New Owner - 2013 E350 V10 SMB

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by palsing

Also, with the CCV top you get a whole lot of storage that becomes available, when the top is up, over the front seats. This is where we put our luggage, when camped.

Thank you all very much! Now - is there a CCV option for a roof rack?

I'm grappling a little bit with where to put our longboards each of which are 9'6". Now its easy cause the van is empty. But on long trips we'll need locking storage for two longboards and probably 2-4 short boards. And with the interior built we won't likely be able to keep them inside. On our old rig they all lived on the roof. The longboards sat in lockracks and the shortboards were locked in our Thule box.

I know Aluminess makes a compatible rack for the SMB Lid but what about the CCV?

Thank you all in advance and apologies if this information is already in the forum.

[palsing]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Thank you all very much! Now - is there a CCV option for a roof rack?

I'm grappling a little bit with where to put our longboards each of which are 9'6". Now its easy cause the van is empty. But on long trips we'll need locking storage for two longboards and probably 2-4 short boards. And with the interior built we won't likely be able to keep them inside. On our old rig they all lived on the roof. The longboards sat in lockracks and the shortboards were locked in our Thule box.

I know Aluminess makes a compatible rack for the SMB Lid but what about the CCV?

Thank you all in advance and apologies if this information is already in the forum.

I had originally ordered a Yakima Roof Rack system on my CCV top but decided instead to get solar on top, and you can't have both. I love my solar and don't miss the rack.

So... i guess the answer is 'yes', you can get roof racks on your CCV top!

[MSD]

We build everything in house, we can make any rack fit any top we offer... We have a full weld shop. Even though we are land locked we have built plenty of surf racks. We are build two right now for different Sprinter owners who are SoCal residence.

[Glen]

I did a lot of crawling around other's rigs, talking to owners of both Sportsmobile tops & CCV tops, and did a fair amount of research before deciding on a CCV hightop. I haven't had it for very long, but am soooo happy with my decision. Every time I take it out, it just reinforces my decision.

I had them put the aluminum Unistrut channels on the roof which allows me to do a bunch of different things with a rack system. Even with the MaxxAir vent, which I highly recommend, I've got enough room for solar and storage. I adopted my Yakima round bar mounts, much like Otter did, and have the ability to add/remove bars, slide the bars very easily front to back as needed, and can attach what ever I want to the round bars.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by MSD

We build everything in house, we can make any rack fit any top we offer... We have a full weld shop. Even though we are land locked we have built plenty of surf racks. We are build two right now for different Sprinter owners who are SoCal residence.

Very rad. I will be in touch.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Glen

I did a lot of crawling around other's rigs, talking to owners of both Sportsmobile tops & CCV tops, and did a fair amount of research before deciding on a CCV hightop. I haven't had it for very long, but am soooo happy with my decision. Every time I take it out, it just reinforces my decision.

I had them put the aluminum Unistrut channels on the roof which allows me to do a bunch of different things with a rack system. Even with the MaxxAir vent, which I highly recommend, I've got enough room for solar and storage. I adopted my Yakima round bar mounts, much like Otter did, and have the ability to add/remove bars, slide the bars very easily front to back as needed, and can attach what ever I want to the round bars.

Thanks for the pic. I really dig the bars. Seems like a very practical and effective setup.

[Bowser]

Holy $#!%, haha

I just spent 2 hours reading all the SMB vs CCV threads and now I'm even more confused.

[REF]

It’s up to you, of course, but after owning and using both, there really isn’t a comparison. All the things mentioned plus it pops up higher, insulated coated canvas, the lift mechanism is much more stout, 2 1000lb screw rams attached to proper gauge tubing, there is no flex and no frame movement when it’s up....zero! That means it won’t be shaking or swaying around in the wind. We have had some windy days camped on the beach in Baja, I always had to bring the SMB top down in the same wind so something wouldn’t get damaged or just as a break from the thing getting knocked around.
As far as the reviews posted on the CCV top, nothing is perfect, and all I can say is that at least they have improved upon the design and materials used in the short time they’ve been out in comparison to how long SMB has been using the same antiquated pop top mechanism and inferior materials.
I just spent some time down in Baja with a sprinter SMB owner, after numerous frustrations, not only with his interior build out but with his pop top, including bent arms and constantly dealing with broken rivets on the weather stripping, he’s now looking to get on the list to swap over to a CCV top on his rig......

[MSD]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Holy $#!%, haha

I just spent 2 hours reading all the SMB vs CCV threads and now I'm even more confused.

I’m curious what are you confused about? We’ve email last week. If you have concerns reach out via email or even here...

[Bowser]

**Update***
I've put a deposit down with CCV. Mark has been awesome so far, he spent a few hours on the phone with me and answered all of my questions.

Hopefully everything goes smoothly and I will post pics after the install

I found this very informative video comparing the SMB top with the CCV top.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9OdazVXKTs

Hope everyone is well and well-prepped