J-Cradle Questions

[MrJB00G13]

Hey Everyone,

I hope this is in the correct forum location.

After much research on some different options, I feel the best option is the J-Cradle style rack, since I'll now be sharing crossbar space with a bike rack (both going to be installed all-year-round). I have liked what I have seen with the Yakima JayLow (http://www.yakima.com/shop/water/roof/jaylow) but what concerns me is whether or not J-Cradles can/will actually support the weight of a heavy kayak (not as heavy as those big pro angler kayaks), especially the folding models since I would be relying on the cradle-back locking mechanism to be solid. My questions to those of you who do have personal experiences with J-Cradles or sharing crossbar space are; What are your personal experiences do you all have with J-Cradle racks? Folding ones would be preferred, but are the non-folding ones stronger? What other options have you considered when it comes to sharing crossbar space? I'd rather not have to take the bike rack off and on, especially since I will be using it often, as this would increase wear and tear.

The specs of the kayak I am looking to transport:

Length - 11' 6"

Width - 33"

Max Capacity - 500 lb

Weight - 82 lb (May increase in weight as I am sure I will make additions to it... Also keeping in mind that I may one day need/want to transport a 2nd kayak)

Thanks in advance! Sorry if I missed any details.

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[Foursteps24]

I have the Yakima Bowdown and it is a great rack. I have used it twice and it holds up excellent with my Ocean Kayak Torque. My only issue is that they dont seem to be working for me as they seem to be too high for single loading on my Honda Pilot. Im thinking about selling mine if you might be interested in purchasing them. I think that the weight of your yak shouldnt be a problem for the craddles but just check the max load for your crossbars. A kayak and Bike should not be even close to max load for any crossbars but I would double check. You should be just fine.

[dkwon]

Definitely would be safer to stick to the manufacturer's max weight for the kayak. How much would 5-10 lbs above max weight limit would affect safety? -- No idea. Not sure how fit of a guy you are, but lifting a ~100lb structure onto the top of a car (possibly SUV) would be pretty rough (?).

Just compared the thule hull-a-port and hull-a-port pro (folding version) and they both have the same max weight of 75lbs. So I would assume folding vs. non-folding doesn't effect max capacity. Could check others.. but I'm lazy.

I would also consider the max capacity for your roof rack. I know my OEM racks on the Nissan Rogue has a max capacity of 100lbs. I still put 2 kayaks totaling to ~120lbs.

If you have 3rd party roof racks (the black square bars that are pretty long and extend past the car doors), you definitely have enough room to lay a kayak down + still have space for a bike. Maybe you can find a flat/lay down styled kayak rack that has a higher weight capacity, but preliminary research still yields max capacity @ 75-80lbs.

In the end, I personally wouldn't mind going 10lbs over the max capacity. The thule hull-a-port pro racks that I have are sturdy as can be and I'm sure the other j styled racks are the same.

[MrJB00G13]

I have the Yakima Bowdown and it is a great rack. I have used it twice and it holds up excellent with my Ocean Kayak Torque. My only issue is that they dont seem to be working for me as they seem to be too high for single loading on my Honda Pilot. Im thinking about selling mine if you might be interested in purchasing them. I think that the weight of your yak shouldnt be a problem for the craddles but just check the max load for your crossbars. A kayak and Bike should not be even close to max load for any crossbars but I would double check. You should be just fine.

Thanks man. Based on what I am learning about max capacity, I just might end up ruling out the option. If I do happen to consider it, I'll keep you in mind!

Definitely would be safer to stick to the manufacturer's max weight for the kayak. How much would 5-10 lbs above max weight limit would affect safety? -- No idea. Not sure how fit of a guy you are, but lifting a ~100lb structure onto the top of a car (possibly SUV) would be pretty rough (?).

Just compared the thule hull-a-port and hull-a-port pro (folding version) and they both have the same max weight of 75lbs. So I would assume folding vs. non-folding doesn't effect max capacity. Could check others.. but I'm lazy.

I would also consider the max capacity for your roof rack. I know my OEM racks on the Nissan Rogue has a max capacity of 100lbs. I still put 2 kayaks totaling to ~120lbs.

If you have 3rd party roof racks (the black square bars that are pretty long and extend past the car doors), you definitely have enough room to lay a kayak down + still have space for a bike. Maybe you can find a flat/lay down styled kayak rack that has a higher weight capacity, but preliminary research still yields max capacity @ 75-80lbs.

In the end, I personally wouldn't mind going 10lbs over the max capacity. The thule hull-a-port pro racks that I have are sturdy as can be and I'm sure the other j styled racks are the same.

Thanks for the information. It took me awhile to find the max capacity for the Yakima JayLow (which I just found out is also about 80lbs), so it does look like they all share the same max capacity and slightly under what I am looking to hold.

As far as how high I have to lift, I am fortunate enough to have a lowered Scoobie Wagon, so I won't have as much of an issue as one would face wirh an SUV. I have at some point considered crossbar EVA foam pads to go across the left over portion of the crossbars. I would just need them to hold the kayak high enough to clear and sit above the bike rack (I think I will only need about a 2"-3" clearance). Not sure if that makes any sense. Saddles sound like a good option but they look like they are very expensive, as most packages only come with two!



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[Foursteps24]

Cool. I will probably sell them for $115 if you think you may want them. Only used twice

[jet]

with the bike rack, do you have enough room next to it to just put the kayak directly on the rails upside down? you could get a hitch bike rack, then the kayak could live on the roof.

[MrJB00G13]

Cool. I will probably sell them for $115 if you think you may want them. Only used twice

Thanks for the offer. I ended up going with the Jaylow rack.

with the bike rack, do you have enough room next to it to just put the kayak directly on the rails upside down? you could get a hitch bike rack, then the kayak could live on the roof.

If I moved the bike rack all the way to the end, I would have had room for a yak to lay on its bottom or upside down. I was thinking ahead though, as far as if I wanted to do a drift, I would need space for two yak's, which with the J Cradle, I have plenty of room to do two and still have a bike (also if i decided to make it into some type of long weekend camping trip). Unfortunately, I don't have a hitch kit installed on my car, so i couldn't do the hitch bike rack anyways. I appreciate the feedback!

[sushiplease]

Are you loading a Hobie onto the Jaylow? Can you post some pictures of them in action and write a review of what you think? I'm thinking about buying them but I've never used J mounts and usually just lay the yak upside down on my crossbars. I'm pretty close to purchasing a second hobie for my dad, so I will need the extra space to load 2 yaks. Thanks in advance!