Kayak car-topping advice for small cars

[yakscientist]

So I'm picking up a roof rack for my Mini Cooper S fairly soon, and I was wondering, with a 12.5' kayak like mine, how do you all usually car-top it on a smaller car? Do you use the J cradles, or blocks on the horizontal roof rack bars, or what? I'm leaning towards the J cradles, but was wondering what everyone prefers, either the j cradles, saddles, or what. Not looking to break the bank, I've been scouring craigslist and such for options. Thanks for the help!

[kuljc]

J's catch too much wind. I used cradles or just flip it upsidedown straight on the bars. These had the least wind resistance, and easiest to load. I might know somebody with yakima cradles they were trying to sell.

This was when I was driving a 2002 honda civic.

[silasvirus82]

Cradles are important if you're hauling more than one boat on a small car, but otherwise not needed in my opinion. If we take my wife's car to J-Bay I'll have to use cradles for at least one boat.

[DanMarino]

I love the Malone sea wings. Great product.

[Huntrava]

J cradles work well on lighter kayaks when you want to conserve space. You sometimes see three or more WW/touring kayaks stacked side-by-side on some vehicles using J cradles. They're for kayaks you can lift and curl with your biceps and simply drop on top of the roof.

I don't think they're especially well suited for heavy fishing kayaks where lifting in a single motion isn't an option. Fishing kayak hulls tend to be wide and heavy which are two factors that don't work well with J cradles. Even if it fits the cradle, you have mechanical leverage working against the rack every time you take a turn. The heavier the kayak, the more of an issue that becomes.

If you're fishing a SINK, touring or small fishing yak, it may be a good idea. But I'd personally look at other options for any of the Hobie/Native/Wilderness Systems/etc. yaks lots of folks fish from.

[Jman]

So I'm picking up a roof rack for my Mini Cooper S fairly soon, and I was wondering, with a 12.5' kayak like mine, how do you all usually car-top it on a smaller car? Do you use the J cradles, or blocks on the horizontal roof rack bars, or what? I'm leaning towards the J cradles, but was wondering what everyone prefers, either the j cradles, saddles, or what. Not looking to break the bank, I've been scouring craigslist and such for options. Thanks for the help!

You should consider your current and future storage options too. An apartment without storage or a yard might cause you to leave your kayak secured to your car. Height restrictions, such as a parking garage might entice you to choose one over the other.

[FishMoken]

Kayak car-topping advice for small cars

I think you have seen my setup before. Usually I just place the kayak deck down on the bars for just 1 kayak. If I am using 2 then I will do the same but then place the other kayak in j cradles. If you want I have a spare set of lower end j cradles your more then welcome to. When first throwing the kayaks on the roof I thought I would need 2 sets, but I was wrong. So if you want them let me know. Then you could try different stuff down the road if you want. Included is a photo of my old scrambler hull down, and my old tarpon 14 in j cradles. When using j cradles I tie the kayak to the rack then a line in the bow and stern to each bumper. Like someone said earlier they catch more wind that way, so better safe then sorry.


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[mweber02]

I used to haul my kayaks on foam blocks placed right on the roof of my mustang when I had it. It worked fine until I bought an SUV with racks.


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[Oldbayrunner]

The Swiss Gear Racks I bought can be used either way. Since buying my Feel Free with it's width I use it cradled and have another J type for when I carry another lighter one with it.

[yakscientist]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I will just try some foam blocks on the bars themselves for now, and strap the kayak directly to the bars/blocks. And then I will go from there if that doesn't appear to be too stable.

[kuljc]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I will just try some foam blocks on the bars themselves for now, and strap the kayak directly to the bars/blocks. And then I will go from there if that doesn't appear to be too stable.

don't forget the front and rear tie downs (at least the front), or else it might shift left and right while driving.

[Mark]

don't forget the front and rear tie downs (at least the front), or else it might shift left and right while driving.

I think that's good advice. A small car roof means a narrow base for pressure points on the tie downs across the hull. Add a 12 to 13 foot kayak and you could indeed have a situation where the wind resistance causes the kayak to pivot or lift.

[Huntrava]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I will just try some foam blocks on the bars themselves for now, and strap the kayak directly to the bars/blocks. And then I will go from there if that doesn't appear to be too stable.

Foam blocks are fine to start with. If done correctly, they're as stable as any expensive product you can buy. The only downside is that they take some extra time to set up and take down. I think you made a good choice, and you'll figure out what, if any, improvements need to be made.

[mytmouse]

I have a 2 door 07 Yaris Hatchback that I've been rocking since I've gotten into kayak fishing. I go straight on the bars upside down. Never had an issue. I've even stacked 2 yaks and road from Bowie to Norfolk and back. I installed a set of Yakima bars and have been saying for about 9 years that I was gonna use a pool noodle on my bars but I've been forgetting. They'll give you a little bite for the yak, but I've never had any issues with slipping or moving.

[Oldbayrunner]

With my smaller suv I use cam buckles across the yak and just taut ratchet straps from the front and rear of my yak to the racks for surge protection. Then I use one rope from the bow to my tow loop to help with bow lift. Mine lives on top my car so I make sure it is secure.