Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too)

CyberCT

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2018
Threads
10
Messages
159
Reaction score
53
Location
Nazareth PA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic SI Coupe
Country flag
I previously drove an RSX for 10 years and the RSX had 3 stock tow hooks under the car (2 in front corners, 1 in rear center). Using 3 ratchet straps mounted to them and the kayak worked perfectly for transport. In 2010 I bought my kayak at Cabella's along with foam blocks to put between the rim of the kayak "cockpit" and car roof.

To my surprise, the new Civic SI coupe (and probably sedan and hatch) only has 1 tow hook on the front passenger corner. Why Honda???
Looking under the car for places to put ratchet strap hook mounts, I ended up fabricating mounts for the rear and found a stock spot in the front. Here's what I did:


You'll need to head to Lowe's, Home Depot, or your favorite hardware store and buy:

Qty 2x of 3/4" x 6" flat brace / bracket with 4 holes. It will look like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/National-H...-x-10-in-Zinc-Plated-Mending-Brace/1000437499

Qty 4x of M8 x 1.25 thread bolts (that's the size if memory is right). Unscrew one of the 4 stock bolts (2 per side) and bring it in to the store to double check. Buy a M8 bolt length that's just a little longer than the stock bolt to accommodate the bracket thickness. All the stores were low on hardware stock in my area so I bought longer M8 bolts than needed in stainless steel.

Qty 1x tube of blue thread locker

Qty 1x powerful drill

Qty 1x drill bit set that's meant to drill through metal

Qty 4x ratchet straps

Qty 4x foam block roof mounts for kayaks (but you can apparently use pool noodles like this guy, which would be cheaper):
https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/diy-roofrack-for-canoe-or-kayak.13902/

Qty 1x lubricant for drilling through metal (vegetable or cooking oil would work lol which is what I used)

(optional) Qty 2x metal carabiner-like interlock snap springs (I bought @ 3" in length)
This is for mounting the kayak to ratchet strap hook if the kayak handle rope seems flimsy
https://www.lowes.com/pd/National-H...ocking-Spring-Snaps-in-Zinc-Plated/1002862118
I've used the handle rope for years without issue but it's faded and feels more flimsy now. that's why I went this route this time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Under the car in the rear at one corner with this stock 2 bolt setup, measure bolt head to bolt head. I think it was @ 2.75" but you'll need to be exact.

Take the 2x metal brackets and drill bit that's SLIGHTLY LARGER (to allow for margin of measure error) than the M8 bolt body and drill out the 1st and 4th hole in each bracket (1st is for bolt hole, 4th is for ratchet strap) Then measure on the metal bracket (from 1st hole to @ middle of metal bracket) that exact measurement you took of bolt head to bolt head. Drill a hole on the bracket for the 2nd bolt mount hole. Don't forget to lubricate the drill bit tip and put a drip where you're drilling on the metal bracket.
Tip: screw the bracket (using 2 middle holes) to a block of wood laying around to make drilling MUCH easier.

Test fit the metal bracket on the car as pictured. If both bolts start threading through about 1/3 the way ok, you measured correctly. Take the bolts out, put threadlocker on them, and screw them in all the way. I screwed them in tight (you'll see the new bracket is slightly disformed because the mounting face isn't perfectly flat). It's a strong bracket so don't worry.

Under the car's front driver's side, take out the two black plastic clips that clip the car underliners together. You can then fold the underliner up to access the front driver's side mounting point, which is a square hole that just barely fits the ratchet strap hook.

Optional: drill a hole in the front and back of the kayak plastic body ( as pictured) near the handle holes for the metal carabiner-like interlock snap springs. Make it so both the handle AND carabiner-like interlock snap springs are mounted to the ratchet strap hook with most/all the load on the metal instead of plastic/rope handle setup. This will avoid the rope breaking from stress or shearing. On my picture, the kayak is mounted without these hooks but I installed them afterwards and took a separate picture.

Test fit and tighten the ratchet straps down. They just have to be tight enough so the kayak doesn't shift during transport.

The new civic has a (diffuser?) lip attached to the underbody plastic. I package taped cardboard on the strap between it and the lip to avoid the lip digging into the strap (pictured).

I never experienced the straps rubbing the RSX's paint off during kayak transports. As long as there's enough tension so they don't shift during transport, you should be fine.

You're done. Enjoy the awesome spring/summer weather on the water!

Honda Civic 10th gen Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too) 3


Honda Civic 10th gen Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too) 5


Honda Civic 10th gen Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too) 2


Honda Civic 10th gen Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too) 6


Honda Civic 10th gen Creating a Civic Coupe Kayak Roof Mount System for Cheap (may work on sedans and hatches too) 7
 
Last edited:


 


Top