# 1
Rhino-Rack Nautic 581 Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Channel Mount
My OldTown Sportsman PDL120 was shifting around to much in very windy conditions. I bought the large Yakima kayak saddles/supports from etrailer.
I recently purchased the Rhino rack below with these boat supports: Rhino-Rack Nautic 581 Rear Loading Kayak Carrier - Saddle Style - Rear Loading - Channel Mount Item # RR581 Also, I attached a Yakima Jaylow kayak carrier, all to a 2019 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. On the 54 inch aero bars, I was able to carry a Hobie Compass Duo kayak (35" beam, carried flat on the Rhino pads) and West Marine Pompano 120 (28" beam, propped up as shown on the Jaylow racks). To have enough width, the Jaylows and the Rhino pads are mounted as far out as they can go, and the straps are looped back under the rack pillars on the car. The bow and stern were secured with hood loops on each side (front diagonal straps on the Hobie), on the front placed under the hood where shown (this is the only place I could find a good metal-metal contact under the hood, and no electronics in the way), and in the back, tucked under the rear door. We did a 500 mile round trip to the beach and back, with no problems at all with the mounts. Little noise, no movement. My only recommendation is to figure out some kind of load assist for the large tandem kayak, to make it easier if one of the folks loading is under 5'8" in height or so. We worked it out, but only after a few failed attempts (especially when the boat is wet, and loaders are tired). Carol C at etrailer provided thoughtful, expert, and knowledgeable tech support for our purchase. Many thanks!
# 2
Rhino-Rack Nautic SUP or Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
After attempting to mount the individual rack pieces using the “burglar proof” button head screws with the pin in the recess and the short hex wrench with the hollowed out end I discovered that no real burglar would want the rack but would rather have the kayak so the first thing I did after spending 10 minutes trying to insert the hex into the button head screws with the pin inside the recess and attempting to turn the bolts and continually being obstructed by the support pieces and the paint interference on the bolt heads with trying to get the wrench into the recess I knew it was going to be a long frustrating process so I threw them away and purchased new button head stainless steel bolts and a 4mm extended handle hex wrench to turn them. Smartest thing I ever did. You not only have to mount the rack initially but then you have to put the kayak on the roof and remount all pieces again to fit your boat. All kayaks are different to one degree or another. Having to move the individual support and retighten them with the boat on the rack is even more difficult to do than the initial mounting with these “burglar proof” bolts and hex wrench and you will be happy you threw them away before you started the entire process. Try it for yourself at first and then go get the alternate ones. Worth the little investment and stainless steel will not rust away when you want to remove the rack system in the future. Once the rack is on your vehicle and kayak in rack the tie downs supplied are very good quality. Make sure you use the recommended tie down locations and directions, two kayak body ties and ties at front and rear. Due to numerous kayak hull designs it would be nice to have each support pod have a horizontal swivel built into it so it readily conforms to the hull shape. The overall quality of the system should be the last rack you will have to purchase. I only had issues with the supplied bolts and hex wrench. I gave this rack system a three star because of the bolts and hex tool and the individual pods not swiveling and I haven't at this point transported the kayak anywhere so I am waiting to see how it handles long trips with wind loads and constant loading and unloading performances.
Works great. I’m 5’6” and the pivoting cradles make for easy loading and off loading. I do need a stepping stool to install the carrier on the roof rack.
# 3
Malone FoldAway-5 Kayak, Canoe, and SUP Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Very good quality materials for the price point. No tool Assembly and installation is a bonus. I’ve used them for two weeks now, hailing in both two kayak and single kayak configurations. The lever that you pull Up/down on is going to break. Period. If you have the rotating level too tight you can’t switch it up or down and if you have it too loose, it will come unscrewed and then you have a hard time longing up that no internal thread to get it back on. Also, it’s a pain to have to move the entire system to reconfigure needs. Would be nice if it had a slide and lock back in option once on the cross bars. Pulling off 16 wing nuts isn’t ideal. The video was great, appreciated that. Do wish they had shown how to tie down when using two kayaks because once you have one on the system when you place the second on the opposite side, you no longer have access to that center rack. Shipping speed was excellent. The quality of the cam straps is impressive. I have a hand injury and so getting the bolts secured was difficult. The fact that they come with two different lengths to accommodate different rack heights was really nice. Make sure you have your cross bars 24” apart as the instructions say.
