I won't bore you with the whole story. My best friend has a 2016 Beetle convertible. It is her dream car. She saw it in a showroom, she needed a new car, her husband made mid-6-figures, so he just signed for the financing (which was not the greatest deal, but whatever). They are now divorced and her lifestyle has gone from Stepford rich wife to her true nature which is hippie/DIY queen. She isn't selling the Beetle but she wants it to do some things. Last week she needed a single 12' PT 2x4 to finish a planter box, and she had to call me to help her pick up ONE 2x4. She also has a kayak that she can't use, because beetle convertible.
So I have this idea. They make hitches for the car, although the owner's manual tells her to never tow with it. I was thinking if she had a hitch and I fabbed up an insert like the picture below, she could rest the back of the kayak on that.
But what to do about the front above the windshield? There is only about 3-4" of paint between the glass and the cloth top. I thought about a couple of those suction cup shower handles to put there, but if I can find one with suction cups small enough I'm not sure they'll have enough grip. I thought about buying a roof rack system for a hardtop and seeing if just the front rail will work farther forwad on the A-pillar... like this, but moved forward:
I already found a spot under the hood/cowl where I can attach some nylon webbing loops for tie downs at the front.
Throw some thoughts at me.
Mr_Asa
UberDork
6/1/21 8:05 p.m.
I built one of these for my boat before I had a trailer. I put it on the for sale section as (I think) "Free OBO" cause now I have two trailers.
Want it?
Edit: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/parts-sale/boat-transport-unit-not-a-trailer/180368/page1/
We really need a better search program.
You mean the back part or the front part? Either way, I'll take it. Just not sure how to get it here.
Mr_Asa
UberDork
6/1/21 8:20 p.m.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I editededed the post. Might have to do some finagling to figure out the 2" square tube hitch down to whatever she has on her setup.
GRM Express? They go everywhere, man. Across the desert's bare, man. They've breathed the mountain air, man. Of travel they've had their share, man.
The back part looks like a pickup bed extender. I bought one of those fairly cheaply.
I can't help with the front.
Yes, bed extender. I couldn't find one for the 1-1/4" receiver, but a welder can adapt a multitude of things. I also couldn't find one tall enough. They're designed to fill the 1-2 feet from the hitch to the tailgate, but I'll need more than that for her car.
Mr_Asa said:
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
I editededed the post. Might have to do some finagling to figure out the 2" square tube hitch down to whatever she has on her setup.
GRM Express? They go everywhere, man. Across the desert's bare, man. They've breathed the mountain air, man. Of travel they've had their share, man.
I like. I'll steal it from you, and bring you some good beverage to the challenge.
Mr_Asa
UberDork
6/1/21 8:30 p.m.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Roger roger.
I'll look around and find all the pieces. The base piece is heavy as E36 M3 cause I typically build with a factor of safety of eleventy-hunnerd. She/you will probably want to get some weight down from that, or not. Either way it should still work.
The tie downs can be done easily using some quick loops for about $10-15 on Amazon:
Quick loops
I've also seen the hitch extenders configured for higher vehicles like SUVs:
You should also be able to find a premade adapter to go from the beetle hitch to the hitch extender if needed.
I wonder if you might be able to use something like this mounted high on the windshield for the front:
Suction cup kayak roller
Why not just get/fab a little trailer? Or was that already explained in the posts I went full TL/DR on?
akamcfly said:
Why not just get/fab a little trailer? Or was that already explained in the posts I went full TL/DR on?
That's my thought as well. Proven solution. Much less potential for losing the load, much more versatility, and less liability because someone (you) fabricated something.
I've carried my canoe and a multitude of surfboards on racks, plus a wooden crate with some of my dad's 7 foot paintings (round trip, Orlando to Saratoga). Car topping is always sketchy.
She loses the kayak off the top, it's your fault.
Yeah, I'm going to vote trailer, too. An 8' Harbor Freight trailer would turn it into a pickup truck when she needs one.
I'm not crazy about a load on the top of the windshield frame. I'd either fab a receiver under the front bumper for a front rack or go the trailer route.
I want to add that from a big picture/lifestyle/happiness perspective I'm not sure that having an excuse to spend time with a best friend whenever a truck is needed is a bad thing.
APEowner said:
I'm not crazy about a load on the top of the windshield frame.
Same here.
The owner's manual says "do not tow" but
1. How heavy is a kayak anyway?
2. A trailer that just needs to fit a kayak and occasional DIY parts will not stress the unibody anymore than 2 heavyset people sitting in the car.
I'm being a bit hyperbolic but you get my point.
If you're committed to the DIY idea, I would recommend doing something like this:
That way you're not cantilevering a windshield that's unsupported on one side with a load. It could be removable and super stealthy as well.
No Time said:
I wonder if you might be able to use something like this mounted high on the windshield for the front:
Suction cup kayak roller
I don't want to ask the windshield to be responsible for the downforce required to hold it in place. I think every gust of wind at 60 mph will cause it to flex stuff and I would just be waiting for the glass to explode.
akamcfly said:
Why not just get/fab a little trailer? Or was that already explained in the posts I went full TL/DR on?
That's a whole additional title, registration, etc to deal with. Also, not that a kayak would make a difference in the weight category, her tow rating is zero.
She also has space in her driveway for nothing. She got a delivery of mulch and she's parking on the street until she gets it all spread.
