# Looking for advice on setting up a surf truck



## jocoscout

Hey ya'll, I'm getting my first 4x4 in a few weeks its a GMC Sonoma extended cab and was thinking about how to get it ready for surf trips to Portsmouth Island in the fall. 

I think I want to put a camper top of some type on it, its coming with a tonneau cover but I'm not even thinking of taking that to the beach. I was thinking of getting a Softopper instead of a hard camper shell since it is cheaper and I can take it off easier. Does anyone have a Softopper or have experience with them? 

The other thing I'm thinking about is how to fit all my gear for a week of fishing on the truck. I plan on staying in a cabin (reservations are already made) so I'm not taking everything everywhere but it all has to get there. 
I know I can easily put a cooler rack in the rear receiver so I figure I can just get one from Lowes for that, but I also want to put a rack on the front. My questions about that are, 1) can I just put in a front receiver and build a rack to go into that or should I try and build a two point receiver for a rack? 2) what do ya'll wish you had on your rack that you don't have, or what do you really like having on your rack that I should make sure to put on mine?

Thanks for any advice

Will


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## jmadre

If you use a front trailer hitch to mount your rack, make sure you get one that will accept a J-pin. That will prevent most of the rocking and swaying.

I wish I had bucket holders on my rod/cooler rack. I can add them, but I haven't yet. A cutting board would be nice, too. I probably would have added that already, but we fish out of the back of our truck instead of off the front.


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## surfchunker

I've added two bins on each side of mine. my rack has a 7/8 bolt going thru it into a threaded flat bar on the bottom that reaches the hitch so I just tighten it down and no rocking 
cons for the rod rack on the back
1. rod rack on the back covers you reels in sand
2. you can't watch the rods to see the tips it see if they are going to snag in trees and power lines
3. can't let the tailgate down 

I love my hard topper I can open the lid and clamp a tarp to it, buy two of those camping poles for the other end and double up market bags and fill with sand. get a rope and put loops on both end and run the one end thru the sand bags and use the loop on the other end to go over the points on the top of the camping poles after you put them thru the tarp. windy days you might have to bury the sandbags but I've used this method for years with no failures and it's a cheap sun shelter coming off the back of the truck to setunder and work off of the tailgate


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## surfchunker

jmadre said:


> If you use a front trailer hitch to mount your rack, make sure you get one that will accept a J-pin. That will prevent most of the rocking and swaying.
> 
> I wish I had bucket holders on my rod/cooler rack. I can add them, but I haven't yet. A cutting board would be nice, too. I probably would have added that already, but we fish out of the back of our truck instead of off the front.


love that sliding setup Sandy got you for the bed of the truck


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## jmadre

surfchunker said:


> love that sliding setup Sandy got you for the bed of the truck


Oh yeah, that Bedslide is the greatest thing since sliced bread. My homemade elevated shelf at the front of the slide broke last week. I need to find an aluminum welder because rivets don't last.

My rack is the Surf-Mate and also has the clamp on the bottom of the hitch. I also have a locking hitch j-pin that tightens the rack mount against the side of the receiver hitch tube.

I swapped the side tubes on the rod rack so that the 45 degree rigging tubes point backwards. This allows me to use those tubes to transport the long rods without hitting the limbs on Buxton Back Road or in the campground.


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## jocoscout

Thanks for the tips guys, I'm not sure which way I'll use to stabilize the rack that'll be determined while it's being built. 
As for the sand on the reels, I was thinking of mounting a 2x8 or 10 on the back of a regular cargo rack and putting tubes of PVC on it so I was hoping the rack, board, and pvc would help block most of the sand from the reels. Plus I wanted to use the rack on front for the primary storage and use the back as overflow. I am not super worried about hitting power lines etc because I don't remember there being many if any on PI and I was just planning on taking the rods down for the drive to and from the island. (although I do know it's a valid point because we ran into that issue on Ocracoke a few years ago) and as for the tailgate, yeah I know, not sure what to say about that except maybe just make sure I keep all the coolers I need on the rack? Or figure out a way to only put small stuff on the rack and still be able to open the tailgate. Guess I'll have to have the truck and take it on a trip or two to figure that one out. 
Bucket holder (s) and cutting board are on the list, I was thinking a bucket for trash, anything else ya'll put in your buckets?

jmadre, so yours' has both the j-pin and the flat plate preventing wobbling?


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## Rockfish1

think about a ski rack for carrying rods and use the front rack for coolers, that way your tailgate and bed is unobstructed...


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## Fishbreath

Another point to think about is that your engine is going to be working harder and airflow in the front (radiator) should be a consideration. With a front mounted load, oft times you block the air flow and your vehicle can over heat. You may want to rig up an extra fan or blower of some type to keep air flowing onto the radiator if the front of the truck has a windbreak. Not a big deal. Just a thought... 

A ski rack is a good way to go for the rods, especially if passing under powerlines and trees, etc. I have front and back hitches and a ski rack on top of my jeep. Works well.


