dissertation help please...

[ginabena]

I'm doing a dissertation on roofboxes.
I have to design and make one, so if any one has any info/experiences with roof boxes of any ideas of making them better please let me know.

By the way i am not a marketeer, i go to Derby University UK

so if anyone can help i would be much appriciated

thanx gina bena x

[Lynne]

you are getting a PhD for building a better roof top box?? Did you say Fisher-Price U?

[ChristopherG]

Maybe I'm crazy, but shouldn't you know everything there is to know about roof boxes if you're writing your dissertation on them?

[ginabena]

yeah you are crazy, because thats the whole point of the dissertation, to design some thing that is original, something that is different and the whole point of research is to find out stuff. Primary research is asking for peoples opinions and thoughts.
so if you aint got anything constructive to say..........dont!

And as for your 'what uni in the free world ****'..... i dont think you have any idea .

thanx for replying

please feel free to reply again

[brad nicholson]

one; make them cheaper than thule or yakima. if they are not cheap like x-sport (performace bikes) i wouldn't buy it. i am sick everytime i think about how much money is tied up in towers, crossbars, two bike trays, and a ski rack on top of my jeep cherokee. that is a far sight more than my old saris bones and putting down the back seat, my fault though. now i am looking a box.

two, i think being able to enter via either side is a plus.

three, perhaps some removable, resettable dividers (kind of like a camera bag)

four, aero shape, you should see some of the museum pieces these germans put on their brand new 7 series bimmers.

[ginabena]

Thanx alot for your reply, thats very interesting. I Had not actually thought of having deviders so thats one to look into.
What would think to a roof box that could expand, one that started off being able to fit a couple of sets of ski's in or snowboard etc, but then could expand to allow you to have it as one that could fit alot more in. This is basically where im going with my design so whats your opinion?

thanx again
ginabena

[brad nicholson]

depends...the aerodynamics would be the hard part for that one. here in germany i routinely drive 90-110 mph with skis on the rack, 80-85 with bikes. how are you meaning it to expand? if it was something that was to be compatible with factory type crossbars i think you could perhaps make it sided like an acordian so that it stacks flat but lengthens as needed. factory crossbars are usually easy to slide forward and backwards. my thule bars are not so easy. i think expanding up is not really an option, side to side might be feasible given the same constraints as outlined above. i am interested in what you come up with. i think dividers would be a good sell or perhaps even a mesh or wire screen divider so you can pack the top seperate from the bottom, skis on bottom with poles and boots with all your clothes zippered behind a mesh screen on the top half of the box. also be good for paddling, climbing gear separated ropes from gear esp if you have a bunch of crampons or ice screws and picks you are carrying...just food for thought. brad

[UKMatt]

Originally Posted by ginabena

Thanx alot for your reply, thats very interesting. I Had not actually thought of having deviders so thats one to look into.
What would think to a roof box that could expand, one that started off being able to fit a couple of sets of ski's in or snowboard etc, but then could expand to allow you to have it as one that could fit alot more in. This is basically where im going with my design so whats your opinion?

thanx again
ginabena

Just thinking out loud (if these are bad ideas, at least you have some 'ideas that could never work' for your dissertation!):

1. It would be cool if you could have attachments to take skis, snowboards etc that would clip into the inside OR the outside (securely of course) - that way you could have a box that would keep everything inside and streamlined except for those occasions when you need that extra space...

2. I think it was Brad who mentioned above about opening from either side... I think that is an excellent idea, both from a convenience standpoint and a longer term marketing standpoint - a box that can be safely opened from the kerbside of both left and right side countries would be open to a larger market.

3. What about fitted bags for the inside instead of or in addition to the dividers idea already posted - they could be very lightweight (silnylon?) as they don't need to be dragged around on their own but they would make it a lot more convenient to pack and load/unload in cold/wet weather.

That's all for now... once you're done, post a picture so we can see what you end up with.

Cheers
Matt

[ginabena]

Cheers mate,
im glad some one is taking me seriously, i have had some horrible repliesand those thoughts are actually quite usefull, all commemts are welcome after all i am designing it with the users in mind.

of course ill post a pic when im done

thanx again

ginabena