This carrier has worked out really well! I paired it with the SportRack Semi-Custom Roof Rack for Naked Roofs - Square Crossbars, and the carrier attached to it perfectly. I drive a 2014 Honda Civic and this carrier has been able to transport two kayaks with no problems. Highly recommend, especially considering the price.
# 4
Thule Stacker Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Clamp On
Fits fine. Solid. Never had an issue with it so far. Been installed a couple years now. Mounts attach fine to the roof of a Focus ST. No slip.
We needed a better way to haul around 3 kayaks and after looking at a number of options, we settled on the Thule Stacker setup. Installation is simple and the stackers provide a sturdy option for hauling multiple kayaks. One of the best features is that they fold down when you don't need to use them. My shopping experience with etrailer was smooth and shipping was prompt.
# 5
Malone SeaWing Kayak Roof Rack w/ Load Assist and Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
I am happy with my purchase of the Malone SeaWing with the load assist feature. I use it a lot and it is holding up well. I have square crossbars, and the wing base can be flipped over during assembly to fit square bars perfectly. The load assist really does make it easy to get my 14 and 16 foot kayaks on the car by myself. Another reviewer stated that the load assist feature put black streaks on his thermoformed kayak, and I had the same experience. I fixed that by wrapping heavy duty, double sided Velcro around the areas of contact, and that has worked fine. They are still in place one year later. Four stars because Malone should have covered the load assist sliders in a non-marking material.
The lift assist would not work with a skin on frame kayak. Repeated use would damage the skin. You can see in the pic that the load assist pushes in on the skin, and would not slide all the way into the storage position without lots of pressure on the kayak. Etrailer would not take retuttome inern since I installed the rack, but there was no way to know without trying. So bottom line - don't try to use this on a skin on frame kayak. And don't count on etrailer for returns when they sell a product that doesn't work as advertised.
# 6
Thule Surf Pad - Crossbar Pad for Square and Round Bars - 24" Long - Qty 2
The product arrived in a timely manner with specific information as to where it was all of the time. There was a credit card issue in the initial order and when I called I was pleasantly surprised to talk with a person who expressed sincere interest in my experience with the company The product is of high quality and is heavy duty, something which I was concerned about. It exceeded my expectations.
Product arrived in timely fashion as advertised. Easy to install. Perfect for my two kayaks.
# 7
SeaSucker Surfboard Carrier - 2 Surfboards or SUPs - Vacuum Cup Mounted
These work great. My trip to the beach would be around 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes and these things could easily hold my surfboard onto the top of my car. It held tight through rough winds, rain and on extremely sunny days. I would stop multiple times on my trip the first two times to check and see if it was all still suctioned down, and it always was. After that, I never felt the need to stop and check the suction. I would recommend this to anyone who is trying to find a way to carry a board out on their car without having to pay a crazy amount for something permanent. I would have to tear everything down while at the beach and put it all back up for my trip back, but it fits easily in my trunk and it's fairly simple and easy to set up. Not too much of a hassle.
I did a bit of testing to figure out how long it would take for the vacuum to loose pressure. I left the racks installed over night following the installation instructions and when I checked on the sucking cups the next day, there was one that needed to be pumped twice, but outside of that all of them were holding on nice a tight. After strapping up a 12.6 Slingshot Nitro Standup Paddle board and driving an hour up the road. Everything held up perfectly. I did not exceed 55MPH on my way up just to make sure all was well. On my way back I went up to 65MPH and no issues. I would recommend having a none lint cloth with you to clean the surface and the suction cups prior to re-installing the SeaSucker back onto the car roof. Overall, very confident in it's ability to hold the board in place and not have extra hardware to install permanently on my Rover!
