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HyperRyd overhead surf racks - after using them


rugger

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I’ve seen a little discussion about HyperRyd Design's new overhead surf racks... so I wanted to share my personal experience with fellow Malibu-TMCers.

Since I'm a moderator on WakeGarage.com, I was contacted by HyperRyd last summer to test a pair of the "XR1 Overhead Surf Racks" for a review and to provide feedback on how they could be better.  As a result we spent most of the summer using them. They were officially announced at the L.A. boat show this week.  I'm not affiliated otherwise.

In short we really liked the racks and were pleasantly surprised how well they fit with forward facing Malibu towers.  This was actually my first comment to John (Hyperryd) over the phone from the Oroville floating camp sites.  He says they should fit equally well with the G4 and newer tower, as well as with the cast Illusions using a different fitting, but our test boat happened to be my 2007 247 LSV, which was updated with a 2016 G3.2 tower and bimini.  So the G3 is all I can officially vouch for. 

The point of these new racks is to provide better protection for our surf boards.  I had already damaged two boards in the OEM side racks... a Carbon Thruster which delaminated from sun exposure, and a Koal Thruster with minor dents from the side rack forks.   Yes I could have prevented both of these by first putting the boards in padded bags before going in the side racks...   But it was good timing to test these new racks, especially after buying a couple of Soulcrafts.

With HyperRyd's racks the boards are stored up high, flat against a large padded base, underneath the bimini and out of the sun.  It's weird, but you actually forget they are even there. The boards can also be stored with fins up too which was cool.  The boards were easy to get up and down fairly quickly using padded, cinch straps.   I liked that we didn't have to first put them in a protective bag, and it was nice to keep the boards off the floor or seats between surf sessions.  Really our only issue with the racks was the excess strap lengths which were managed with small loops.  HyperRyd addressed this in the shipping version and now uses tailored straps that fold back with velcro so there's nothing hanging down.  They are clean.

The biggest knock might be the price, which is currently $499 per rack.   They are a little expensive for being so simple.  But they do have a nice machined fit-and-finish, quality parts, and are less expensive than the PTM clamping, Roswell Triton, or additional Malibu combo racks -- none of which keep your boards out of the sun.  I've never personally used the Corson Piper racks, but that's definitely the closest comparison.  The difference is in the way they mount to the tower and contact the board.  

To be clear these overhead racks are not gonna be a direct replacement for side racks either because you will be limited in how many surf boards you store with them, typically one board per rack.  

They worked well for us, especially in sunny/hot California.  

 

A few pics:

The boards overhead are almost hidden from view under the bimini.  
2471.jpg.c97c1fdbf50876aa77960e00abd2adde.jpg

 

Here we stored with board in padded storage bags.   But as we found out the bimini kept the sun off of the boards anyway so we never really used them except transporting the boards to and from the boat.  

2472.jpg.71ab76af748d2f426ec65b7be8c75769.jpg

 

The racks are low profile to the tower, which hold the boards really close to the bimini.   It's cool that the G3 curves up right where the fins are. 

2473.jpg.0be7c264380f75a8e4ceff5dbed0507e.jpg2474.jpg.f4d1d823444b93b014add8cfce9d285b.jpg

 

Took a pic of my son surfing and ended up with a decent product shot.  I'm not nearly as tall as my son, but the setup didn't change head room too much.

2475.jpg.571d60619d49e87b6c875146c7ee0bea.jpg

Here they are without the boards.  The racks will curve a little with the tower cross bar but fit between the Rev10s too.

2476.jpg.31ac564f29b82cd9ca9925f14996bd79.jpg

 

Anyway... hope that helps someone.      

 

There is a more complete write-up on Wake Garage for those interested in more information, install pics, etc...  

https://www.wakegarage.com/articles.html/articles/product-reviews/hands-on-review-of-hyperryd’s-xr1-overhead-surf-rack-r2/

 

 

 

Edited by rugger
  • Like 3
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Your pics don't work.  That said, I saw this on FB a few days ago.  WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.  $500 to hold a single board.  Screw that...you can have a lot of very nice pockets sewn into your bimini for that price.

It's a nice product that's just priced too high.