I know that a trailer is an answer, but it is an absolute impossibility. NO TRAILERS of any kind. She doesn't tow, doesn't want to tow, doesn't want a complete other vehicle that she would have to pay to store somewhere.
Sorry, can't stress this enough. If a trailer were an option, I wouldn't be asking about how to fab a roof rack on a convertible.
I was going to mention that towing may not be a possibility for space reasons, but I see Curtis has already mentioned that.
Since the windshield frame doesn't seem to have much to attach to, what about fabbing something that attaches to the rear mirror mounts? Not sure how sturdy that area is on a Beetle, so might not be an option, but if it's connected to steel on the door, it might be strong enough. You could get fancy and make a plate that goes between the door and mirror, extending the mirrors out a bit, with a 1x1 hole on top or front that she could stick an upright into and then a crossbar connecting the two at the top? Easy to remove when she's not using it and only making the mirrors stick out an extra inch?
-Rob
APEowner said:
I'm not crazy about a load on the top of the windshield frame. I'd either fab a receiver under the front bumper for a front rack or go the trailer route.
I want to add that from a big picture/lifestyle/happiness perspective I'm not sure that having an excuse to spend time with a best friend whenever a truck is needed is a bad thing.
For an independent lady like her, it's torture. She would rather go get a 2x4 on her own and then have me over for tea instead of have me over for tea and a lumber run. I'm happy to do it for her, but I'm also a busy guy and can't always be there. I totally get her independence. I'm exactly the same way. I detest relying on anyone else for something I should be able to do myself.
I'm not saying this is the best idea, but I think it's feasible if I can just figure out the front.
hunter47 said:
If you're committed to the DIY idea, I would recommend doing something like this:
That way you're not cantilevering a windshield that's unsupported on one side with a load. It could be removable and super stealthy as well.
Two problems; it's a small kayak and she's a small lady Building an entire full-length roof rack isn't something she can install and remove on her own. It's also larger storage than a trailer.
Something like a bed extender she can stab in the hitch, and when she's done, it leans in the corner of the garden shed... or under a tree, or on the back of the house, or in the basement.
And yes.... completely committed to the DIY, especially because there are zero aftermarket options that we've found except possibly using one of two rails in a roof rack kit.
Hope you don't mind me just throwing out ideas. None of them will probably stick, but might help get the mental juices flowing a bit for a solution......
Not sure how she feels about the esthetics of the car, but I imagine you could find/make a permanent (i.e. drill a hole and bolt it on) base mount on the a-pillar that she can connect the crossbar to as needed. Not a good looking option, but I bet you could minimize it quite a bit. Maybe even paint it the same color as the car to help blend.
Expanding on the mirror idea, is there someplace you could mount a base plate in the cowl between the windshield and hood? Since most of that is black plastic, it wouldn't be as much of an eyesore and you might find some sturdier locations to mount to.
BTW, focusing on the front connection because I think your hitch with an extended height mount as drawn above is perfect and would work well. I'm also assuming that this needs to work top up or down, so a crossbar connected to the seat belt mounts might also work (basically, like a removable roll bar hoop).
-Rob
APEowner said:
I'm not crazy about a load on the top of the windshield frame.
I wanted to circle back to this.
Her car has the auto-deploying headrest hoops in the event of a roll-over, but as it was described to me, all convertible cars have to have made with a specific roll-over crush protection. That is to say, even in convertibles, if you draw a line from the hoop to the windshield, a passenger's head can't be higher than that line.... which begs the question - doesn't that mean the windshield is likely a lot stronger than we're assuming?
We're talking about a 30 lb kayak and some downforce from straps. I think you would crush the kayak before you moved the windshield.
rob_lewis said:
Hope you don't mind me just throwing out ideas. None of them will probably stick, but might help get the mental juices flowing a bit for a solution......
Not sure how she feels about the esthetics of the car, but I imagine you could find/make a permanent (i.e. drill a hole and bolt it on) base mount on the a-pillar that she can connect the crossbar to as needed. Not a good looking option, but I bet you could minimize it quite a bit. Maybe even paint it the same color as the car to help blend.
Expanding on the mirror idea, is there someplace you could mount a base plate in the cowl between the windshield and hood? Since most of that is black plastic, it wouldn't be as much of an eyesore and you might find some sturdier locations to mount to.
-Rob
Bring on the ideas.
Sidenote: I had to double check, but the mirror mount is not an option because the mirrors are on the door, not the A-pillar. So unless she wants to go all Dukes of Hazzard
I like the cowl idea. I'll pop off the plastic and look. I think I recall not much space there because of wiper mechanism, but worth a look.
Another thought that might help. Although the hood goes further back than the plastic in the cowl in this picture, take a look at where the strut towers are.
rob_lewis said:
Expanding on the mirror idea, is there someplace you could mount a base plate in the cowl between the windshield and hood? Since most of that is black plastic, it wouldn't be as much of an eyesore and you might find some sturdier locations to mount to.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Oh no, I didn't mean a full length rack! I meant that the front cross bar could be supported from the front rather than from the windshield. However, the length of the kayak does mean that that's not very realistic.
I'm primarily concerned with the A-pillar/windshield mounting not because you would flex the A-pillar and snap it, more so that you're loading the windshield in a way it wasn't meant to be loaded.
I particularly like rob-lewis' idea, as it's very similar to mine but addresses the length issue.
