Baystate Jeepers

Credit for this concept goes to Brad K (MtMan), who was the first to build and mount a conduit kit for carrying fishing poles. I spent a week making one for my Jeep and am hoping to use it for fishing poles, skis and other gear. I also plan to make some short cylinders out of large bubble wrap that can be loaded in either end of the "bazooka" for cushioning. I got that idea from the black powder loading system that battleships use. I think I'm going to wrap the bubble wrap cylinders with an outer layer and label them as "BLACK POWDER - HIGH EXPLOSIVES" just to impress the kids . . .

How many sets of skis can you get in there?

Is it easy enough to take off the jeep if you don't plan on using it for a while?

You should fab up a nose cone for "aerodynamic purposes" and put a set of shark teeth on it.

Good questions! It's an 8" diameter PVC pipe that is eight feet long, so I'm guessing I could get four sets of skis up there (two adult, two kids). Plus poles, and maybe helmets, too.

I spent a LOT of time designing and building the mounting system. It is over-engineered for safety and uses four channel nuts into the Rhino Rack plus two more mounting plates that clamp UNDER the Rhino Rack rails. For obvious reasons, I wanted to make sure the bazooka has zero risk of becoming an eight-foot long javelin during a hard stop.

The mounting bracket also allows me to attach my Sunseeker tarp to the same side of the Jeep (see prototype photos below). I can mount/dismount the tarp in about 1 minute (just two bolts) and mount/dismount the bazooka tube in about five minutes (four bolts, two on each hoop harness). Removing the custom brackets is probably another five minutes (two bolts for the underside clamps and four channel nuts that just need to be loosened, not removed.

And I really like the nose cone idea! And maybe get some paint and stencils for a "BEWARE" label near the rear door . . .

How about "Front Toward Enemy"?

Great idea. Done!

MattJ wrote:Great idea. Done!

Nice!

Probably gonna get a visit from the PoPo when someone calls in about a rocket ! I use "white" PVC for rod tubes for years. That looks like schedule 40 , heavy wall. Like the end caps , they got those in 3 or 4 " , where you gottem ? FjR68

I bought the end caps as part of a conduit kit for an 8" PVC pipe carrier. In fact, I had to buy two kits since I wanted two doors. So I have plenty of extra parts! Here are some photos of the mounting bracket and "black powder" cushion cylinders:

Final decals went on today. Fishing in New Hampshire tomorrow! I put two extra cargo straps on the tent. Will be the first time the tent travels Class VI . . . hopefully I come with it still on the roof.

Field test was a success - six rods plus gear in the tube. Much easier then having them rattle around inside the Jeep when the trail got bumpy.

I found some nice waterproof stuff sacks that fit perfectly and should be great for storing all sorts of gear in the bazooka tube:

looks like that tube is going to be a great addition overall to your Jeep, really allow you to transport whatever you want.

5 pound propane tank is installed:

Ready for the apocalypse!