[Paddlewise] 99 Dodge Caravan

My van now has the Yakima adapters for the factory rails.  As I 
usually carry only one kayak, I leave a pair of shallow "V" saddles 
mounted.  In my opinion, these saddles work as well as or better than 
rollers.  To load a boat I tilt the rear saddle back and hang a sheet 
of Plastic so that it protects the car paint.  It is quite easy to 
lean the boat onto the plastic ready to enter the "V". As the saddles 
are covered with carpeting, the boat slides easily into the front 
saddle. I have made hundreds of trips using these saddles over the 
past five years and have never damaged a boat. The saddles are as 
good as new. The saddles are home made although similar saddles can 
be bought. Will they work as well?  Joe S
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