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akrausz
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 158
Location: FL
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 Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:56 am Post subject: |
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| windward1 wrote: | | When I bought my Dodge Grand Minivan in 2015, I chose the model that had the removable center console. Allows me to put a 10’ 10” Sail/SUP inside the van no problem. I liked that the old criteria for the Dodge Grand Caravan was that you had to be able to stack 8’ x 4’ plywood sheets flat between the wheel wells. The Stow& Go is great and well engineered. |
Yup ditto!
Last edited by akrausz on Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:27 am; edited 1 time in total |
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akrausz
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 158
Location: FL
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 7:15 am Post subject: |
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| isobars wrote: | As for non-removable consoles (I've never encountered that in a minivan, and would not accept it), how about a refined cabinetry-making version of a chainsaw or pullsaw?
I just Googled the latest Odyssey interior. Its seat-level center console looks like little more than a huge plastic contraption with charging ports in it. Big Whoop! Without looking at it in the flesh, I gotta ask: Honda bolted and wired it in. Can't an owner just turn Honda's mounting bolts counterclockwise until it lifts out, mount charging ports somewhere else, and free up the space for MUCH more voluminous, important and useful stuff than a cupholder? And doesn't that apply to most if not all minivan center lower consoles? |
I have considered that approach as well with the new Honda, but am reluctant to buy a new one without seeing a Youtube video or something where someone has done this and relocated the ports. It gets worse with Toyota and Kia, they have consoles that are integrated into the dash like most cars and SUV's, so they would require considerably more creativeness to make it work. |
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coachg
Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3517
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:26 pm Post subject: |
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| isobars wrote: | As for non-removable consoles (I've never encountered that in a minivan, and would not accept it), how about a refined cabinetry-making version of a chainsaw or pullsaw?
I just Googled the latest Odyssey interior. Its seat-level center console looks like little more than a huge plastic contraption with charging ports in it. Big Whoop! Without looking at it in the flesh, I gotta ask: Honda bolted and wired it in. Can't an owner just turn Honda's mounting bolts counterclockwise until it lifts out, mount charging ports somewhere else, and free up the space for MUCH more voluminous, important and useful stuff than a cupholder? And doesn't that apply to most if not all minivan center lower consoles? Doesn't this smack of the mentality that boasts of SEVENTEEN cupholders in a seven passenger SUV? That alone would make me run ... not walk ... from buying such a vehicle, wondering how much equally useless and stupid OTHER crap lies hidden from view?
My Odyssey console and its mounting bolts (and my second-row seats) are in my basement where they belong, having long ago been replaced with a voluminous and infinitely more useful box that looks and feels factory at first glance. |
My, I..... Dude, this post isn't about you or your van needs.
Coachg |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20924
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| Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 9:51 pm Post subject: |
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How about we let OPs choose which suggestions they find useful?
Besides ... How does your "I chose the non-hybrid model" differ from my My Honda console came out very easily?
Your vendetta bites you in the ass again, as it has the other dozen times I've chosen to explain why I offer relevant, proven examples from my own life rather than telling others how to run theirs.
My post directly addresses the OP's issue. What does your snark below contribute to it?
| Veering completely off topic, coachg wrote: | | My, I..... Dude, this post isn't about you or your van needs. |
Getting back to business, notice the upholstery joint between the bridge and box sections of the 2021 Toyota Sienna front console, for example. Automakers have to assemble, service, and replace almost every component in every vehicle, and these days most interior components besides critical safety units such as seats and belts just yank out. I would not be at all surprised if those console sections separate along that seam, allowing owners to remove the box section to slide a long sail beneath the bridge. The now-cantilevered bridge could then be supported by an attractive arch of brushed aluminum or painted-to-match steel.
Then there's strapping a plastic pipe on the roof rack when taking that giant sail. |
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coachg
Joined: 10 Sep 2000
Posts: 3517
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:00 am Post subject: |
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| isobars wrote: | | Besides ... How does your "I chose the non-hybrid model" differ from my My Honda console came out very easily? |
Windward1 asked me to address how well the battery compartment was sealed against water assuming I had the hybrid. I replied that I didn't have the hybrid without writing two paragraphs talking about myself. See the difference?
Coachg |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20924
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:45 am Post subject: |
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| No. And I've explained why a least a dozen times. |
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isobars
Joined: 12 Dec 1999
Posts: 20924
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 3:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Don't most or all minivans still accommodate a 4X8 piece of plywood? Its diagonal is 9 feet, which would accommodate most big sails lying flat on the floor. |
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swchandler
Joined: 08 Nov 1993
Posts: 10588
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 4:50 pm Post subject: |
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With new vehicles today, the electronic systems and wiring can be very complicated. It's best to avoid modifying any components of the vehicle if they include any wiring or electronic devices.
If your heart is set on a minivan of some type, I thought coachg's plastic rack was a good economical way to go, because it would allow for things to protrude forward above a center console, if needed. The only tricky part would be the mounting design for its varied placement in the minivan. Some kind of quick release system would be best to facilitate changes.
Lastly, I have to say that the stow and go seating in the Pacifica is pretty slick, particularly if you need flexibility for hauling people and/or cargo. My best friend (not a windsurfer) has a Pacifica, and he loves it. |
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DelCarpenter
Joined: 06 Nov 2008
Posts: 499
Location: Cedar Falls, IA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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| Really enjoy my 2019 Honda Odyssey. A passenger can ride in right front seat while extra long stuff like 350cm Kona OD fits on its side between the two front seats, the stern supported by the console & the dashboard, with a towel or foam rubber section protecting the dashboard. The Kona bow is as near to the left rear of the van as I can get it. The stern on the dash is low enough I can look over it to see the right side outside mirror, can also use the center rearview mirror. All of the above is with the second row seats removed and the rearmost seats stowed in the floor. Would have plenty of room next to the Kona for a 9.0 & a two piece 490. |
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akrausz
Joined: 19 Sep 2008
Posts: 158
Location: FL
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| Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2021 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| isobars wrote: | | Don't most or all minivans still accommodate a 4X8 piece of plywood? Its diagonal is 9 feet, which would accommodate most big sails lying flat on the floor. |
My 2014 Dodge does. And I can fit two sheets of plywood as long as the driver isn't taller than 5 feet. |
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