[gfen]

Anyone do it with an Element?

I've taken some measurements, and it would appear that unless I've got the rod angled, consistently bent and the tiptop against the glass there's no way to carry an 8' or longer rod in this car.

And, despite what people say about graphite not taking a permanent bend, I don't like having it constantly angled. I also don't like letting the tiptop smack against the glass or rub the roof because I'd rather not mar it or crack the blank, so that means I just can't do it.

Unless someone's got a novel suggestion.

SporTube makes an external, top mount carrier for fully rigged rods up to 9' in length, but I've read its not the most rigid thing out there. Its also pricey at $200 for something that's a one trick pony, and they recommend a 4.5' crossbar spread, at minimum, to use. All of this leads me to think its not an answer.

There's no Yakima or Thule case that's 108" long (and if there was, I probably couldn't afford it). I've considered 2" PVC for a rod tube, but then I would need open it up somehow to hold the reel (and going to round PVC won't work, it would crack the rod). My other concern with PVC is back to smashing and marring the guides inside, but I suppose I could also construct a full length sock to sheath the rod, then insert it into the top.

Of course, this doesn't address 9' of PVC bending up and down with every bump, either.

So, whatcha got? Anything, or am I gonna have to suck it up and break 'em down every time?

 

[orange_spokes]

if your talking fly rods...check out orvis makes a magnetic rod rack that has 2 pieces one of the hood and the other on the roof and you can bungee up to 4 fully rigged rods @ 60 miles per hour...

 

[gfen]

THis is true, you can also use an external ski and pole rack or the specificlly made Thule pole rack.

However, I neglected to mention I wasn't fond of leaving them hanging out there all the time. It just seems unlucky somehow.

So, the Orvis carrier you're referring to falls into the same category. I'd use it for a quick trip between streams, but not for what I'm looking for.

On the other hand, maybe I should just look into a used ski rack for short trips.. I never even really thought about that.

 

[carvingbarn]

Thule's Castaway rooftop rod carrier is a nice system. It attaches to the roof rack.

 

[psschmied]

If you want a rigid tube for occasional use, DWV pipe comes in diameters from 2-6", in 10" standard lengths that can be trimmed to shorter lengths using a hacksaw.

Put a cap on one end and inline adapter coupling to a larger pipe size for the reel. Add a threaded clean-out with plug and you have a very rugged, inexpensive rooftop rod carrier. Available materials are black ABS and white PVC. PVC is more rigid than ABS, and rigidity increases with diameter. Your rod will naturally flex far more than a piece of 2" or larger DWV pipe.

I've used them in the past to carry electrical conduits, plumbing pipe, tent poles, unistrut and trim pieces for millwork. To pad a rod you could use closed cell foam tube made for plumbing pipe insulation. A reel could be padded separately with a couple of layers of bubble wrap or foam sheeting.

 

[brwntrt]

bend

Here's the amount of bend on an 8'6" 4wt and a 9'0" 7wt
I have a mini bungee between the two visors at the windshield that pulls down to the day/night flipper on the mirror to pull the rods out, an old camera bag strap between the ohsh*t handles, and a wading belt on the child seat? hooks with some swag Orvis reel cases. Bait casters and spinners just hold in the tension between the wading belt strap. It works great and cost me 0 dollars.
I hope those Pennsylvania trout put more stress on the rods than the E!

 

[orange_spokes]

another thing to try...if you rods can break down just in half...i zip tied a piece of PVC that i cut to hold my rods on the end...its still in the prototype stage but ill try and post a pic a later on...its similar to brwntrt's setup but with the rods broken down...

 

[super_fly]

I use the rodloft internal racks. Here's my initial review:

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19359

I like them. I fish inshore saltwater fly & spin mostly. Spinning rods are usually 7 - 7.5 ft. Fly rods are mostly 9 footers with some shorter rods I like for kayaking. My fly rods are generally 2 or 4 pc and I carry them in the rodloft broken down. The foam inserts for the rod loft have little indentions on the side where I put the tips. Haven't had a problem with anything breaking yet.

I've also carried my 8 footers fully rigged and they did bend at the tip there haven't been any issues with them.

 

[Copper]

on the contrary.

I carry 8' hardwood lumber boards on a very regular basis in my E. You have to fold the front seat down and rest the board on the dash. With an angle I've even snuck in a few 9'ers. And believe me a 8' long 9" wide 8/4 thick piece of sugar maple does not bend.

An 8' fishing pole shold be easy.

Otherwise get some PVC drain tube from your local hardware store. You can get thin wall 4" I.D. diameter drain pipe for a song. By some caps and your set. Mount those to the roof rack and away you go.

 

[EL-MT]

I just break my rod down to two pieces and lay it on the back seat. It only takes a second to untangle it and the flies never hook into the upholstery. And vibration can be very bad for graphite.

 

[orange_spokes]

its kind of shaky...but you get the idea...

 

[LMntGuy1982]

I wish I had pics of my first setup but here's my best attempt to describe it...

It was just like brwntrt's in that I had bungee cords between the child restraints in the back and across the rear passenger handles. I went to the hardware store and bought some of that foam pipe insulation you wrap around plumbing pipes. I cut it to fit the width of the bungee between the passenger seat handles. I then drilled a 1/4" hole through the foam just above halfway on the foam. I then took a razor blade and cut a slit in the top of the foam so the rod could slide in. This way the rod would rest just above the reel on the rear-most bungee and then "snap" into place on the foam and keep it from bouncing around. It worked great and kept my 9' fly rod in place though it did bend a little when it touched the windshield but no permanent damage. I love my G. Loomis

 

[Knobby]

I do the same thing as brwntrt, but I have more bungees strung across, and some diagonal to support them.

Works great with the exception of my salmon trolling rods (9') and steelhead float (9'6") which I run diagonal from the back floor to passenger front window-ish area...

 

[Dom.five]

If you have roof racks, build your own tube roof rack carrier ! Use 4 inch PVC pipe with screw on end at the rear. Several people have done this with several types of cars and trucks. It's easy and cheep ! The above link is only one of several sets of instructions.

Dom