I have a 2013 Prius with a solar roof, purchased used 1 year ago. I recently bought 2 paddle boards for my kids that weigh 25 pounds each, purchased foam blocks and straps to mount them on top of car (2 mile trip to the beach), unpackaged the boards, inflated them and then realized I probably don't want to transport them on the glass roof. DUH. Any thoughts about transporting at least one of them? If I do try one, am I best to have the whole roof supporting the board as opposed to using foam blocks? Am I risking cracking the glass? We are a 1 car family desperate to get into the water this hot summer. I am looking into Thule roof racks but they are quite pricey (not as pricey as a solar roof replacement obviously) and none are recommended by Thule for a glass roof...
Why not store them in the hatch inside? And if the beach is only 2 miles away, why not make another trip to go back and pick up the kids on the 2nd go round?
...I thought you were going to say to put the kids on the roof! As long as the glass is padded, my thought is that 50 pounds for two miles isn't a lot. The glass is pretty solid. Being new, welcome! How many miles do you have on your car, and are you aware of the EGR (exhaust gas re-circulation) system? Read up here on issues folks have had; there are many threads. You'll probably want to be cleaning the EGR components.
I've used a lightweight rear hitch + cargo tray to transport beach related stuff. Besides not loading the roof (and possible wind related issues/mpg loss), it also keeps a lot of sand and water out of the interior from coolers, chairs, etc by keeping them outside the vehicle. Now if I could have also done that with the kidz....... Edit; hmm paddleboards would be too wide if mounted this way. Nevermind.FWIW
If the weight is distributed over a reasonable area you'll have no problem at all. Tempered glass can handle a lot of force when it is presented properly. This might be a suggestion to use a few more foam blocks than are normally necessary. Enjoy the waves!
