Don't have the cashe for the gucci gobi, so I had to do some ebay/garage spare magic and put together something for the boards and some gear. This is just some info for those of you that are considering (gulp..) DRILLING through the hard top.

First pic is the parts that come from Yakima for the SideLoader gutter pieces - Widebody or something like that is an option - you'll see why in the pics. I'm good with this setup - you may want to go the track route or use a different gutter configuration...



Next is the pic of the holes with a little marine grade silicone sealant to slow down any leaks:



Next is the inside reinforcement bracket. Stout in my opinion... clamps the fiberglass if you pick a nice flat area. I've used similar reinforcements on boat installs before and this looks strong enough for basic light loads.



In this pic you can see how jammed up the mount is against the roof. You REALLY have to tweak the alignment to prevent the foot from jamming into the top. I used the supplied spacers and fabbed some rubber pads from an innertube and wedged them in the clip to get a more compact/vertical alignment. Minor pita - but with the wide body mount you would probably avoid this. You could also go higher, but I chose to clamp to the vertical part of the hardtop to avoid flexing the top if possible....



Overall pic - I spread the bars as much as possible because I carry longboards and surfski mostly and it helps keep 'em stable.



Not the sexiest install - but hope it helps.

See you at the mega meet... still want the gobi...

 

Noticed a little bowing on the top with the racks installed. For those of you familiar with Yakima racks - they can generate some serious torque when they clamp down (that's probably why you rarely - if ever - hear about a Yakima coming off of a car top).

Bottom line - I'll need to tweek the alignment on the risers and bars to minimize the stress on the top. I think this will still give me some reasonable usage of the top for surfboards, light camping gear, etc...

But I still want the Gobi... time to count the penny jar.

 

AWSOME! Thanks man. You've put my mind to rest about adding the gutter mounts.
I bought a set of the Yakima faux raingutters last summer but had my doubts about drilling holes through the top. I was concerned about the top bieng hollow inside or cracking the shell.

I was origionally thinking of claming to the front "gutters" molded into the freedom top panels but thought they might just snap off under stress and cost me a small fortune to replace.

Your solution seems perfect for a small kayak or firewood. I'll give it a shot.

 

My observations - you can see where the fiberglass is not hollow and where the voids are. I will say though it is THIN fiberglass.

The widebody mounts or going higher with the sidebody mounts might alleviate some of the tower to top contact.

Hope it works for you.

 

Good Job Alex! Let's caravan to the Mega Meet!! We need to do something as well or we'll never be able to camp on the weekends with kids!

 

Thanks - totally agree, we need to plan an east county trip.

I just got the coolest Father's Day present - a green light for the Gobi rack. This will be a huge plus up for our camping plans down the road (or trail )

 

Very cool!
I think I'm getting a t-shirt for my fathers day

Let me know if you need any help installing it when you get it!

 

Nice job!

I'm curious, why did you install the rack with side mounts and not the top mounting Yakima Landing Pads? There are also top mounting hardware provided by Thule specifically for fiberglass. For the Thule mounts search for TK13.

When I get back stateside I'm going to buy the fastback hardtop with sunroof from Wild Boar Products, which has a thicker fiberglass construction than stock. These mounting points and a rack system are going on first thing. I do like the round crossbars that Yakima uses... Plus, the solid and sunroof hardtops from Wild Boar would give you the option to extend your mounts towards the front of the Jeep.

 

I like the side mounts because they transfer the weight parallel with the sides rather than perpendicular on the top. Just a preference. Also I already had a bunch of Yakima spare parts from previous vehicles.

I had Thule racks before Yakima... didn't care for the square bars. Just a personal preference.

I'm still looking at the Gobi. Even with reinforcements this top is really not designed for any weight. Light loads like surfboards, fishing gear, kayaks for short trips is really all I need from the Yakima set up.

My 2 cents.

 

I like it.
Great job.