I can see this starting something possibly but would like opinions on roof racks for carrying a sea kayak. I have a 1996 Ford Taurus sedan and need to get a roof rack. Had lots of recommendations for both Thule & Yakima, and I would like to know who has these racks or others and what your suggestions would be to best carry my kayak. I know the Thule has a nice set of cradles for carrying boats and has the outrigger bar to help assist when loading on and off if you don't have someone to help you. I have also seen the Yakima TLC cradles and Hulley Rollers (and their new SweetRoll (the combination of the two)). Does anyone from the group have any recommendations on which rack they have if these or others, or would it be better to get a trailer? I know if I had a folding I would just be able to put it in the truck, but mine is plastic and I gotta carry it outside. Thanks in advance John There are only two things in life.........RESULTS or EXCUSES *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
John Lowe wrote: > > I can see this starting something possibly but would like opinions > on roof racks for carrying a sea kayak. > I have a 1996 Ford Taurus sedan and need to get a roof rack. Had > lots of recommendations for both Thule & Yakima, and I would like to > know who has these racks or others and what your suggestions would be > to best carry my kayak. Unlike feathered paddles vs. unfeathered, etc. I don't think you are going to see a holy war of Thule vs. Yakima. They seem to be priced generally the same, have similar accessories, etc. It can get pretty expensive either way depending on the towers you have to use, etc. You may be looking at $300 all told. Regarding features one company may be better in one and weaker in another. Overall--a wash. You could get away with a much cheaper arrangement using the $29 setup involving foam blocks which comes with straps and tiedowns. Or you can use the type of pads that stores sell for kneeling while gardening. That and some webbing straps and you are all set. Here is an arrangement that one of my newsletter readers sent me two years ago that works just fine. It is meant to carry some folding kayaks on a car roof (yeah, many of us do it at times to show off we have kayaks; a kayak inside your trunk isn't as sexy or attention getting) but would work just as well with a plastic boat. BEGIN ARTICLE FOLDING KAYAKER MAY/JUNE 1997 A Cheap Roofrack Seymour Boorstein is an old friend from California. While he is reasonably well-off (a psychiatry practice in California has to pay off!) and he certainly can afford the very best of things, Seymour seeks simple solutions for his needs. Here is his idea for a cheap substitute for all the fancy Thule and Yakima roof racks with their kayak cradles, stackers, special tower adapters, et al: "Great talking to you! I have used the following roof rig on the Lexus ES-300 and LS-400 successfully to carry one or two Feathercraft K-Lights going at 60-70 mph on our freeways. 1. Front and rear bumper tie-downs. Voyageur (1-800-843-8985; or 802-496-3127) has a bow/stern tie down kit (item # 2007149; $13.95). It is real simple with 12 foot straps and well-designed “S” hooks. The kit is sufficient for one K-Light. When carrying two, I use an NRS-6 foot strap ($4.05; see NRS ordering info below) which can easily lengthen these tie-downs. These are cinched snug but not boat-bending tight. The kayaks are held more securely if you crisscross the Voyageur straps, i.e. from right boat to left side of bumper, left side boat to right side of bumper. 2. Two NRS-15 foot tie down buckle straps. These (item # 1440-15, $5.65; NRS at 1-800-635-5202) come with protective plastic under the buckles. I tie these straps down just in front and behind the cockpit. I run one of the straps through the shock cord loop of the boat’s cockpit cover so that if the cover blows loose it won’t get lost. Each strap is run through the car’s open doors and secured to itself from the other side within the passenger area. The straps are thin enough that the doors can close on them with no damage or bulge. I cinch all the side tie-downs real tight, letting them indent the air sponsons quite a bit. (Editor’s note: make certain they’re not overly inflated. On hot days, you may damage the sponsons. Also when going to higher elevations, the compressed air inside expands and could damage them—see Folding Kayaker, Jan/Feb 1994, p. 10) 3. Roof pads. (Editor’s note: This is the heart of the system and what makes it so cheap and applicable to any car without a lot of extra adapters or adjustments and tedious work like in any of the commercially sold racks). I use four simple garden kneeling pads, the rectangular ones that have a cut-in handle in them and cost about $5 at any department store or garden shop. Better yet are the bigger square ones from Brookstone that come in red or yellow and cost about $10. Their smooth surfaces really stick to the roof and do no damage to the finish. To avoid losing the pads while getting boats on and off, I tie small pieces of nylon cord from their handles to the kayaks or the tie-down straps. Some other points: I protect the car finish where straps may be in contact with it such as the bow and stern straps. My solution is some soft pieces of fleece or flannel attached to the straps at points of contact with heavy duty rubber bands. I also learned that it is useful to put some twists in all the straps so that they don’t vibrate at high speeds like violin strings. ---END FOLDING KAYAKER ARTICLE You see, you don't have to spend big bucks. Pocket the difference or spend it on a better paddle or toward some cold water apparel to extend your season. best, ralph diaz -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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 >From snowy (again) cold (still) Maine, Anne Burton *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I started with foam blocks. These functioned great, but no matter how hard I tried, I always ended up with a little dirt between the foam pad and the roof of my truck. This quickly took its toll on the paint job. I then went to the Yakima rack TLC cradles. No science involved, it was just the brand carried by my local paddle shop. After getting them installed, I found myself struggling at the end of the day trying to get the yak back on the truck. The cradles add another 3-5 inches you have to lift the yak over and once in place I found it difficult to slide forward or aft to position it on the truck. Finally I bought a set of Hully rollers and installed them on the rear rack, with the cradles in the front. Excellent combo IMHO. (Plus it gave me an excuse to have a second carrier 8^) Someone also mentioned putting on a rack and buying foam pads to clip around the bars. This would also work if you are trying to save some money. Woody *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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