> >I need to replace my racks and find that Yakima has new Mako saddles. They >seem very big, with only a narrow rubber piece in the middle to hold the >kayak. I have used the old style Yak saddle for many years and was never >happy with how they fit different kayaks and the difficulty of adjusting >them. The Mako don't appear to have any adjustment at all. The Thule >saddles appear to be self adjusting and simpler. Are they better or worse? Check out the side-loading "J cradles" from Malone of Maine (www.maloneofmaine.com). I love 'em. (BTW they work better with square bars, since they don't need an adapter) Good luck, Jason *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jason wrote, "I love [Malone of Maine J cradles]. (BTW they work better with square bars, since they don't need an adapter)." I agree with Jason. I've used Yakima's old "TLC" saddles, and have had great luck with them as a solid, adaptable base, but the ease of loading and the room that the Malone J cradles generate is outstanding. Rock solid ride --- even at semi-illegal rates of speed --- and total practicality. (And, without a kayak aboard, nobody has any idea of what they are. It's great to see the double-takes people give them.) However, a point of departure, too. I had my two sets of cradles on Audi factory flat bars at first, but now carry them on Yak bars. The added advantage of being able to rotate the cradles slightly to follow the contour of the side of the kayak greatly outweighs the horizontal orientation of stock or Thule bars, in my opinion. And I'm not sure what "adaptors" are used, but my J's have a block of high density polyethelene whatever that contours perfectly and holds solidly --- no adaptors needed. (For what it's worth, many single-bar Yak accessories will rotate slightly on the bars --- or the bars will rotate slightly in the towers --- when leverage is applied. If you know how you want the accessory to fit, simply insert a small (maybe two inch square) piece of the sanding screen that plasterers and sheetrockers use between the mount and the bar, and between the bar and the accessory. Works great --- no more rotation problems.) Jack *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: > However, a point of departure, too. I had my two sets of cradles on Audi factory flat bars at first, but now carry them on Yak bars. The added advantage of being able to rotate the cradles slightly to follow the contour of the side of the kayak greatly outweighs the horizontal orientation of stock or Thule bars, in my opinion. [snip] (For what it's worth, many single-bar Yak accessories will rotate slightly on the bars --- or the bars will rotate slightly in the towers --- when leverage is applied. If you know how you want the accessory to fit, simply insert a small (maybe two inch square) piece of the sanding screen that plasterers and sheetrockers use between the mount and the bar, and between the bar and the accessory. Works great --- no more rotation problems.) While we are on the subject of rotation around the Yakima bars, I'd like to endorse Jack's suggestion -- I contact-cemented wet-or-dry 220 grit inside the mounts for my Hully Rollers, and it helps reduce rotation. However, for those who (against Yakima's advice) mount one bar to a pickup cab and the other to *the canopy* attached to the bed, here is a word of warning: I've used that arrangement on two different import pickups: a 1987 Mazda Cab Plus, and a 1996 Toyota Extended Cab. No problems with the Mazda. On the Toyota, however, I have had the rear bar rotate a full 15-20 degrees when I ran on very rough roads, to the point the attachment to the yaks was materially altered. In addition, the Q Towers on the cab got pushed forward an inch or so from their original position. The net result was that the straps loosened a bit. Did not seem to hurt anything, but on a fragile load, could torque something. I believe the bed on the Yota flexes a lot relative to the cab, causing more the rotation around the rear bar and the forward shift on the front bar. YMMV -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
--(8/29/00 12:13 AM) JCMARTIN43_at_aol.com wrote: >I had my two sets of cradles on Audi factory flat bars at first, but now >carry them on Yak bars. The added advantage of being able to rotate the >cradles slightly to follow the contour of the side of the kayak greatly >outweighs the horizontal orientation of stock or Thule bars, in my >opinion. And I'm not sure what "adaptors" are used, but my J's have a >block of high density polyethelene whatever that contours perfectly and >holds solidly --- no adaptors needed. Hmm.... I guess I now agree with Jack (and disagree with myself). Jack and I have the same car (Audi A4 Avant) but I have only ever had Yakima bars. I was calling the "block of high density polyethelene whatever" an adaptor, and was considering the fact that it only is contoured to the bottom of the bar a disadvantage. (IOW, the flat underside of the cradle tightens directly against the round top of the bar.) That said, the suckers crank down good and tight and I don't have any twisting problems. It just seemed as though the Malone people had square bars in mind when they designed them. Another tip for those of us with factory roof rails is to use a second set of straps around the boat and directly to roof rails. For me, this tightens up the boat considerably. Good luck, Jason *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - All postings copyright the author and not to be reproduced/forwarded outside PaddleWise without author's permission Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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