When I purchased my new glass Tesla NM I was warned to be careful when putting the boat up on the Mako Saddles so as not to leave sand on the hull and to make sure the saddles were clean because the sand would damage the gel coat. Too late!!! I wound up with my hull looking like it was sand blasted where the saddles touched the glass. I spent hours applying and sanding smooth new gel coat. I made sure the saddles were clean and smooth and placed my newly refinished boat over the rear rollers and onto the front saddles. I tightened the saddles just snug enough to stabilize by kayak; ran a tie down over the rear locked rollers just snug enough so that the free rollers could be rolled and applied a bow line. I then drove about 80 miles to Butterfly Beach. I removed the boat from the saddle/roller combination and guess what? The words Yakima are now imbedded in my new gel coat as well as some areas of abrasion. I called Yakima and they tell me it was because I did not apply a stern line the boat was unstable and therefore rubbed! Personally, I don't believe it. If there are any of you who have had similar experiences outside of the two paddlers who have already told me they have suffered the same damage I would appreciate a response. I think Yakima is wrong and their product should not be used on fiberglass boats and possibly not Kevlar. If I am wrong then I will publicly apologize to Yakima but if I am right then are a few of us who have been damaged and should seek proper redress. Mike Brown *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I use bow/stern tie downs with the same roller/saddle system without significant problems. A series of rough seal launches and landings might obscure the letters imbedded in the gel coat and take your mind off saddle scuffs; either that or try a stern tie down. Craig ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Brown" <embro_at_earthlink.net> To: <sbka-list_at_zooid.com>; "CKF" <ckf_at_paddlewise.net>; <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 12:11 AM Subject: [Paddlewise] Yakima Mako Saddles snip > I removed the boat from the saddle/roller combination and guess what? The > words Yakima are now imbedded in my new gel coat as well as some areas of > abrasion. snip *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Wow. I have to believe there is something else going on. I've sold and installed hundreds of Mako Saddles and have never heard of this. The piece which has "Yakima" on it is pretty soft rubber. It's hard to imagine that it would actually imbed into gelcoat. This seems to me a gel coat issue rather than a Mako issue. It's hard to imagine what that gel coat would do if something with substance actually hit it! Sorry to hear it and good luck. Mark Mastalski At 08:56 AM 11/14/01 -0500, Craig MacKinnon wrote: >snip > > I removed the boat from the saddle/roller combination and guess what? The > > words Yakima are now imbedded in my new gel coat as well as some areas of > > abrasion. >snip *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've used my Hully Rollers and Mako Saddle set up on a Subaru Forester for a couple of years. Up until this past summer, the longest ride was about three hours at an avg 60 mph speed and some light cross winds. Most trips of a half hour or so to local lake, wildlife refuge, etc. This past summer I drove from Iowa to Maine and back, and first noticed evidence of gel coat rub off. I use both bow and stern tie-downs (a required step for car top hauling in Iowa...) and secure straps with proper tension. I caught this fairly early when stopping to adjust on the first day's drive, slipping in some temp padding to solve the problem. I'm installing some mini-cell foam on the saddles to solve this. Perhaps it's an obvious condition that Yak dealers assume to be common knowledge, but I think it bears mentioning to Yak dealers and the factory itself. At a minimum they should provide strips of minicell and appropriate glue/backing to allow those with glass boats to fit (and or retrofit). -Will *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
You can buy or make polar fleece booties to cover the saddles. They are easy to make, a square of polar fleece with elastic in the edge. You just need to be sure to keep them clean or the embedded dirt will scratch the boat too. -----Original Message----- From: Craig MacKinnon [mailto:elroca_at_earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 8:57 AM To: PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Yakima Mako Saddles I use bow/stern tie downs with the same roller/saddle system without significant problems. A series of rough seal launches and landings might obscure the letters imbedded in the gel coat and take your mind off saddle scuffs; either that or try a stern tie down. Craig ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Brown" <embro_at_earthlink.net> To: <sbka-list_at_zooid.com>; "CKF" <ckf_at_paddlewise.net>; <PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net> Sent: Wednesday, November 14, 2001 12:11 AM Subject: [Paddlewise] Yakima Mako Saddles snip > I removed the boat from the saddle/roller combination and guess what? The > words Yakima are now imbedded in my new gel coat as well as some areas of > abrasion. snip *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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