For over 10 years I have been satisfied with a variety of saddles and rollers. I now have a vehicle that is lower and will fit in my garage with J bars. Is there an advantage to the J bars? Less water after a rain, more secure on the roof, less marking, etc. I carry 17 -18 foot glass/kevlar boats. Your opinions are warmly welcomed. Hal "Power your boat with carbohydrates not hydrocarbons" *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 7:03 PM -0400 10/25/06, Hal wrote: >Is there an advantage to the J bars? You can carry more boats --- I can carry 3 boats on the roof my Subaru Impreza: 1 in a set of saddles centered on the bars plus two on J-cradles positioned to the left and right of the saddles. With saddles, I can barely get 2 boats up there (they both have to be no more than about 22" beam). I've used the J-cradles to run shuttle with 30" wide canoes --- something that would be impossible with saddles. Brian *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
As Brian said, you can carry more kayaks. Or you can do like my kids and put an enclosed box between the kayaks. My daughter and her husband drive a Subaru Outback (doesn't everyone?) and with the J-bars they can put their two kayaks (a Nimbus Telkwa and a Nimbus Solander) on the outside each slanted towards the center of the car. This gives them enough room for an enclosed box between them which carries PFDs, paddles, etc. This frees up the back of the car for their three Huskies. Only one of which, alas, likes to kayak. Craig Jungers Royal City, WA On 10/25/06, Hal <hal11_at_adelphia.net> wrote: > > For over 10 years I have been satisfied with a variety of saddles and > rollers. I now have a vehicle that is lower and will fit in my garage > with > J bars. Is there an advantage to the J bars? Less water after a rain, > more secure on the roof, less marking, etc. I carry 17 -18 foot > glass/kevlar boats. > > Your opinions are warmly welcomed. *************************************************************************** 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 both with composite boats, for short haul trips on day paddles and to transport from Iowa to the east coast. We currently use a set of Malone and a set of Yakima J-type bars on a Volvo XC and this allows us to also put two bikes up top, too. We've used the same set up on a Subaru Forester. That said, my guess is that the Yakima Mako Saddles provide a 'softer' ride...they have more shock absorption built into their flex than do the J-Bars. This may or may not be important because the J-Bars may or may not transmit road shock in the same way. The J-Bars seem to concentrate the points of contact, so we're carefull to slip in some extra padding on long, high speed trips...so we can strap down tightly but still protect the composite. I've been really happy with the Malone design...keeps straps in place more easily and seems to distribute the surface contact a bit better...and I find them easier to load when by myself. -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/ ***************************************************************************
Hal wrote: > Is there an advantage to the J bars? Other than increasing the amount of stuff on the rack (subject to rack load limits) not much. The down side is they expose more of the kayak to wind, especially side winds. If you don't need the space, stick with saddles, IMO. Mike *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
If you're transporting a skinboat, you might minimize the risk of damage to the frame, since the kayak will be resting on its (stronger) gunnels rather than (weaker) keelson or deck stringers. Emile Hal <hal11_at_adelphia.net> wrote: Is there an advantage to the J bars? --------------------------------- Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Please remove all old content that is not pertinent to your reply including old headers and footers. It's list policy.... this post was modified to meet policy] From: Emile Zen <emilezen_at_yahoo.com> > If you're transporting a skinboat, you might minimize the risk of damage to the > frame, since the kayak will be resting on its (stronger) gunnels rather than > (weaker) keelson or deck stringers. > > Hal <hal11_at_adelphia.net> wrote: > Is there an advantage to the J bars? This is also true for plastic boats - less opportunity to oil can. Someone already mentioned easier to get on and off for solo paddlers (at least for me) - if you think about how you lift the boat, it becomes one motion, with the pushing hand driving straight up on the gunwale. Taking off, there is no need to roll the boat up, lift over the cradle, then down. Not mention so far and the thing I really like is the ability to access the boat while it's fastened to the J-rack. It's up on its side, but leaning back a bit. Very easy to get to hatches and cockpit while standing on the ground (or door sill). On longer or family trips I use my boat as a cartop carrier for paddling gear, and it's great on the way back from a paddle to move the lovely wet neoprene smell out of the car. With the J-rack I can easily pack it and then put on the cockpit cover and go. I use the Malone's - first pair is probably 8 to 10 years old now - low profile, rugged, etc. Works with either round or square bars. Keith -- Valley Qajariaq, quill over quill NDK Romany Explorer, red over white NDK Romany, green over white Using skinny sticks -- 'cause they're so much fun Think folks should use whatever makes them smile *************************************************************************** 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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