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Originally Posted by WestyToSMB
Tony, thanks for all your information. Our van is on order, and we are figuring out the options, so your posts help a lot. Really like the look of your setup.
A few questions if you don't mind:
After using the Hullavator for a while for 2 SUPs, would you do the same thing again next time? Our Sprinter van will be a high-roof RB (+ a few inches for the factory 4x4), and we sometimes will carry 2 SUPs, sometimes 2 17' sea kayaks (about 40lbs each).We are considering 2 Hullavators (skip the awning I guess), and the telescoping ladder you have. We ordered the MBz tracks.
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I don't mind questions at all WTS! I am pretty envious of your 4x4 build and will be following along as it progresses. I do like the hullavator, even though lifting two SUP boards can often be a challenge. In fact, it happened to be the cause of my first dent in the van. I was anxious to get on the lake one day and as I was lowering the hullivator I missed the last step and the full weight of the boards came swinging down and put a small dent in the side of the van.
If you go the tracks/hullivator route, make sure you tell SMB that you want the tracks the entire length of the roof. SMB Indiana only did ½ my roof (using nuts/bolts) before I noticed and asked them to do the entire roof. Since they already installed the interior ceiling, they only screwed in the remaining tracks. The end result is the tracks in the front feel loose (I can wiggle them) and are not entirely secure imho.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WestyToSMB
Also, you originally mentioned being able to hang stuff from the ceiling (not just SUPs (which did not work), but other stuff right?). I am thinking about ordering a bunch of D-rings in the ceiling that would allow for paddles, wet clothes, and other things to be hung. Thoughts?
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I apparently was not able to properly articulate to SMB-I that I wanted bolts in the ceiling. It never happened. I would imagine SMB-Cali would be more apt to understand and engineer a solution for hanging gear inside. As far as gear goes, at the end of the day, we make every effort to leave dirty gear outside and keep a good separation between dirty/wet and clean/dry. All dirty/wet stuff gets placed in bins or hung outside and then placed on the back rack in bins.
If I had to do it all over again, I’d consider an EB van with a smaller “rear garage” for gear (paddles, caving gear, etc) to keep separation between living space and play space. I am still up in the air on having a fixed, “bombproof roof rack” versus the hullivator. When I am not hauling boards, I like to take all the cross bars / hullivator off the roof and store them in the garage to keep them out of the elements. I have heard of folks on the sprinter forums who have heavy duty roof racks develop roof leaks over time from walking on /weighting the rack on top of their vans.
An avid SUP boarder down in Florida has a pretty sweet Outside Van setup where he had a garage and full size roof rack installed on his van. I don’t have a lot of good pics of his interior, but here is the roof rack setup he has for his two SUPs:
Let me know if you have any other questions,
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