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  • Slalom Ski Rack - compatible with standard wakeboard / surf board tower racks


    Timr71
    • Year: Choose Below Brand: Centurion Model / Trim: Falcon Open Bow Cost: $0-$249 DIY or Professional Install: I installed it / created it
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    Ok, Let's assume that there are still people out that that like to slalom ski or at least would like to have a pair of combo skis with them on their boat. There are expensive and hard to find ski racks that are made to mount on towers. However, many towers have the standard finger rack that will hold both wake boards and surf boards. I have such a rack for my Skylon. But I'd like to get two slalom skis out of the floor of my boat. One night when I couldn't sleep, I started to think that the Y shaped racks that are used to mount guns onto 4-wheelers might be able to be repurposed for holding water skis.  I let those thoughts marinade for a few months, and now that we have the 'Rona I went to Bass Pro Shop with my mask to do some shopping.

    What I found greatly exceeded my expectations. I found a pair of multi-purpose clamps that could be used in a lot of ways. The manufacturer is Koplin Outdoors and the product is labled: Rhino Grip XLr [picture below] These Y shaped clamps are big enough to hold a water ski, they're rubber coated, and they have a stretchable rubber strap that closes the opening. They can be mounted to both flat surfaces and to rods / poles. In fact, You could use these to also fabricate ski holders under the gunnels where the combing pads are. You'd need to cut a rod to use as a mounting point.

    I repurposed a cheap skim board that my son purchased years ago on a beach trip. This particular skim board cost roughly $30 and was pink. But the key was that it fit nicely into my wakeboard rack. In the pictures below, you'll see that the duct tape on the board gave me an indication of where the fingers from the rack were reside.  The Rhino Grip Y shaped clamp lifts the ski high enough to get it over the board rack.  Carefully, I measured out and managed to place two sets of Y clamps onto the board so that 2 slalom skis or a pair of combo skis will fit on this rack and then the entire structure will slide into a wakeboard rack.  I hope my pictures below will tell the rest of the story.  But if you have questions let me know.

    If you're like me, the more items you can get out of the floor of the boat the better. Especially if you spend all day out of the lake and need to have all of your toys with you at the same time.  

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    really cool idea.  how stretchy are the straps that it comes with?  i'm looking to do something similar but for surf boards, but those straps don't look like they're long enough.

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    They're not super stretchy. For my purposes they do steadily hold the skis in place. There were some different additional straps available for purchase on the display rack at Bass Pro.  Also you might search the manufacture's website to see what your other options might be.  I won't really get to see how well mine will work until I get out on the lake and see what if any rope interference issues I might have created for myself. We'll see.  

    What you trying to do? Rack up more surfboards on your boat. I think I'd find a different device to utilize for surfboard racks.  I'm thinking more along the line of various closet made parts or something like that.  

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    12 minutes ago, Timr71 said:

    They're not super stretchy. For my purposes they do steadily hold the skis in place. There were some different additional straps available for purchase on the display rack at Bass Pro.  Also you might search the manufacture's website to see what your other options might be.  I won't really get to see how well mine will work until I get out on the lake and see what if any rope interference issues I might have created for myself. We'll see.  

    What you trying to do? Rack up more surfboards on your boat. I think I'd find a different device to utilize for surfboard racks.  I'm thinking more along the line of various closet made parts or something like that.  

    yeah trying to rack more boards without having to pay ~$180 for a cheapo double-wakesurf rack, without looking too cheesy.  those look nice actually, if they seem like they can handle a little abuse from waves---i have to think so if they are designed to be on ATV's that are constantly being beat on worse than my boat would be.  this one actually looks cool since it rotates and could mount boards up/down rather than sideways, so i might lean this direction and see how it looks before buying multiples: https://www.kolpin.com/rhino-grip-xl-utv-mount

    how does the construction of the ones you got feel?  surf boards are <10lbs in most cases so i'm not so much worried about weight as how they would hold up to 35mph (tops) wind speeds on the water.

    Edited by jtryon
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    2 hours ago, Married2Maristar said:

    Picture on the rack on the boat?

    Sorry. I took the rack out on a buddy's boat this weekend, but the elestic straps on his rack and rubber inserts were all jacked up so we didn't strap it on and use it even though it fit perfectly. Didn't snap a picture of it though. I'll update this thread whenever I get another opportunity to. Sorry.  

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