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42 minutes ago, Nitrousbird said:

Your pics don't work.  That said, I saw this on FB a few days ago.  WAY TOO EXPENSIVE.  $500 to hold a single board.  Screw that...you can have a lot of very nice pockets sewn into your bimini for that price.

It's a nice product that's just priced too high.

Thanks I fixed it.

Yup I agree, they're expensive.  B.O.A.T principle wins again.  I don't use the board straps sewn into my Malibu bimini because they are on top, and the rope pockets are below.  Think it's gonna depend on what tower you have and what works for you.  But our boards go up and down a lot, so these worked awesome for us...  And it was a nice convenience to put the boards right back to the rack after every use, and without bags or board socks.  That's something I would not have though of as a big deal.  How much that convenience is worth will be different for everyone.   I do wish Malibu made them with their own logo or something, because they fit really well with these towers.  I have no idea what Malibu would have charged though. 

Edited by rugger
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ahopkins22LSV

These looks great. I could definitely see us owning these in the future. Surf pockets on top of the bimini are nice but the get baked by the sun. Seeing that you can store boards fins up is a huge plus. $500 might sound like a lot for one but when you are paying 1200-1500 for a ptm clamping rack you are still ahead with better protection imo. And you can simply “sew” in pockets on the under side of the biminis for the G3.#, G4 or the new GX towers. 

  • Like 2
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  • 2 weeks later...
ahopkins22LSV

I decided to pick up one of these racks as I’m a little nervous about space on the VTX tower both height and width, both are less then the 22 foot + boats and I’m 6’1” but they looked great in pictures and reviews so I went for it. Especially because the wife thought they looked good. 

First, it was packages very good and you can really tell how well these are made just by unpackaging them. I was quite impressed while looking it over. No blemishes, nicks or anything. It’s a well thought out, yet simple and well executed  design. Unfortunately it will be a month or two until I get it on the boat and test out the height and spacing but I’m looking forward to it! Also, the board bag I decided to get to is very nice. Glad I added that. Here are some pictures.

0B9D0106-0851-41FC-9D97-3D451DF632D3.thumb.jpeg.aae252e212629341dd198a00bff10b1d.jpeg

CFEEAD86-DC35-4057-8590-BB38A7CD189F.thumb.jpeg.c09c71242dae645cb4c91013b19dd01e.jpeg

72F31595-4467-4866-8F69-20F2C9338F25.thumb.jpeg.12776b244d9a64de36ecffc11439b864.jpeg

48A69CB3-8605-4F9C-94AB-9908437B948C.thumb.jpeg.c9e783a6fa04f7855996f0e8ce16c69e.jpeg

53C28620-3619-4DD3-AA7E-CCD7419E37B6.thumb.jpeg.f4be8b062ed967a5a7821a28b6dba6fc.jpeg

C042C191-192D-43E7-8B07-ECC1F80430CD.thumb.jpeg.06976b38fd12aa38cde026caa4f30f11.jpeg

5805745B-AF87-497B-A651-1050E3E22E71.thumb.jpeg.b580be9caa15d51c7b1f4189578c546c.jpeg

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ahopkins22LSV
10 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

They look like a cool idea and something you could pretty easily build in your garage for a hundred bucks or less if you were so inclined.

Maybe if you had a way to cut and cnc the aluminum and soft grip on it.

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3 minutes ago, ahopkinsVTX said:

Maybe if you had a way to cut and cnc the aluminum and soft grip on it.

Aluminum cuts easily with normal wood tools - fine tooth saw and router bits.  Then the grip would just be some of the gator grip style stuff you can buy off amazon..  The clamps they are using look like the same thing you can buy off DIY Wake

Edited by oldjeep
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36 minutes ago, oldjeep said:

Aluminum cuts easily with normal wood tools - fine tooth saw and router bits.  Then the grip would just be some of the gator grip style stuff you can buy off amazon..  The clamps they are using look like the same thing you can buy off DIY Wake

Give it a go OJ show us how easy it is.

  • Like 2
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3 minutes ago, Stevo said:

Give it a go OJ show us how easy it is.

Maybe when I get done with my current furniture project.  But years ago I build full aluminum side panels for one of the jeeps, as long as you wear ear protection aluminum works almost as easily as wood.  Especially if you are using diablo blades (which also cut steel plate).