# 8
Rhino-Rack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
I installed these as soon as I got them and I’ve got to say, there are some extra holes for screws that are a tad misleading and the pieces that secure it to the cross bars don’t seem super secure. For reference, I do have Rhino Rack’s vortex crossbars so this should fit snug. The rubber tops were tough to get into place and I am worried they’ll snap when I go to remove my rack but Rhino Rack has yet to fail me with their products so I bet it’ll work out great!
This is a great product. As a novice kayaker I was nervous. The assembly was easy with clear instructions. My sales professional Crystal K. was a pleasure to work with. She knew the answers to all my questions. From placing the order to the delivery I am very satisfied. I will be using etrailer again. I can't wait to get my kayaks to the water.
# 9
Yakima ShowDown Kayak or SUP Roof Rack and Lift Assist w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
Wow is all I can say. I put the Malone cross bars on and then this went up in less than an hour. For an older very petite woman, It went up very easy. Yes, be aware shorties: you need a step stool to be able to get the rack up. I have a folding one that will go in my car. Yep so glad I did this. Thank you Paul B for the help in getting exactly what I needed.
Awesome paddleboard rack system...my wife loves it on her 2015 jeep wrangler..
# 10
Yakima KeelOver Canoe Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Gunwale Brackets - Clamp On
Product was as advertised, however it was missing four bolts that I had to get at a hardware store, but other than that it was fine. Service from etrailer team was outstanding.
I've been using the product for two summers now and it is perfect for what I'm using it for. My canoe is an Old Town Discovery 133, it's very wide and I initially had trouble fitting it in the brackets with how relatively narrow my Rav4 is, but the instructions that came with them mentioned I could just flip them around. That worked perfectly. I only use the brackets and the tie down straps from the kit to tie the boat to the crossbars, and then use the painter lines I put on the bow and stern of the boat to tie those to the car. That rides on the highway very easily with no shifting. With two people, the load/unload time is around 10 minutes as long as one person knows what they are doing. This kit had exactly what I was looking for, seems built to last, and if I ever need another kit to help tie a canoe to a car then I know I can trust this product to get the job done safely and reliably.
# 11
Yakima BigStack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Clamp On
I acquired a second kayak and needed a system to fit the factory racks on my 2011 Toyota RAV4. Etrailer.com has always had information on what fits and has always had the item needed for the job. I attached the Yakima BigStack to the top with ease, and, with one other person to hold the kayaks while I secured, tied two of them down for a long road trip to Northern Minnesota. The system worked just fine. The only caveat was in the configuration of multiple boats in the instructions. The diagram has two boats on the same side of the posts, however, I found it more secure to put one on either side ( other reviews of this product on different Internet sites have found similar results.) The boats made it through the trip with no shifting.
Where do I start? I've been whitewater kayaking for 22 or so years now. I've always used used either Yakima or Thule products... Until I bought a 2015 Nissan Rogue with a naked roof. The curvature of the roof and large door jams mean that Yakima and Thule can't make racks for them. I went to a place that does custom installs and again because of the curvature of the roof, they couldn't give me a rack. This meant no kayaking which is really bad news. Enter the Rhino rack system. I purchased the feet, the fit kit, the cross bars and a Yakima "big stack" stacker. The first issue I had is the reccomended size for the Nissan Rogue is only 48 inches. Way too small too haul 4-5 (very light) whitewater kayaks. I called etrailer and they were SUPER helpful, told me I can buy the 65 in cross bars and they'll work fine. I held my breath and placed my order. I was nervous leaving my trusted name brands. The order arrived super fast (they told me it would arrive by Friday but it actually arrived on Thursday) and everything was packaged rock solid. I was impressed. I read the instructions and put the rack system on my car. It took about a hour (it was hot and I worked slowly) but the rack system is SUPER SOLID. I love it. Rhino might have a "forever" customer out of me. -The rack system is very stable. I can't move it with my hands by pushing or pulling. -The rubber stripping you put on the top and bottom of the bar is an awesome added feature AND it reduces wind noise. -Adding the fairing reduced wind noise even further. With four boats on the roof you couldn't hear any extra noise. The ONE thing I dislike is that you need to use the supplied Allen wrench to take the rack on and off the car. It's a small complaint, but other systems I've used in the past don't have them. I paid much less for this system than I would have if I purchased one of the aforementioned systems, but I'm really really satisfied with the product. We will see how well it holds up over long-term use, but it looks awesome!
