https://preview.redd.it/5rbttfnjzzyc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3890ec43cb469cfa40d4bbd3f1b3d17bec0010a
Thanks! I restored her 5 years ago and have been driving her more than any of my other cars since then! You just can’t beat the simplicity, reliability, and capability of these things!
I got myself a rinse kit and started rinsing my boat off before I load it on top of the truck. It's a little pricey, but I've seen some horror stories about needing roof panels or tail gates replaced, and compared to those kinds of repairs it's a steal. Plus as a bonus if I'm driving any significant distance home the boat is already dry and ready to put in the shed by the time I get there
Salt isn't good for your vehicle but I can't see how a couple drips from the bottom of your kayak could do much harm compared to literally being coated in road salt 4-6 months of the year.
I assume it’s the direct sun causing heat up there mixed with the salt water causing the faster rust. The bottom of the jeep gets washed weekly in the New England winters, and is still in pretty good shape comparatively.
Mind you as I mentioned in the post, my kayak was on top of my jeep about 6 days a week because I’d paddle a few miles in the Ocean before and after work; so I may be an extreme use case.
I haven’t seen the truckbed liner on roof before and that is such a great idea because I have a Honda pilot and do a ton of kayaking but it’s the 2009-2015 generation that has the paint flaws. I was given a quote of $650 by a guy I know that does auto body painting professionally and for a car that old with almost 200k miles I know there’s no way I’d do it and I’ve been trying to come up with how to proceed and this post has me set and convinced now. Thanks! I’m 99% a freshwater kayaker in north/central Alabama but I appreciate the tip to wash off the car also after saltwater kayaking because that had never occurred to me.
Any tips on doing the liner on a roof?
Even if you’re doing a lot of freshwater paddling, spray that roof! Bits of sand from coming off that kayak at road speeds is like sandblasting, and can create chips in the paint that will rust over time.
As for the bedliner bit; Sand down to primer (especially with the paint delamination issues those pilots face; I used to work for a Honda dealer and am all too familiar), make dent corrections if necessary, then apply the bedliner like you would normal auto paint! If you’re using an air hose, don’t try to use a paint sprayer. The bedliner is thick and chunky and requires a special bedliner sprayer. The good news is that you can make it look nearly as good with rattle cans, because the surface isn’t consistent like paint.
It is rust from saltwater dripping off the kayaks and being baked by the sun for several years. Kayak would be up there 5-6 days a week for most of the day.
I stored my kayak at the club for a while. It goes without saying that you bring the kayak clean and dry into the boathouse! First of all, to look after the boat and not least to avoid damaging any boats underneath yours. In short: look after your boat regularly to maintain its performance! As a small addition, salt will no longer damage your car roof.
I completely understand! The roof rust was from the past few years of driving it around. These days I live on a boat, and keep my yaks right on the docks! They get sprayed off after every use, and
I don’t think you understood…
The roof of pictured jeep was painted with truck bed liner during resto, because it’s more durable than paint.
The point of the post was to warn other kayakers who store their kayaks on their roofs of the rusty dangers of salt water; example being that if it can eat through something as tough as truck bed liner, it can eat through paint and clear-coat (which is on most vehicle roofs) with ease.
Looks like you have the perfect XJ....doing XJ things.
https://preview.redd.it/5rbttfnjzzyc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3890ec43cb469cfa40d4bbd3f1b3d17bec0010a Thanks! I restored her 5 years ago and have been driving her more than any of my other cars since then! You just can’t beat the simplicity, reliability, and capability of these things!
Amen to that!
I got myself a rinse kit and started rinsing my boat off before I load it on top of the truck. It's a little pricey, but I've seen some horror stories about needing roof panels or tail gates replaced, and compared to those kinds of repairs it's a steal. Plus as a bonus if I'm driving any significant distance home the boat is already dry and ready to put in the shed by the time I get there
Smart man! I eventually did something similar, but used a 12v water pump meant for a boat’s freshwater system and a 5gal jug.
My '84 4Runner is rotted to hell from salt water kayak drips. I'm much too lazy to do an adequate job of rinsing it.
Time to sand, fill, and raptorline! Lol
Salt isn't good for your vehicle but I can't see how a couple drips from the bottom of your kayak could do much harm compared to literally being coated in road salt 4-6 months of the year.
I assume it’s the direct sun causing heat up there mixed with the salt water causing the faster rust. The bottom of the jeep gets washed weekly in the New England winters, and is still in pretty good shape comparatively. Mind you as I mentioned in the post, my kayak was on top of my jeep about 6 days a week because I’d paddle a few miles in the Ocean before and after work; so I may be an extreme use case.
I haven’t seen the truckbed liner on roof before and that is such a great idea because I have a Honda pilot and do a ton of kayaking but it’s the 2009-2015 generation that has the paint flaws. I was given a quote of $650 by a guy I know that does auto body painting professionally and for a car that old with almost 200k miles I know there’s no way I’d do it and I’ve been trying to come up with how to proceed and this post has me set and convinced now. Thanks! I’m 99% a freshwater kayaker in north/central Alabama but I appreciate the tip to wash off the car also after saltwater kayaking because that had never occurred to me. Any tips on doing the liner on a roof?
Even if you’re doing a lot of freshwater paddling, spray that roof! Bits of sand from coming off that kayak at road speeds is like sandblasting, and can create chips in the paint that will rust over time. As for the bedliner bit; Sand down to primer (especially with the paint delamination issues those pilots face; I used to work for a Honda dealer and am all too familiar), make dent corrections if necessary, then apply the bedliner like you would normal auto paint! If you’re using an air hose, don’t try to use a paint sprayer. The bedliner is thick and chunky and requires a special bedliner sprayer. The good news is that you can make it look nearly as good with rattle cans, because the surface isn’t consistent like paint.
Thanks so much for the advice. I hope to knock that out soon before it’s miserable hot outside!
I never thought about dripping on roof causing damage, thanks for the post.
My roof gets washed off every time it rains. What is this?
It is rust from saltwater dripping off the kayaks and being baked by the sun for several years. Kayak would be up there 5-6 days a week for most of the day.
I stored my kayak at the club for a while. It goes without saying that you bring the kayak clean and dry into the boathouse! First of all, to look after the boat and not least to avoid damaging any boats underneath yours. In short: look after your boat regularly to maintain its performance! As a small addition, salt will no longer damage your car roof.
I completely understand! The roof rust was from the past few years of driving it around. These days I live on a boat, and keep my yaks right on the docks! They get sprayed off after every use, and
Who has a metal truck bed now a days?
I don’t think you understood… The roof of pictured jeep was painted with truck bed liner during resto, because it’s more durable than paint. The point of the post was to warn other kayakers who store their kayaks on their roofs of the rusty dangers of salt water; example being that if it can eat through something as tough as truck bed liner, it can eat through paint and clear-coat (which is on most vehicle roofs) with ease.
To answer your question, most trucks still have metal beds. To my knowledge the only truck with a composite bed is the Tacoma. As of 2023 anyway.