Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Need a hardware solution for a kayak rack whose parts keep separating

19 September 2011

Re: [DIY] Need a hardware solution for a kayak rack whose parts keep separating

Just looked at this youtube clip of the showboat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Skl4tkLdRw

Do the screws that hold the roller asssembly to the long bars go all the way through? If not I would drill a hole through the other side of the bar, and then get a longer bolt and attach with a nut. Possibly a nut with nylock so that it will stay in place without torquing the heck out of it. And for the quick release levers if there is enough space on the other end of the bolt maybe you can just take 2 nuts and put them on and then tighten them together to hold that assembly in place. Maybe you could take a picture of it and post it.

--- On Mon, 9/19/11, JoyceK <joycekeay@comcast.net> wrote:

From: JoyceK <joycekeay@comcast.net>
Subject: [DIY] Need a hardware solution for a kayak rack whose parts keep separating
To: DoIt_Yourself@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, September 19, 2011, 7:05 AM

Hi, This may seem like it is a bit off topic but I think one of you probably has a good solution to my problem. I have a Yakima Showboat roller system that is supposed to make it easier to load/offload my kayak from my car. However, the roller bar assembly keeps separating from the rods that run from the front to the back of my car. It is a *terrible* design. The two parts are only held together by two very small bolts. Once installed the roller bar and the long rods should never separate. I think I need to replace the current bolt with a longer one and find something that will keep the bolt *very* tight and not work loose. I'm thinking something like a lockwasher and nut but I don't know if these would also come loose from time to time.

Also on this rack are two other bolts that have levers attached to them to loosen the assembly but it is possible for the levers to completely unscrew and come off the bolt and be lost forever. I think I need to find a slightly longer bolt, screw the levers on, then find something for the end of the bolt that will permanently prevent the levers from unscrewing completely from the bolt.

Thank you for any solutions you come up with. Joyce Keay