# 12
Malone Stax Pro2 Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Clamp On
Needed a rack to haul my kayaks on my jeep patriot and this price was unbeatable. Works well, though I did not like using the foam blocks. Good first rack for new kayakers.
We needed a carrier solution that folded down easily because of our garage door height. The Malone Pro2 Kayak Carrier has performed flawlessly over the past year. The kayaks remain stable and never shift even at freeway speeds. The foam blocks fit our crossbar well and offered a rattle free ride, which is nice. The one drawback to this system is how difficult it can be to actually route the straps. Without a ladder, it can be nearly impossible to get the strap over the kayak and hooked into the carrier properly. After you find a system that works for you, it becomes easier but I still think that the stationary carriers are more user friendly in that regard.
# 13
Thule Compass Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Wry disappointed in such an expensive rack and kayak carrier. It is extremely difficult to reach the carrier to place two kayaks. We are very uncomfortable transporting the kayaks for longer and highway travel. I would not recommend these to others. We likely will purchase something other in the future. I’d rather put the kayak in a car or pickup truck that they would fit in.
We bought this Kayak rack for my mom to put on her 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee so her and my dad could haul their kayaks easier. The mounting hardware was a little tricky at first but once we figured it out, it wasn't bad at all. It holds the kayaks in place nicely. Had no issues with them getting loose or moving around. Seems to be built well and they're very happy with it so far.
# 14
Inno Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Post Style - Folding - Clamp On
We tried using this product for 2 average kayaks (each just under 50 lb). This is a nice system; however when loading two kayaks and using just two ropes and tie downs at each end, we found that both sets of pads had slid during transport (but never the ones with the pole). We also found we had a harder time getting the one kayak more towards the mid-line of the car. In the end, we kept this system (we stripped one of the screws on one of the pads likely from trying to over tighten it), and we use it for just one kayak and we bought another system, and we load a kayak from each side of the car. The pad does not slip with just one kayak. The system folds down nicely and the poles have an excellent tight fit. If I had a do-over, we should have kept the pole in the middle with pads on each side, each kayak with its own set of ropes and we may have had better success with this model.
I appreciated the helpful advice and service from Teresa with etrailer.com. Thank you.
# 15
Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
This product is excellent. I have transported my kayak on these J Hooks several times going 70+ mph down the highway. It never moves. The bolts that come with it are short. If you have a thick roof rack, you will need longer stainless steel bolts. Make sure you you orient the blue straps with the buckle on top so you can pull down to tighten it up.
I think the Thule Hulaport kayak racks are the best, most secure way to transport your kayaks. I had these on my Xterra and hauled two kayaks up to Cape Bretton park in Nova Scotia, Canada from Connecticut, USA no problem. We were even able to store gear in the kayaks for the trip. I’m so excited to have them for my Crosstrek. Highly recommend these!
# 16
Rhino-Rack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
These work great and I was able to install them on the OEM rack for my truck. The only downside is that the threads for the clamp hang down a little too close to the roof for comfort.
The Rhino-Rack 2 Kayak Carrier I ordered from etrailer was easily reviewed and ordered from their website and ALL communication relative to order confirmation and extreme detail included in their tracking was nothing short of phenomenal! The items were packaged with care and arrived intact. These fit our basic Lexus crossbars and is the perfect product for carrying our two (2) kayaks. My hat goes off to the great folks at etrailer -- It doesn't get any better than this!!!
