Preferred car top recommendations

[Turtle]

I checked the history on here, and the last post I saw that dived into this was 2-3 years old and a lot of the manufacturers have put out new models/ideas. If I missed a more recent one, feel free to yell at me and delete this ha.

Anyway, I finally got a proper roof rack for my car (had the inflateable Malone one before) and am wonder what people who car top big/fishing kayaks seem to prefer. A lot of the one's at Dick's/Bass Pro etc seem like they might be a little narrow/small for fishing kayaks that tend to be 30+ inches wide and stout.

Thanks.

[Mark]

I use the standard crossbars that came with my Toyota roof rack. Their weight rating far exceeds that of my kayaks which range from 49 to 70 pounds.

I place standard canoe/kayak foam blocks on the crossbars for my boats to rest upon.

On thing to remember is that the actual touch points of the hull on the rack may be narrower than the stated beam of the kayak. That is the case with each of my boats. Also, the foam blocks serve to raise the boats several inches above the racks and that may allay your concerns about the width of the rack you had installed.

To help me lift my kayaks to my roof rack I use Yakima's Showboat 66 roller system which has been discussed on this forum before.

[Oldbayrunner]

All I've ever done was car top mine. As a matter of fact it stays on top of my car so most of what I am writing is premised on that. With that said, it depends on the kayak with how wide it is, the weight and what the bottom is shaped like. I prefer having the hull down opposed to upside down I find there is less lift.. I found J racks for a wide fish kayak, if you travel long distances, doesn't fair well especially in brisk winds. The saddles and Malone gul wings are better but with summer heat can put some fairly decent depressions in the hull so one has to be mindful of that. My kayak has 2 channels that run down the bottom of it so I use two 3" pvc pipes covered with boat bunk material, tethered to my cross rails. With that it aids in sliding my kayak on and supports my kayak better than any other types I have found. I also use a 12" Keel roller I fabricated to fit in the channel of my back door as a first means to easily roll it up so with all of this it is easier on this 72 year old bod.

There are several aids it just depends on how deep your pockets are. One just has to research and find what suits them at a price they want to part with.

[Jman]

Anyway, I finally got a proper roof rack for my car (had the inflateable Malone one before) and am wonder what people who car top big/fishing kayaks seem to prefer. A lot of the one's at Dick's/Bass Pro etc seem like they might be a little narrow/small for fishing kayaks that tend to be 30+ inches wide and stout.

Anyway, I finally got a proper roof rack for my car (had the inflateable Malone one before) and am wonder what people who car top big/fishing kayaks seem to prefer. A lot of the one's at Dick's/Bass Pro etc seem like they might be a little narrow/small for fishing kayaks that tend to be 30+ inches wide and stout.

Thanks.

I car topped my kayaks for about six years and my experiences are based on using a Thule base rack system for a Honda Accord. I think a lot of folks on here use trucks or vans to transport their yaks currently. I've attached a Hobie Revolution (13' & 16'), Hobie Outback, Field and Stream Eagle Talon, and a Wilderness Tarpon 120 to the car previously. Only certain models of saddles, cradles, or "J-style" racks will be compatible with your roof rack, depending on the brand. I started off using J-racks, which were fine with all of my kayaks, until I tried an Outback (34" wide). It just wouldn't fit on the darn thing! I wouldn't recommend using the J-rack style if you are prone to back/shoulder problems, have poor lifting form, concerned about overhead space when parking, or have a kayak wider than 32"ish. I switched to a saddle model (Thule Glide N' Set/Roll model) for the Outback which was more manageable (I am currently selling this for $85 if you are interested). The problem I encountered with this was getting the kayak onto the saddle. I ended up using a moving blanket to prop the bow of the Outback onto the trunk lid before sliding it up the roller attachment and onto the saddle. I've seen suction cup rollers that look like they might be helpful in that case too. Probably about a year or two ago, I decided to switch to using the bare roof rack for my Outback and I wished I did that sooner because there was less weight on the roof, less wind resistance, and I didn't have to worry about the hull deforming.

Some questions I was thinking of that may helps others chime in are:
1. What type of vehicle, kayak, and roof rack you currently have?
2. Do you plan on securing multiple kayaks or just one? Is this likely to change in the future?
3. How long do you plan to store your kayak(s) on your roof? -Racks can leave dents in your kayak if over-tightened, in the sun, or over a long time. From my experience, saddle racks produce dents quicker.
4. Will the type of kayak you want change soon? (Most of the pedal kayaks are becoming heavier and when you factor in the roof rack + component weight - it adds up quick).

