Truck Racks

[Fish123]

I just stumbled into a deal on a real nice Thule Xsporter rack for my truck. This should open up a lot of bed space in my truck since I have a smaller cab. Anyways I have no experience with car topping a yak. How important are bow/stern tie downs? Deciding wether I should order some or not. Also do you guys like to use the foam blocks or would surf pads work better? Thanks guys


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[FishMoken]

When I lived 10mins from the water I would just strap my kayaks to the roof. Now if my trips involved highways or any trip longer then 20mins I would always put a bow line on, and still do. For windy days and long hull 1+ hour trips I also put on a stern line. As far as pads go I've never really used them I tend to place the kayak hull side up and just strap it down.

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[Mark]

I've been cartopping on two different Sienna vans for 8 years.

I've used the factory installed rack on both vans as the main support for my kayaks with foam blocks providing padding. (I also use a Yakima roller device to help my lift my boats to the roof of the vans. You'll see that in the photos but it is not germane to your scenario.)

Depending on the boat I carry, I use four blocks or two.

For my Ultimate 12 and Ultimate FX12, I use 4 blocks in this configuration:

IMG_3125.jpg

That's because Ultimate kayaks have a channeled hull and each channel rests on a forward and back block.

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For my Revo 13, I use two blocks centered on the rack's crossbars like this:

IMG_3134.jpg

Here's my old Revo on the van to give you an idea of the overhang on the vehicle...which isn't much for either boat. The Ultimate is 12 feet and the Revo is 13.

A.jpg

I do not use a bow or stern line for my Revo nor my Ultimates because their overhang is minimal. I have driven them thousands of miles with no mishaps. I do fasten them tightly with ratchet straps, but not to the point of damaging the hulls. On occasion, on very long road trips of hundreds of miles, I will add a third strap at mid-hull as a precaution. Oddly, my only strap failure came on a 12 mile ride from my house to the Severn River. When I got there, only the front strap was on my kayak. I didn't know the rear strap had blown off. (I do carry spare straps in my van as a matter of course.)

Here you can see the placement of the straps on my Ultimate FX12:

IMG_2968 (2).jpg

I also own a sea kayak that is 17 feet long. I cartop that boat using the same two blocks I use for my Revo.

G.jpg

I don't have a photo of that boat on my roof. However because of its length, I do add a bow and stern line to it in addition to strapping it twice in the center of the boat. However, I do not bring those bow and stern lines down to my bumpers as you may see with conventional tie-down kits. I thread a rope through the handles of the kayak and then back to factory installed frame on my Sienna where I tie it tightly on both sides of the rack. I learned that technique from Annapolis Canoe and Kayak where I purchased the sea kayak. The front line impedes the boat from lurching forward during a sudden top, while the back line resists it from moving backward should I be hit from the rear. The two straps in the center of the boat inhibit it from lifting.

Note, that I didn't say the lines "stop" the boat from moving under every circumstance. That's because you can go online and find videos of kayaks and canoes flying off of vehicle roof tops during collisions -- even ones with bow and stern lines. You cannot guarantee a boat will not come off of the roof of your vehicle during any collision at highway speeds no matter how many lines you attach to it. However, with normal driving, and cross my fingers, no abrupt crash stops, the two strap method has worked well for me for my fishing kayaks.

Finally, the person who introduced me to kayak fishing cartops his kayaks on a pickup truck on racks above his truck bed. I believe it is a Thule rack, perhaps similar to what you are going to use. He wrapped the crossbars with foam at the pressure points on his hull and fastened his boats to the crossbars using the same straps I use front and back. No bow or stern lines needed. His go-to boat was a 12 foot Outback. Again, not an exceptionally long kayak.

Good luck,

[Jman]

I just stumbled into a deal on a real nice Thule Xsporter rack for my truck. This should open up a lot of bed space in my truck since I have a smaller cab. Anyways I have no experience with car topping a yak. How important are bow/stern tie downs? Deciding wether I should order some or not. Also do you guys like to use the foam blocks or would surf pads work better? Thanks guys


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I saw that on Craigslist - heck of a deal, plus the carrier with it. I installed my Xsporter two weeks ago- PIA with a bed liner.. You'll want tie downs, especially for longer trips. I think some would argue you can get away without them on shorter trips. I went with surf pads, because the bars are really wide and most pads won't fit the rack. Vitamin Blue sells them for the Xsporter (https://vitaminblue.com/blog-thule-x...uck-rack-pads/).

[Oldbayrunner]

My kayak resides on the top of my vehicle, 50 years of multiple surfboards on top of vehicles taught me the lesson no matter how short or long a distance make sure they are secured. With that, in addition to my cross cam straps I also use surge straps bow and stern, why because I don't want my kayak to go anywhere if I have to slam on my brakes. So far with some of the idiots driving out there that has paid off.

[Fish123]

Mark, thank you for your detailed response. Looks like you’re prepared for any and every situation lol.


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[Fish123]

I saw that on Craigslist - heck of a deal, plus the carrier with it. I installed my Xsporter two weeks ago- PIA with a bed liner.. You'll want tie downs, especially for longer trips. I think some would argue you can get away without them on shorter trips. I went with surf pads, because the bars are really wide and most pads won't fit the rack. Vitamin Blue sells them for the Xsporter (https://vitaminblue.com/blog-thule-x...uck-rack-pads/).

Yeah that’s the one I got. Couldn’t get the cradles because my kayak is too heavy for that. I’ve noticed most Thule carriers only have a 75lb weight limit. I just ordered a couple sets of bow and stern lines just to be safe. I ordered some surf pads to get me through in the meantime off amazon but that vitamin blue pad looks awesome especially when I’ll be transporting multiple kayaks. Thanks


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[Fish123]

My kayak resides on the top of my vehicle, 50 years of multiple surfboards on top of vehicles taught me the lesson no matter how short or long a distance make sure they are secured. With that, in addition to my cross cam straps I also use surge straps bow and stern, why because I don't want my kayak to go anywhere if I have to slam on my brakes. So far with some of the idiots driving out there that has paid off.

Yeah I’m definitely going to use them. Would prefer no mishaps. Thanks for the input.


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[Fish123]

Got it all loaded up for tomorrow. Waiting on my rack pads to get delivered then I’ll be in business.


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