# 17
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Roof Rack and Lift Assist w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Universal Mount
Bought a pair of these to go on 59" rhino rack bars on our Outback Wilderness and am really pleased. I left the bars full width - they are not a head banger on the car - and mounted the Hullavators as far outboard as possible which means the kayaks clear the side of the car and wing mirrors without folding them in. I did have to modify one Hullavator to make the Hobie Lynx fit (36" wide Lynx = 36" max Hullavator width)
2018 Ram 2500, wanted a way to travel with 2 sit on top kayaks, With my wife and i in our late 60's it was taking a LONG tome to get the kayaks on the roof of the bed cover. With these i can do it with a short stool. Also carrying the kayaks upside down keeps the top cleaner and stops the water from getting trapped in the kayak (and raining down on me when I unload them).
# 18
etrailer Kayak Carrier w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Folding - Clamp On
Brought home a new kayak yesterday using this J cradle for the first time. Easy to set up and load. Two complaints: not impressed with the strap buckles - had to tie knots to secure. And the 3-inch bolts weren’t long enough to easily attach the cradle to my Rhino Rack crossbars, so I had to replace them. Also got my finger pinched pretty good adjusting the cradle knobs - my fault for not being more careful, but just saying …
Great product for the price - The cradles were very easy to mount (and lay flat once folded). The videos were helpful in showing how to set the straps in the most efficient way. I test-drove my car today with my fishing kayak on top on a 80-mile round trip (a mix of freeway, country road and dirt tracks). The kayak was perfectly still, no particular wind noise and I was able to muscle to kayak up the roof and take it down on my own (it's a 52 lbs boat). I really recommend that product and I'm glad I went for J-Style cradles!
# 19
Swagman Contour Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
The product is of good construction but probably due to how it fits on my crossbars it needs additional support. The crossbars for my Honda Pilot are wide blade type and these racks seem more appropriate for narrower square type crossbars. Even with the rack fastened very tightly, the rack can twist back and forth. Last year on a trip across Montana the wind was pretty gusty and it caused the front one to pivot quite a bit and we had to pull off and apply a ratcheting strap over the kayak and under the factory rails to ensure it was held tight and wouldn't move again. This year on the same trip we had bad winds but had a roof rack mounted behind these racks giving it support on the tall side. We had to strap it real good to make sure it didn't move. If we hadn't had that additional support behind it and add'l straps we probably would have had more problems. I think if the top metal bracket had a wider channel to fit our crossbars it would be much more stable. The way it is now it just sandwiches 2 metal plates between my crossbar which allows it to pivot under stress.
Loved the racks, seem very durable. Only downside was that the groove made for the crossbeam was quite a bit smaller than my crossbeams, but they still secured down great. You'd have to have a pretty funky set-up for these racks to not work on your vehicle. Having all the straps/tie-downs included was awesome too. Reccomend!
# 20
Lockrack Adjustable XL Watersport Carrier - Canoe, Kayak, or 2 SUPs - Side Loading - Universal Mount
The keys are an issue (wish they were metal), but everything else is great! I go sunrise kayaking only and hate putting straps on with cold hands at 3:30 in the morning. I have a Nissan Pathfinder and was able to put this on with another set of Malone J-hooks so that I can have a second kayak when I go with someone. Once the fear subsides of it possibly falling off, you realize how quick and easy this thing is to use. It takes me 1 minute instead of 9-18 minutes to get my kayak up and secure. I have tested it at 75mph without any jiggling or issues. I sat on this in my shopping cart forever and finally pulled the trigger. If you kayak at least 10 times a year or are going at high speeds for extended periods of time in warm weather, totally worth it. If not, well, there are cheaper options out there.
Rec'd earlier this week, so today i will install. The item was obviously a return. The logos are nearly scratched off in places, all the items were loosely thrown in the box, and the 10mm wrench and hex key were missing. i think everything else is there. The keys should be a bright color instead of black, some spray paint will fix that. Anyhoo, i am a little disappointed.
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