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Hanging surfboard inside from the ceiling?


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Hey everyone!

 

My wife and I are going to invest in a connect soon. However, I have a 9’6” longboard I would love to fit inside the van, but the cargo length in even the LWB version is too short to fit the board unless I put the passenger seat down. However, I am curious if hanging the board from the ceiling would allow a passenger to sit down too if the board goes slightly over the passenger’s head (if that makes sense).

 

Does anyone know how long the interior roof is from the back to right before the windshield starts? Is it different between a 2013 and prior vs. 2014 and later? Is this hopeless? Thanks!

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The ceiling length for all Gen 1 (2013 and older) vans will be the same in the US, although I don't know that measurement - I can say definitively say it's too short, though.

 

Gen 2 US vans come in SWB and LWB and I have fit 12ft long lumber (actually two 12ft stair hand rails) inside my van, but that went to within inches of the windshield base (no passenger because seat was folded down). I just went out and measured my cargo van and one thing to keep in mind with my measurement is that I have no front headliner or plastic shelf currently in my van (I'll get around to putting up insulation one of these days so I can reinstall those, lol) - that said, from the top of the windshield, above the passenger seat to the lower back edge of the rear passenger barn door at floor level is around 118"-ish. Kind of hard to accurately measure using a typical tape measure & being alone, but the surfboard might fit that way. But you'll probably want both ends up at the ceiling, and the surfboard is just too long for that. Even going from front-passenger corner to rear-driver corner at the ceiling is only around 9ft or so and that's not accounting for width & shape of the surfboard - I have a 10ft hammock hung exactly that way in mine, but I really need a 9ft one because of the short distance. 

Basically, you either need a shorter surfboard, or put it on top of the van (luggage/ladder rack) or step up to a full-size van like a Transit 150/250/350. Even the shortest-length Transit has 126" at floor level behind the two front seats, and 116" at the beltline. From an overall size perspective, you're looking at 190" TC LWB G2 (2014+) vs 220" T150/250/350 overall length (that's the 130" RB), width 72.2" vs 81.3", 40ft versus 42.9ft curb-to-curb turning radius, etc. So, 2.5 feet longer, 9 inches wider and you get to keep your board inside - choose ceiling, or maybe even on the side wall, etc? Depends on what all your priorities boil down to and which priorities are more important than others.

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You are a legend. This answers SO much!

 

You said you fit 12 ft rails in your car by putting the rails on the dash? I wonder if that would be possible in a gen 1. At this point, the best option would be to only bring the longboard when I’m going solo. I wonder if the board would fit inside a gen 1 if I could manage to get the passenger seat down down enough...

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I just looked up the Gen 1 specs online and the cargo floor behind the seats is only 6ft long, compared to 7' 3.3" for a Gen 2 LWB, so you're losing basically 15" of length with a Gen 1, but you do gain 9-10" of ceiling height in a Gen 1 because they're taller. 2010 TC G1 brochure and 2015 TC G2 brochure, if you want to compare any measurements between the two generations for yourself.

 

The 12ft handrails I had carried were only 1.25" diameter handrail poles, so they're super skinny even though they're long. And that was going from rear driverside corner to front passenger corner, just a few inches from the windshield - and well strapped so they couldn't slide forward! I've already replaced the windshield once a couple years ago for $400 using Safelite, first one in my life and I was 34 at the time lol, so I'd like to make sure that I don't damage it. Turns out, insurance here in Texas doesn't cover windshields unless you opt for it as an add-on premium, oh well.

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Yikes! Sorry to hear about the windshield! I will be sure to heed your warning!

 

Hmm, yeah, this is a precarious project now. And I completely didn’t realize how huge a cargo height difference the 2010 has with gen 2, and 2011-2013 with gen 2 as well.

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The US-spec bodies are 2013-down Gen 1 and 2014+ Gen 2. I know 2020 has a bunch of changes, especially in suspension, but I think the body overall is mostly the same as '14-19, lol. So I don't think there's a Gen 3, yet. 

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I'm thinking the only difference for 2010 is the lack of a rear headliner reducing the ceiling height and also that 4'11" measurement is probably to the ceiling skin instead of the ribs that hang down - Ford measurements on the full-size T150/250/350 is to the roof skin instead of ribs, as well, assuming no headliner present. Check out these Autotrader links for a 2010 Ford TC versus a 2011 Ford TC - the bodies look 100% identical in every respect externally, aside from configuration differences like optional windows. Maybe find one of each for sale near you and bring your tape measure to verify the ceiling heights before you waste time dedicating yourself to only a 2010 model. The rear headliner will reduce ceiling height by at least 4-6" with dead airspace above and the Ford measurement may be to the lowest point of the headliner, which is that molded-in cargo light that's hanging down a bit in the 2011 TC ad above. So, same steel bodies, but rear headliner vs no rear headliner - and they're easy to remove to regain extra height.

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