( 2 reviews )
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Posted: Apr 13 2009
I've been using the Thule 987xt Ski Accessory now for two seasons. The good thing is its compatible with skis and snowboards. The down side is your skis will stick up quite a bit over your roof line. The other down side is the plastic `protectors' on the device will scour away on your equipment. On snowboards, you will get two black scuffs along the base and one clear scuff along the front graphics, even after a single use (say, two hours of driving). This happens even if you clean the plastic prior to use. I've managed to remove the base scuffs by hot wiping, and avoid scuffs altogether by wrapping the protectors with clean cloths prior to loading, and changing the cloths out on every trip. Also, the unit is not theft secure, even with the base locked. That lock protects only the base, not the accessory, which lifts out, equipment and all, after removal of a couple of bolts. Its up to you to devise a secure solution, such as a cable lock, for the accessory, should you desire such. The accessory is quite ugly, too, but if you address its operational shortcomings and remember to unload prior to going into the garage, it gets the job done. For some vehicles, this unit may be the only solution for externally hauling snowboards and skis, but that doesn't make up for its very after-thoughtish design and performance.
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( 2 of 2 found this review helpful ) Posted: Dec 9 2006
I just fitted this to my 998xt rack. It fits fairly well, and feels pretty secure. It's well made, and comes with all the accessories you'll need. The downside is that it's impossible to get my shaped skis (Rossi Bandit B3s) into the rack the way they suggest (back to back). They do fit, but less securely, as individual skis. This reduces the capacity to 3 pairs of skis, and not 6. Also the height of the rack, even with my relatively short skis, is insane - the tops of the skis stand a good 2 feet above the roofline of my SUV. To be honest.... I wish I'd bought a roof rack, and just stuck with the Thule rack for my bike.
