: Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:48 pm    Post subject: PickUp Truck Reply with quote

For many years I used a Mazda B2000 Cab Plus with extended bed and a Lear Cap.
I installed some angle iron along the side rails so I could hang two plywood sections across truck bed. One section could be slide forward over the other to allow for everyday hauling of stuff. Otherwise, I stored sails, booms and other gear under the bed, boards and masts on roof racks. The plywood bed allowed comfy sleeping for two. My boards or masts at that time would not have fit inside. Sorry, no pics but real cheap and simple to do.
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U2U2U2



Joined: 06 Jul 2001
Posts: 5467
Location: Shipsterns Bluff, Tasmania. Colorado

PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

jkrouwer wrote:
I've had two pickup trucks with caps. Only the 8 foot bed makes sense. Now I have a mini-van (Hyundai Entourage). With the second row of seats removed and the third row of seats folded down, there is about as much room as a pickup truck with an 8 foot bed. In some ways, there's more room, as the masts can go under the front seats and one board goes inbetween the front seats. To protect things, I put down an industrial vinyl mat that I cut to size. All in all, it's a better set up than the pickup truck because of the reduced vehicle length. I can finally park in normal spots. Gas mileage and ride are better too.


I have a Dodge full size 4 door, Cummings diesel, 18--20MPG, 8 ' bed, the back seat area will hold small sails and all associated gear, mast & sails & 4 + boards all in the the bed, NO cap, all no higher than the top of the bed. Works. Just got my Chrysler Town & Country Mini Van fitted to use, made a bunk, sails under bunk , a pvc rack holds 4 boards,they do not intrude into pass area,, masts under, passenger seat intact, room for everything else, 23MPG average on reg gas, all areas a plus to the pick-up. Floor area is 4 X 8 behind the front seats, probably weighs less with all my stuff inside since the 2 & 3 row of seats is removed. Unless I had another reason to support a pickup I wouldn't set one up. Mine pulls a horse trailor.

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Wind.Man



Joined: 12 May 2001
Posts: 39

PostPosted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 11:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For years I used a chevy avalanche. The big advantage I found was that you can use the vehicle with an 8' bed and all your gear is inside the truck and locked up. i made a rack that fit inside using pvc pipe. was able to load a board slightly longer that 8' straight in - no problem. in all, i was able to have 2 boards, 5 sails, 3 masts, 2 booms, duffle bag with accesories, wetsuits, ect. still had plenty of room. was able to access everything without moving anything else. something to consider.
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