Kayak Rooftop Carrier

[Emjay95]

I am shopping around for a roof rack carrier for a 8' - 10' kayak to use with factory-installed crossbars. Right now, the Yakima Bowdown and Mako Aero saddles have caught my eye.

Do any of you have any experience with these and have any comments on them? I am most interested in degree of ease in the loading process.

Or, do you any of you have any other suggestions? Pics would be great too!

Thanks!

 

[Mike G.]

I have the Mako saddles for my sea kayaks and they work great, I prefer the lower profile of the boats setting on the Mako saddles, as opposed to the kayaks being on thier sides. The boats will act like big sails in cross winds and can make driving a little scary if the winds are up. I had a system like that before and I actually had to slow down to like 40mph on the highway, the winds were pretty strong and it felt like the truck was going to blow over.

 

[blkmagic5]

I use Thule no. 815 kayak cradle with my factory crossbars. It seems pretty secure when strapped down and doesn't seem too hard to get it up on the roof, but I'm 6'1 so I think that height and reach plays a role in that. Only thing is I wish I had gotten a cradle that would fold flat when not in use, because I have to remove it before I can park in my garage.

 

[heygenius]

kayak rack

I am shopping around for a roof rack carrier for a 8' - 10' kayak to use with factory-installed crossbars. Right now, the Yakima Bowdown and Mako Aero saddles have caught my eye.

Do any of you have any experience with these and have any comments on them? I am most interested in degree of ease in the loading process.

Or, do you any of you have any other suggestions? Pics would be great too!

Thanks!

I have a Thule Slipstream that attaches to the factory roof rack. It's a little expensive and probably not needed for a short boat. My yak is 15ft and this particular rack slides back to clear the back of the truck allowing me to push the boat up without hitting the vehicle. I'm very pleased with it, but it's a little pricey if you don't really need it.

 

[STLDAVE]

I've been using the mako saddles for years to haul everything from 10' to 17' kayaks of different hull configurations. They work well because, when used as designed, they conform to the hull giving a better grip on the hull. They also keep the kayak level which is much more aerodynamic (more MPG).

 

[TexasAg]

I've tried the yakima railgrab with the 48" cross bars and they weren't wide enough for mounting two Ocean Kayak Trident 15's side by side. I think I will have to get wider bars and place the mako/hully rollers on the outside of the railgrab. If you are only taking one yak, you'll be good. Definitely would suggest laying it flat vs. on the side. You will get some wind noise from the empty racks, but the railgrab is pretty easy to take off.

 

[Metzbower]

I kayak a lot and used Yakima bars with Yakima 'J' cradles (since redesigned for the better, to have a built in ramp to help load, and fold flat when not in use). I also bought two pair of Malone cradles, which attach to many kinds of bars. The Malones were on ebay and I got them for $85 a pair, plus shipping. They hold my sea kayak and whitewater boat fine, but are not my preference for beamy, sit on tops. I don't trust the factory cross bars - just my preference - when you can have solid grab rails (Yakima product) securely locked to the factory rails, holding Yakima bars. I can not speak to Thule products, as I never used them.

 

[letters]

Mako saddles will be the most secure.

 

[Emjay95]

I'm leaning toward the Mako Aero. Do any of you all have any problems with the satellite antena in the back, or do the saddles raise it up enough to avoid it?

 

[WIT4R]

I've tried the yakima railgrab with the 48" cross bars and they weren't wide enough for mounting two Ocean Kayak Trident 15's side by side. I think I will have to get wider bars and place the mako/hully rollers on the outside of the railgrab. If you are only taking one yak, you'll be good. Definitely would suggest laying it flat vs. on the side. You will get some wind noise from the empty racks, but the railgrab is pretty easy to take off.

I have the Thule 450 feet with the 58'' cross bars and I'm able to fit 2 Ocean Kayak Trident 15's side by side.

I'm saving up for Thule Hullavator, which will make loading those big boats a breeze :bravo:

 

[bamma]

I have thule surf racks for when I just haul my kayak on my Tacoma. (I also have a yakima stacker on my Tacoma rack and it fits 4 kayaks. I haven't tried moving the surf rack to the runner to see how it fits, but I'm guessing it will work great.

The surf rack works great. Low profile, and the extra foam allows you to snug the kayak down tight and keep it from moving around. Plus it's cheap!

I should note I only transport whitewater kayaks and the longest one is about 8.5 feet.

http://www.amazon.com/Thule-802-Reg...72TC/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1338348142&sr=8-6