Hope this helps,
J

[Mark]

Turtle,

J has asked you some good questions at the bottom of his post which will help you to decide your course of action.

In addition, I made a series of photos for another gentleman last fall who privately asked me similar questions about cartopping a kayak. I thought if I post them here, they may help you decide what you would like to do.

As I had already stated, I use the factory installed luggage rack that Toyota furnishes on its Sienna vans. Note the van below is a 2017. Prior to that I used the same method with my 2010 Sienna.

I had mentioned that I use foam blocks (readily available from commercial sources) on the crossbars to support my kayaks. Here's a couple of photos of them:

IMG_3124.jpg

That's the configuration of the blocks I use to support my two Native kayaks -- one at a time, of course. I do not carry two at once.

I use this configuration of blocks to carry my Hobie Revolution:

IMG_3134.jpg

Here's a photo that shows how the blocks use pre-cut slots to affix to the cross-bars.

IMG_3133.jpg

You need to do nothing more to secure them. In fact, I leave the last set of blocks I used on my rack all the time. If nothing else, they help me to find my van in large parking lots!

Recall I said that the blocks raise the boat from the rack. These photos show how much:

IMG_3127.jpg IMG_3131.JPG

This photo shows how wide the actual rack is:

IMG_3139.jpg

That width is ample for my each of my Ultimates and my Revo. Further, the fact that the blocks raise the boat above the rack hardware, means you could even carry wider boats -- however, I wouldn't want to paddle one!

Finally, here's a photo with the Showboat 66 roller extended. That's what allows me to lift my boats to the rack. That particular roller has been a permanent fixture on my luggage rack for at least 7 years. I has been very durable. It also retracts to allow me to raise the van's backdoor.

IMG_3126.jpg

All that said, I would prefer to have nothing on the roof of my van. It's not any concern for mileage. I great mileage with a kayak on the roof. The boat itself is aerodynamic and I stow them hull-side down as Oldbayrunner suggested. I secure them with straps and they do not move during transport. But my concern is possible injury while lifting them, even with the assistance of the Showboat 66. I'm becoming more convinced as I age that a trailer or a pickup truck is the way to go. I may transition to one of those methods this year.

Anyway, I had the above photos stored and realized they may help you decide on a course of action.

Good luck,

[nhunter344]

I use Yakima aerobars and what they call their Big Stack Kayak Stacker. Its intended to be used to transport multiple kayaks on their sides but i use it as a stopper to lash my kayak to to prevent it from sliding back and forth. I also use crossbar pads which can be found anywhere. I carry my boat right side up as all the gear tracks and attachments wont allow me to slide my kayak on top of my SUV upside down.

I also use hood anchors to lash the front and back of the kayak to. It may all be overkill, but I have zero fear of losing my kayak when Im going 75 down the highway.

[thedutchtouch]

All I've ever done was car top mine. As a matter of fact it stays on top of my car so most of what I am writing is premised on that. With that said, it depends on the kayak with how wide it is, the weight and what the bottom is shaped like. I prefer having the hull down opposed to upside down I find there is less lift.. I found J racks for a wide fish kayak, if you travel long distances, doesn't fair well especially in brisk winds. The saddles and Malone gul wings are better but with summer heat can put some fairly decent depressions in the hull so one has to be mindful of that. My kayak has 2 channels that run down the bottom of it so I use two 3" pvc pipes covered with boat bunk material, tethered to my cross rails. With that it aids in sliding my kayak on and supports my kayak better than any other types I have found. I also use a 12" Keel roller I fabricated to fit in the channel of my back door as a first means to easily roll it up so with all of this it is easier on this 72 year old bod.

There are several aids it just depends on how deep your pockets are. One just has to research and find what suits them at a price they want to part with.

Can you post a picture of your setup, particularly the keel roller please(I understand it's a fabricated one-off, looking to make something like this for my Civic potentially)

[Oldbayrunner]

Can you post a picture of your setup, particularly the keel roller please(I understand it's a fabricated one-off, looking to make something like this for my Civic potentially)

The keel roller wont work with a Civic it only works with suv's that do not have the wind deflector off the back window. Your better off getting one or two of the window rollers. Another method would be to use a side lift bar off your racks to rest your bow onto then lift and slide it over..