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## jocoscout

Yeah I've thought of that Fishbreath, I only want to put a small cooler up front for bait and leave a big cooler for fish and another one for drinks and food in the bed. That way the only large wind blocking thing up front is a small bait cooler. I figure the rods won't block much wind but I have thought about adding a fan for the radiator. 
I wanted a hard top that I could put a ski rack on but started leaning towards a soft top that I can fold down and have an open bed whenever I want it. 
FB- how many rods are you carrying on the racks? I was hoping I could just hold them all on the trailer hitch racks and not need a roof rack.


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## jmadre

jocoscout said:


> jmadre, so yours' has both the j-pin and the flat plate preventing wobbling?


My Surf-Mate cooler/rod rack was built with the flat plate and my front hitch is drillled for a J-pin, which I purchased separately. The aluminum arm may flex, but there's absolutely no movement between the rack arm and the hitch.

BTW, I have a 120 qt. Igloo cooler 'blocking' my radiator and have never noticed any problems with overheating on my 2007 Chevy 2500HD, even when pulling a 28' camper. The engine temperature and transmission fluid temperature seem to be unaffected by the cooler. You may want to try it before you start looking for auxiliary cooling fans. You may not need them.


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## SNDFLEE

I think the bucket holder is the handiest thing on my rack now that I think about it? They work good for spare lead, occasional trash stuff, reel covers while using reel, the list goes on and on really!


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## jmadre

SNDFLEE said:


> I think the bucket holder is the handiest thing on my rack now that I think about it? They work good for spare lead, occasional trash stuff, reel covers while using reel, the list goes on and on really!


You're going to make me buy them, aren't you?


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## SNDFLEE

Yup it sure does come in handy for stuff that while fishing or whatever you don't feel like or have time to put where it was or belongs! Like stingsilvers you can hang them on the rim and tie on another one quick same with rigs and such and when the excitement is over you can take the time to put stuff back or whatever? Yup handy for sure!


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## notso

Things I wish were different on my (front) rack:

1) a little higher. It has a tendency to push a little sand in deep ruts.
2) a little deeper front to back. The manufacturer called it 24", but in reality, that's outside to outside, so you end up with about 22". That's pretty limiting on coolers.
3) I need to take one of my angled "baiting" holders and angle it backwards as mentioned above for tree clearance. Never had a problem until I got a 13' rod.
4) I often wish I had a bucket holder.....

As far as mouting goes, I bought 2 2" recievers from a local hardware store and welded them to the frame where the tow hooks used to be. It cost about $25 for both of them, and it's super stable. 

Something I like: I added 2 small high visability stakes to the extreme corners of the rack so I know where it is when parking etc.

I also agree with the others that transporting rods a long distance at highway speeds with them vertical in a rod rack is asking for trouble.
You might be able to rig something where they are hanging inside the shell and up thru the sliding rear window (if you have one).


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## savfish

If you are going to use the rack alot, go the large custom route. Try to keep the coolers out of the truck. Heavy duty tubes with 2 slide in points for stability. Get quality coolers that will last and have the rack built to fit them. I would go with an open space as opposed to compartments for each cooler. A cutting board is a must imo. You can hang multiple buckets once you get to the beach from angled rod holders on the rack. I have 2 angled and 4 upright. I havent had any issues w overheating - 97 f250 diesel. Ski rack is another must imo but all i have is an 8' bed and cap, no camper. Seperate bins for spare clothes and wet waders, jackets etc. Small buckets for sinkers. The more you have organized to start the better you will be.


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## savfish

I also lay my 6' sandspikes in back of my coolers on the rack. I havent lost any yet and dont bungee them.


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## jocoscout

OK the design stage is pretty much over and we have started fabrication. I'm going with a custom design that attached through two class II receivers that are welded onto my tow hooks (we managed to weld them on while still allowing me to keep the hook free enough to use so I can still pull/ be pulled out if need be.) The rack is designed to hold a Coleman 70qt 5 day cooler along with two 5 gallon buckets and there will be a basket behind the cooler to hold sand spikes, shovels etc. 
I will be adding a cutting board once all of the metal is welded in place and once I see how the visibility is at night I will probably add some headlights this winter/next year. 
There isn't a camper shell on the truck and right now there's not going to be one added because of cost even though I do like the idea of having one on there so I could store my rods in there or sleep in the bed or whatever. 

I like the idea of the high visibility markers especially with how far this will stick out front of my truck. Do you remember where you got them or what they were marketed as?


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## jocoscout

OK, so the rack was finished a while ago and I thought I would put up a couple of pictures. The main compartment holds a 75 qt Coleman 5 day cooler with some space in front of it, both side compartments will hold 2 buckets or a 25qt Igloo marine cooler and there is a rear compartment that goes all the way across with a support bar in the middle. The rear compartment holds a full size shovel, sand spikes, and can also hold small tackle boxes or other stuff. The board on front of the rack serves as a cutting board, it also has a hole in it for my pliers. There are two lights mounted on the cutting board that run off of the trucks electrical system and are hooked up to the parking lights so they can operate when the headlights or high beams are operating.


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