Windsurfing Vans - Ideas and Suggestions

[LeopardSkin]

I've seen Michael's van in person. The pix don't do it justice. The van is extremely gigantic. Comically huge. You can fit two subcompact cars in there!

[mjamero]

Going to look at this beast in the morning. A little older and kms are a bit higher than I would like. BUT it would be a good starting point for a decent windsurging van. As long as it is reliable.

[mjamero]

I've seen Michael's van in person. The pix don't do it justice. The van is extremely gigantic. Comically huge. You can fit two subcompact cars in there!

Yet it still looks pretty full in there!. At least from the back.

I take it then that a regular wheelbase should be more than big enough?

[Michael]

Ahh... extended. missed that earlier.

Yup Extended!

Micheal. Is the rack just pcv tubing? Is it bolted to the floor or sides or is it just free standing? Do you strap the boards down in transit or are they OK resting there? I image the fins stop the boards from taking your head of in an emergency brake?

It's PVC, free standing and I use a gear tie if I put the boards in without the bags.

What about ventilation?

You need to make sure you open it up and keep it dry. I air it out often and take out really wet sails to dry, I also always take out my harness and wetsuit to dry.

[ezzylover]

ezzylover. What made you decide to change from an Astro to a Savana? Space?

One of the two boards I need to store and transport in the Van is a Starboard Carve 131. It's length is 102 inches and the longest piece of windsurfing gear (apart from a Go 170, but this does not get much use anymore and may be sold). The 102 inch length rules out all smaller vans for me including the Astro/Safari. My thought is to store the windsurfing gear on the lower half of the van with a platform above at about Window height to put a mattress on.

the Astro was great , until we got a dog, then we needed more space for him ( yes I blame the dog for buying an new awesome van ahahah) note that it is a big dog too, 70lbs AmStaff.
it made more sense too since we wanted to get farther and try new things like suping , surfing etc... a larger van is very often more comfortable.
My wife and I both windsurf so we have a stupid amount of gear that we share, we also camp, mountain bike sometimes, ski, so a big van is good for all that.
The savanna has a big engine V8 , 5.3 L , but fear not it is actually pretty damn good on the highway, in the city not so much ....
So if your goal is to have a an extra vehicle just for fun , either the savanna / express or the astro / safari is a good choice now it depends if you bring the whole family with you or just you alone.

hope it helps !

[Ryancr500]

I've been using a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon recently... May be older, and have a lot less power than a full size domestic van, but it was reasonably priced, well maintained and has lots of room inside for the size. I put a thule box on the roof for my sails and have 4 boards on a rack inside. A small 100% efficient propane space heater and auxiliary battery to power a fridge keep the drinks cold and the inside warm when you come in from the cold. The front seats can be reversed so they're facing towards the back. My wife even likes it! The Westfalia is nice too, but has less interior room that the passenger model. It's also heavier and way more expensive. You can easily buy a well maintained vanagon for under $5000. Best years are 86-91.

12715763_10153792530926550_3717908092563958905_n.jpg (96.18 KiB) Viewed 12255 times

[mjamero]

Got a VAN!!! 1999 Chev Express 1500 8 Passenger. 176K km which is pretty low kms for the year. $5500. Needs some minor maintenance. It should be a good platform to start with.

Now the next stage. Planning the gear rack with bed on top. I'm trying to workout the best way to do this. Ideally I would like everything to be removable (if possible) so I can revert back to passenger van mode if needed.

[mjamero]

[quote="Ryancr500"]I've been using a 1985 Volkswagen Vanagon recently... May be older, and have a lot less power than a full size domestic van, but it was reasonably priced, well maintained and has lots of room inside for the size. I put a thule box on the roof for my sails and have 4 boards on a rack inside. A small 100% efficient propane space heater and auxiliary battery to power a fridge keep the drinks cold and the inside warm when you come in from the cold. The front seats can be reversed so they're facing towards the back. My wife even likes it! The Westfalia is nice too, but has less interior room that the passenger model. It's also heavier and way more expensive. You can easily buy a well maintained vanagon for under $5000. Best years are 86-91.

Sounds like a great setup! Do you have a pic of the rack layout?

[mjamero]

if your goal is to have a an extra vehicle just for fun , either the savanna / express or the astro / safari is a good choice now it depends if you bring the whole family with you or just you alone.

hope it helps !

Thanks for the feedback. Took your advice and went with a full-size van. How do you have things setup inside? Is it permanent? Do you leave your gear in it all the time? My wife and I live in a second story townhouse. The windsurf gear is taking up space and causing clutter. It will be nice to have a setup where I can leave the gear in the van for quick access to sailing while at the same time getting my living space back at home back.

[Jaybrown]

Sweet van man!

I often fantasize about an extended sportsmobile! But, I've settled on my westfalia. It really is a brilliant interior design and layout. The key I find is to keep all your gear on the roof and in a roof box if possible. Otherwise your van will stink