Roof Rack Recommendation to Carry Kayak on 2012 Honda Accord Coupe

Question:

I want to put a roof rack on my car to transport a kayak. What rack do you recommend? I would prefer not to use the kind that are made for bare roof, if possible. Is there any way to have one custom installed into the drain channel or something? thank you

asked by: Coral C

Expert Reply:

There are a couple of great roof racks for your 2012 Honda Accord coupe, though you will need to use one that mounts to a bare roof as there are not custom installation options.

Roof racks that attach to your bare roof mostly use clamps and have rubber pads that protect your car's finish. If you did not want to use a rack that clamps there is an option for you, the SeaSucker Monkey Bars Roof Rack # 298-SX6000B. This rack uses vacuum cups that securely attach them to your Accord's roof and the advantage to this is that the crossbars are extremely easy to take on and off your Accord, and you can space the crossbars at any distance you like in order to use different accessories.

The SeaSucker has 1-1/4" round crossbars though we have had customers say that traditional carriers may cause some issues because the bars have a coating that prevents corrosion on the bars but can also cause some accessories to slide a bit on the bars. So while you can use the etrailer J-Style Kayak Carrier # e98878 or similar carrier, it is not an optimal combination.

The other option, and the one I strongly recommend, is to use a roof rack that clamps to your 2010 Accord coupe. A fantastic option is from Rhino-Rack, which consists of:

- Rhino-Rack Vortex Aero Crossbars # RRVA126B-2 (Black) or # RRVA126S-2 (Silver)
- Rhino-Rack 2500 Series Legs # RRRLKVA
- Custom DK Fit Kit # DK151

The advantage to using this rack is its aero crossbars that have rubber vortex strips in their top channels; this will greatly minimize the amount of wind noise you can encounter when using round crossbars. As I mentioned the fit kit does have rubber pads to protect the top of your Accord.

I have added photos of both roof racks installed so you can see what each looks like, as well as links to video reviews of both racks and the kayak carrier for you to check out.