And after thinking about it for a moment, I see no reason that you couldn't use a piece of HDPE instead of aluminum.

Edited by oldjeep
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On 1/25/2019 at 5:46 AM, oldjeep said:

They look like a cool idea and something you could pretty easily build in your garage for a hundred bucks or less if you were so inclined.

I agree very easy if you have the tools the knowledge AND THE TIME. It will take many hours just to cut the aluminum and polish it out this nice. Someone has built an amazing product, at a very reasonable price. :)Just resourcing the parts will take a few hours, then the time to cut, polish and build the mounts, unless you buy premaid mounts. Aluminum, to have cut to size in that thickness, or buy a full sheet is not cheap, and the straps are the bomb. With all the parts a person will be in the $200-$250 range. If my speakers weren't going to be in the way, I would have already gone to work for a couple hours, to buy a very nice product, for a very reasonable price, and spend more time on the water. Now if you just want a project like the guy that just bought the Euro. Then go for it!!

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These racks are worth every penny.  And I'm a strong advocate of DIY efforts if you can make something better, or make something that is not otherwise available for your boat.  Last year I made that center-exit surf pipe through the wedge, because FAE or Malibu didn't offer it.  I'd have GLADLY spent the money on a surf pipe if they had mandrel bends, a merge collector and it dropped between the wedge (yes the new PW3 pipe does some of this).  Even the DIY-centric Wake Garage projects are typically geared for upgrading or things you simply can't buy, like surf gates on a pre-2013 boat. Yes a few people always make things cheaper for older boats and I get that too.  

If you want to just save money, just skip past the "indmar" labeled GM parts and buy the exact same "Delco" GM parts from Napa instead of a boat dealer. You can save hundreds right there.   :)    (Hell, they want $620 for Indmar 8.1 spark plug wires).  

But I don't think making racks with inferior materials is worth your time and money.  As I said in the review, these overhead racks work so well with Malibu towers and are well made.  I'd get bashed for calling them game changers, but I'd love to hear your opinions after using them for a summer.   Because functionally, they really changed things in the boat for us. 

Plus it's cool that an enthusiast created these and brought them to market.   They are legit. 

Edited by rugger
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On 1/24/2019 at 8:01 PM, ahopkinsVTX said:

I decided to pick up one of these racks as I’m a little nervous about space on the VTX tower both height and width, both are less then the 22 foot + boats and I’m 6’1” but they looked great in pictures and reviews so I went for it. Especially because the wife thought they looked good. 

First, it was packages very good and you can really tell how well these are made just by unpackaging them. I was quite impressed while looking it over. No blemishes, nicks or anything. It’s a well thought out, yet simple and well executed  design. Unfortunately it will be a month or two until I get it on the boat and test out the height and spacing but I’m looking forward to it! Also, the board bag I decided to get to is very nice. Glad I added that. Here are some pictures.

0B9D0106-0851-41FC-9D97-3D451DF632D3.thumb.jpeg.aae252e212629341dd198a00bff10b1d.jpeg

CFEEAD86-DC35-4057-8590-BB38A7CD189F.thumb.jpeg.c09c71242dae645cb4c91013b19dd01e.jpeg

72F31595-4467-4866-8F69-20F2C9338F25.thumb.jpeg.12776b244d9a64de36ecffc11439b864.jpeg

48A69CB3-8605-4F9C-94AB-9908437B948C.thumb.jpeg.c9e783a6fa04f7855996f0e8ce16c69e.jpeg

53C28620-3619-4DD3-AA7E-CCD7419E37B6.thumb.jpeg.f4be8b062ed967a5a7821a28b6dba6fc.jpeg

C042C191-192D-43E7-8B07-ECC1F80430CD.thumb.jpeg.06976b38fd12aa38cde026caa4f30f11.jpeg

5805745B-AF87-497B-A651-1050E3E22E71.thumb.jpeg.b580be9caa15d51c7b1f4189578c546c.jpeg

Good move as  20 ft vdrive boats are extremely uncomfortable or hard to move around in without overhead surf board storage  putting them in sun in bow is not a solution , my net made my 20 ft feel much more roomy

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