Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If you want access to members only forums on HSO, you will gain access only when you Sign-in or Sign-Up .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member. ?

Favorite Roof Racks for Kayak

MN BassFisher
 Share

Recommended Posts

MN BassFisher Veteran

MN BassFisher

Posted
Posted

Hey guys, I'm happy to announce I've gotten out of my car and into a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has a roof rack and already has the cross racks as well. I used to transport my kayak using the Malone Handirack - it served it's purpose well but now I want to buy an actual roof rack system. I'm looked at some of the Thule and Yakima racks but I was just curious what your opinions were? I'm not sure if I want to get the "j-style" cradles or if I want the "slide and set" pads. Opinions welcome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tolle141 Community Regular

tolle141

Posted
Posted

how wide are the bars and how many yaks you stackin? I have two sets of thule jbars. They're excellent for a Mazda 3, but if you have to lift up that high you might be better off with the sliders/rollers. I was considering a set if I got a Hobie, but I think I'll just save for a boat.

EDIT: what are your jeep's bars rated for? Alot of the factory racks seem to only be rated for 100-125 lbs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MN BassFisher Veteran

MN BassFisher

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Good questions Tolle - I will have to look into the Factory Rating. Pull out the ol' manual. I will only be stacking my kayak on there (Ocean Kayak Trident 11) maybe another in the future. Do the J-bars hold a wide kayak, my OK is 30.5" wide - I was eyeing up the J-style cradles but I will have to do a trial run and see how awkward it is to load on top of my Jeep.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
MN BassFisher Veteran

MN BassFisher

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Do you leave your J-bars on when not towing a kayak or do you remove them each time? I was thinking about getting the pro version that fold down so I could lock them on the bars and leave them on their when I'm not using them. I've heard they make a whistle while driving though without the additional fairing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tolle141 Community Regular

tolle141

Posted
Posted

I was going to get the Pro's, but then I saw how easy it is to take the standard jbars off. you just loosen up the screw and take it off. 10 seconds or less. Put the cash you save towards another rod/reel or a bike rack!

The Hullaport Pro's on the other hand.... I want sooooo bad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tolle141 Community Regular

tolle141

Posted
Posted

I use the Yakima Hully roller/Saddle combination. I have a Ride 135, which is a fairly large yak, and it works great. No complaints.

How do you like the Ride? How's that thing paddle? Stability looks fantastic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
yakfisher Mentor

yakfisher

Posted
Posted

I have a Yakima rack for my ridgeline, wish I had the Thule square bars. I found that cradles for boats on the yak racks rotate around the bars because hey are only conected to one bar. Tule rack bars are square and increase the amount of torque required to make the boat cradle rotate around the bar vs the Yakima racks. Good luck.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tolle141 Community Regular

tolle141

Posted
Posted

Yesterday I purchased the Thule Hull-a-port carriers. I'm excited for them to get here so I can get comfortable loading my OK Trident 11!

Sick dude! I'm so jealous. Let's see some shots of those bad boys when you get them on.

I may have just returned to the dark side.... I bought a boat!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Slabasaurus Grand Master

Slabasaurus

Posted
Posted

We've been hit with some crappy MN weather for the last two weeks. This is getting old. cry

yeah... uf. Talk about shack nasties...

Anyone have any recommendations for a roof rack that I can use on my passat now, and move to a tacoma when I end up buying one here in a few months?

Or do most fit on most vehicles? I honestly have never really looked too hard at roof racks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
tolle141 Community Regular

tolle141

Posted
Posted

Anyone have any recommendations for a roof rack that I can use on my passat now, and move to a tacoma when I end up buying one here in a few months?

Or do most fit on most vehicles? I honestly have never really looked too hard at roof racks.

Thule and Yakima both offer racks with "clips", whatever you want to call them, that are made for specific cars. The Thule ones run about $75, so they'll last you. I'd check the bar length requirement for the Tacoma as I'm guessing it'll be bigger than with the Passat. You can always go longer on the bars, but every car has a minimum length.

As far as the brand, both are great. As you'll see mentioned occasionally, the Yakima bars are round and will require a "Stretch Kit" to prevent cradles from rotating. Thule uses square bars so you don't have that problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Slabasaurus Grand Master

Slabasaurus

Posted
Posted

Thule and Yakima both offer racks with "clips", whatever you want to call them, that are made for specific cars. The Thule ones run about $75, so they'll last you. I'd check the bar length requirement for the Tacoma as I'm guessing it'll be bigger than with the Passat. You can always go longer on the bars, but every car has a minimum length.

Interesting... thanks for the info, was looking into thule, that's the only brand anyone I know has used for any of their racks for bikes n such.

Duff - Not sure on the topper yet, I'm sure eventually I'll have one but unless the truck I wind up with has one on it already.... Kinda just starting to look, finally fixed the passat up so i can sell/trade it whenever.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ted4887 Veteran

ted4887

Posted
Posted

Anyone here ever used the Thule Slipstream carrier? Any reviews? I wanted the load assist style carrier because my kayak weighs 70lbs, and after a long day on the water, lifting that high enough to load onto my SUV might be a bit of a PITA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now ↓↓↓ or ask your question and then register. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      It’s done automatically.  You might need an actual person to clear that log in stuff up.   Trash your laptop history if you haven’t tried that already.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      😂 yea pretty amazing how b o o b i e s gets flagged, but they can't respond or tell me why I  can't get logged in here on my laptop but I can on my cellular  😪
    • Mike89
      Just Food and Drink

      By Mike89 · Posted

      I grilled some brats yesterday, maybe next weekend will the next round...  
    • Wanderer
      Just Food and Drink

      By Wanderer · Posted

      You got word censored cuz you said        B o o b ies….. haha.   Yeah, no… grilling is on hiatus for a bit.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chicken mine,  melded in Mccormick poultry seasoning for 24 hours.  Grill will get a break till the frigid temps go away!
    • Mike89
      Problems with Yetti

      By Mike89 · Posted

      good luck!!!   
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      we had some nice weather yesterday and this conundrum was driving me crazy  so I drove up to the house to take another look. I got a bunch of goodies via ups yesterday (cables,  winch ratchet parts, handles, leaf springs etc).   I wanted to make sure the new leaf springs I got fit. I got everything laid out and ready to go. Will be busy this weekend with kids stuff and too cold to fish anyway, but I will try to get back up there again next weekend and get it done. I don't think it will be bad once I get it lifted up.    For anyone in the google verse, the leaf springs are 4 leafs and measure 25 1/4" eye  to eye per Yetti. I didnt want to pay their markup so just got something else comparable rated for the same weight.   I am a first time wheel house owner, this is all new to me. My house didn't come with any handles for the rear cables? I was told this week by someone in the industry that cordless drills do not have enough brake to lower it slow enough and it can damage the cables and the ratchets in the winches.  I put on a handle last night and it is 100% better than using a drill, unfortatenly I found out the hard way lol and will only use the ICNutz to raise the house now.
    • Wanderer
      Problems with Yetti

      By Wanderer · Posted

      I haven’t done any leaf springs for a long time and I can’t completely see the connections in your pics BUT I I’d be rounding up: PB Blaster, torch, 3 lb hammer, chisel, cut off tool, breaker bar, Jack stands or blocks.   This kind of stuff usually isn’t the easiest.   I would think you would be able to get at what you need by keeping the house up with Jack stands and getting the pressure off that suspension, then attack the hardware.  But again, I don’t feel like I can see everything going on there.
    • rundrave
      Problems with Yetti

      By rundrave · Posted

      reviving an old thread due to running into the same issue with the same year of house. not expecting anything from yetti and I already have replacement parts ordered and on the way.   I am looking for some input or feedback on how to replace the leaf springs themselves.    If I jack the house up and remove the tire, is it possible to pivot the axel assembly low enough to get to the other end of the leaf spring and remove that one bolt?   Or do I have to remove the entire pivot arm to get to it? Then I also have to factor in brake wire as well then. What a mess   My house is currently an hour away from my home at a relatives, going to go back up and look it over again and try to figure out a game plan.           Above pic is with house lowered on ice, the other end of that leaf is what I need to get to.   above pic is side that middle bolt broke and bottom 2 leafs fell out here is other side that didnt break but you can see bottom half of leaf already did but atleast bolt is still in there here is hub assembly in my garage with house lowered and tires off when I put new tires on it a couple months ago. hopefully I can raise house high enough that it can drop down far enough and not snap brake cable there so I can get to that other end of the leaf spring.
    • smurfy
      Just Food and Drink

      By smurfy · Posted

      Chef boyardee pizza from the box!

  • Topics

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept