Re: [Paddlewise] PaddleWise V1 #443

I have Thule Bars but liked the Yakima accessories. From one of my favorite
paddling stores (Paddle Sports in Santa Barbara, CA--Their idea to buy 1/2
sets) I bought 1/2 set of Hulley Rollers for the back and 1/2 set of Yakima
Cradels for the front. Yakima sells a plastic clamp to use with Thule bars
that replaces the ones that come in the kits.

I use plastic boats with this arrangement and it works great. I too am short
so I carry a Rubbermaid single step stool/tool box. It carries all of my
straps and any tools I want and allows me to get to the top of my Ford
Explorer. BTW, I can load/unload a boat by myself with this arrangement,
although it's easier with 2.

It works so well, we put an arrangement like this on my wife's truck so that
we can carry 2 boats on hers or one on mine.

Steve
>John -
>
>I have the Thule cradles in the front and the Yakima rollers in the back.
Using both front and back
>sets of rollers seemed to create a wobbly-riding kayak and it made me
nervous, so I put the cradles
>in.  (Before Yakima came out with the Sweet Roll.)  I have heard that the
Hully rollers are difficult
>to use with plastic boats (that they deform the hull and/or don't roll
well), but so far mine has only
>been used with a glass boat and works fine.   The Thule cradles are very
nice, and adjustable to the
>shape of your hull.  Straps are not attached to cradles, which I like.
>
>There is a height difference between the installed Yak rollers and the
Thule cradles - possibly this is
>solved in Yakima's own integrated version of the product - which results in
your kayak pointing
>slightly downward in the front.  Kind of a jaunty hat look.  Seems to work
ok so far.  If it bothered
>you, you could probably engineer some kind of solution - padding ?
slightly higher bar in front ?
>
>The outrigger bar did not work for me at all - once you have the boat up on
the outrigger, you have
>to be tall enough and strong enough to lift it over the high edges of
cradles.  But then again I am
>short, weak, and was working at the time with a car much taller than
myself.  I would use the
>outrigger if I was using foam blocks, which have less likelihood (I think)
of harming the hull.
>
>Bought mine - most of it - from Car Racks Direct, and have been pleased
with their knowledge,
>service,  promptness, and prices.
>
>http://www.outdoorsports.com
>




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