Roof rack with Sunroof cutout

[Panzerpatty]

Hey Y'all. Time to get a roofrack. I need a fullsize so I can haul a giant canoe but I also need to have the sunroof open. My wife is kind of obsessed with not blocking the sunroof. Last march we got hit, rolled 7 times at 60mph and I pulled her unconscious through the sunroof of our 96 while the truck was catching fire. So shes like PTSD stern on this requirement.

So far I've only found Gobi, but after the recent drama I would like to go with another company if possible. Another option I'm thinking about is getting an ARB and having a fab shop cut a hole. Anyone have thoughts?

:wave:

 

[Inferno1]

Recent drama? Gobi is an awesome business from my past and current orders

 

[CO-Cygnus]

Hey Y'all. Time to get a roofrack. I need a fullsize so I can haul a giant canoe but I also need to have the sunroof open. My wife is kind of obsessed with not blocking the sunroof. Last march we got hit, rolled 7 times at 60mph and I pulled her unconscious through the sunroof of our 96 while the truck was catching fire. So shes like PTSD stern on this requirement.

So far I've only found Gobi, but after the recent drama I would like to go with another company if possible. Another option I'm thinking about is getting an ARB and having a fab shop cut a hole. Anyone have thoughts?

:wave:

#1 - Holy Shit. Glad you guys are ok.

#2 - You can easily haul a canoe on a Yakima, Thule, or similar crossbar system with accessories. I've carried a 17' Old Town on a Yakima system w/Canoe Brackets for years. This would be much cheaper and not obstruct the moonroof. Have you looked at one of those systems as opposed to a full-bore roof rack system?

 

[mtomaro]

I'm proudly buying a GOBI rack in the next month. Great product from a small, successful business. They're expensive but I have yet to find someone who doesn't love theirs. The removable sunroof section is a big plus for me as well.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Wow, glad to hear you're both okay. Must have been traumatic.
You could have told her you pulled her out through the door, that it was operational afterwards. :hug:

When I had the Jeep GC I hauled a canoe on my OEM roof rack several times. Once on the earlier, larger Dodge Durango. It has to balance with a long portion hanging out over the rear and the bow about a foot in front of the windshield top edge. Besides tying it down sideways I tied it off to the front hooks and rear trailer hitch.

All that to say a standard roof rack, like the Baja Rack could work. Baja also makes a couple of different long racks too. Drabbits makes a Camelback long rack too, though he's way out on delivery time according to some. All of these come with openings for the sunroof but in a roll-over these may be skewed and smashed over the sunroof.

 

[Texas777]

First off, glad y'all made it through the accident!

Now, I've read through this 3 times and am not understanding why you don't want a GOBI? Absolutely love mine and use it regularly. Would buy another tomorrow if I needed one. Get the sunroof opening and the extra piece to cover the opening when you need more real estate (and your wife isn't in the truck).

 

[mtomaro]

First off, glad y'all made it through the accident!

Now, I've read through this 3 times and am not understanding why you don't want a GOBI? Absolutely love mine and use it regularly. Would buy another tomorrow if I needed one. Get the sunroof opening and the extra piece to cover the opening when you need more real estate (and your wife isn't in the truck).

There's several threads like this one, start reading:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/205957-wmw-gobi-just-wont-quit.html

Take that discussion to those threads. Let's not start another WMW/GOBI thread.

 

[Panzerpatty]

For me it's less about the actual lawsuit and more about the fact that the owner and employees came into the comment section shilling and talking BS. I try not to do business with companies whose behaivior I disagree with. Vote with your wallet and all that.
:mad2:

There's several threads like this one, start reading:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/205957-wmw-gobi-just-wont-quit.html

Take that discussion to those threads. Let's not start another WMW/GOBI thread.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Glad you all are okay. Rolling 7x is no small occurrence.

No advice on the roof rack just well wishes.

 

[Panzerpatty]

Hey, thanks for the reply. I have thought about Yakima and I used to haul it on my OEM roof rack. I think theres 3 issues for me specifically though

1) This a 17ft aircraft aluminum canoe, its more like a long skinny boat and with the shorter/skinnier roof racks I think it would be precarious.

2) My parking garage doesn't have the clearance to add another system onto the oem rack

3) My girl basically lost all function in one of her arms because of the accident, so I have to put this thing on by myself. I was thinking if I have a rack that goes far to the rear of the truck, I can put the front of the canoe on, slide it forward until it reaches a tipping point and kinda 'falls forward on the front of the fullsize RR. Not sure if I could do that with yakima. Does that make sense?

#1 - Holy Shit. Glad you guys are ok.

#2 - You can easily haul a canoe on a Yakima, Thule, or similar crossbar system with accessories. I've carried a 17' Old Town on a Yakima system w/Canoe Brackets for years. This would be much cheaper and not obstruct the moonroof. Have you looked at one of those systems as opposed to a full-bore roof rack system?

 

[CO-Cygnus]

So... not an easy problem.

I guess you've got a Grumman canoe, or something similar, so... about 80 pounds?

A yakima or thule rack with gunwale brackets can easily and safely carry a 17-footer. No problem.

Your specific problem is getting the boat on the roof single-handed. Rear load is going to be a big issue because, without a second set of hands, the boat is going to hit the spoiler before the cross-bar and the spoiler is not a good pivot-point for an 80 pound boat. I had a hard enough time single handing my boat on top of my old Subaru. I would never even attempt to do that with a 4Runner, as tall as it is.

Maybe a combination of hitch-rack and cross bar would work. Check out the Thule Goalpost. The only other option I can think of is a trailer.

 

[Texas777]

There's several threads like this one, start reading:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/general-discussions/205957-wmw-gobi-just-wont-quit.html

Take that discussion to those threads. Let's not start another WMW/GOBI thread.

Apparently I've been working too hard and don't get out of the 5th Gen forum when I do hit this forum, as this is the first ive heard of the "drama".

As for taking discussions somewhere, I'm not looking to discuss any of that here or anywhere else. I was merely offering my first hand opinion on a rack that I put on my rig about 9 months ago, and trying to understand the comment and why someone wouldn't want this particular brand. Truly had no idea of any of the crap flying around. Thanks for the heads up on it though as it answered my question. I offered my opinion based on my personal experience with the product, and have nothing else to offer. Good luck to the OP with rack selection. Signing off...

 

[Raven]

I carry my (very expensive!) 17' canoe on the Baja standard long rack. They also make a long utility rack, but I prefer the standard rack. Both have openings for the moonroof.
It comes down to experience and personal preference, but I would not carry my canoe on a short rack of any kind. I don't want half the canoe sticking out in front of the furthest forward support, waiting for the side wind blast from a passing semi to rip it off the roof! Much more secure on a full length rack. A thousand people can tell me they have carried millions of canoes safely on short racks, and it won't change my opinion on that one.
I also prefer the Baja over the Gobi for carrying canoes. I like to have the bow of the canoe angling slightly downward, rather than pointing up and increasing the wind-scoop effect. The elevated front rail on the Gobi would have the canoe pointing uphill.
Just my opinion (and my canoe!)

 

[3wbdriver]

I got a price I couldn't refuse on my full Baja Rack or I would have seriously considered the Baja Utility Rack. They come with the sunroof opening standard. My only concern after a year with mine is the powder coating seems to be at the lower end of the quality scale. At least as far as mine goes. Otherwise I am happy with it.

Baja Rack

 

[Intruder]

Baja Rack

Have one, love it. 4 years with absolutely no issues and I have an RTT on it half the year. [MENTION=105481]3wbdriver[/MENTION], not sure if you got one out of a bad powdercoat batch, but I just had mine redone in the spring after 3.5 years in Canadian weather including road salt and all that fun stuff.

 

[J-BlickPhoto]

I'm sorry to hear about the crazy rollover!

I would suggest you stay away from Baja rack. I've had mine for 2 years and it's rusting EVERYWHERE! It's sad...if you need pics, don't be afraid to ask. I've lived on the beach, in the mountains, etc. I've carried surfboards up and down the east coast chasing hurricanes, driven the coast of Texas with a two person ocean kayak strapped to the top, mounted a RTT for months, walked on it, slept on it, and it's done the job. However, it has a pretty serious bow in the center and the powder coat is chipping and bubbling everywhere. In fact, I recently removed the awning mounts and it peeled the powder coat right off and revealed some serious rust and decay. All of the corners are cracked and rusted. Also, they lack the product development I would expect from a company like that. If I could do it again I would choose a frontrunner rack in a heartbeat. They're lighter, made of aluminum, and have 100's of accessories to choose from. Granted they're not the best looking but if you're looking for form over function, then look no further.

 

[CO-Cygnus]

Almost any rack would work to carry the Canoe.

The pressing question here is: How is he going to single-hand this beast on top of a 4Runner?

EDIT: Serious question. Do you have somewhere you can park a small trailer?

 

[mtomaro]

The only thing more true than this:

If I could do it again I would choose a frontrunner rack in a heartbeat. They're lighter, made of aluminum, and have 100's of accessories to choose from.... if you're looking for form over function, then look no further.

Is this:

Granted they're not the best looking

which should read:

Granted they're certainly the ugliest option on the market

 

[HerT4R]

well you have some pretty steep requirements but i have consistenly utilized the stock roofrack with OEM crossbars with a rather large and heavy canoe. i have had no issues with this setup in fact it works great. IIRC a guy has some THULE crossbars on the T4R items for sale forum.

this has worked out great for me. ratchet straps and the OEM roofrack and the ropes to the SSS slimline hybrid bumper padeyes. Took a 6-7hr trip from Arkansas back to Houston, averaging ~70mph and no issues with anything moving around or anything like that. Its loud with it up there, but other than added wind noise, no huge issues.

if you want more pics i can dig some up.

 

[Lugboot]

if you want more pics i can dig some up.

Nice to see a pic of a canoe on the factory rack--gives me an idea of what to expect for overhang front and back.

:thanks: