# 1
Swagman Tajo Wall Mounted Kayak Rack
Simple, clean, and serves purpose well. Easy placement on stucco/block wall with Tapcon (3/16" x 2 1/4") screws.
Ordering was very easy and I really like the fact that I had reviews from others "with pictures". That helped me tremendously. The items came within 2 days (WOW). I didn't expect that. They are exactly like show and I will be installing them today. I don't expect any problems. (update after installation) I have now installed and I would have given a rating of Excellent, but I did not because of 1 problem I had. The screws that come with the product are soooo cheap that they all began to strip out as I installed them. And yes I was using the right Phillips head bit and I even had my drill set to stop if it hit resistance. The Phillips head has very small cross threads. If you look at the pics you'll see what I mean. This Phillips head is too small of threads for a larger 2" screw like this. As such, I ended up having to spend $20 on a screw extraction product (Grabit drill extraction) to get 1 of them out. I since replaced all these crappy screws with ones with better heads that are made of actual metal, not paper-mache that looks like metal. By the way, the Grabit screw extraction tool works great... Now that they're up, they look great and do perform exactly like I expected. I would definitely recommend these...
# 2
Swagman Exo Aero Rooftop Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - Saddle Style - Clamp On
Works well for me. As other reviews have mentioned, the rubber pad is quite grippy which makes it hard to slide a boat once it is on the racks. However, that grippiness also means the boat stays put and it doesn't take much strap tension to lock things in place. This rack eliminates any concerns of the boat twisting from wind even without bow or stern lines.
I have (2) Wilderness Systems Pungo 120 kayaks and was looking for something better that the cheap J-Shape kayak holders that I purchased elsewhere. Unless you are tall enough to lift the kayaks and install them from the side, the loading of a kayak on it's side is unwieldy and somewhat frustrating to keep the kayak from flipping to a horizontal position. I am using the factory racks with crossbars on my 2006 Toyota Highlander. I was looking for a solution that would allow me to load 2 kayaks with the keel down. Using a large bath mat to protect the paint I was able to load the kayak by myself and I am 5'6". The one thing that they could improve is that the rubber pads on the wings are very tacky. Once that you set the kayak onto the wings, the kayak will not move back and forth. You will find it very hard to move the kayak front to back once it is set in the cradle. This is a good thing since the kayak could slide off should a strap fail. The Pungo 120 has multiple angles so the contact with the wings are very minimal. The rubber does keep it in place before strapping them down. Once you load the kayak onto the wings, it will stay where it is.. it is a kind of a struggle to move the kayak.. a solution is to throw large beach towel on the wings before loading your kayak and you can position the kayak with ease. Once you have centered your kayak, lift the kayak one end at a time and remove the towel. Bow and stern tie downs are necessary to completely secure your kayak. The wings are 28" across and will rise 6" above your crossbars that you attache them to.
What our customers are saying:
"WOW! I am impressed! I called to place my order and real person answered, spoke perfect English, albeit a slight southern accent, and my order was sent within a day, shipped quickly and I had it a few days later. I saved over a hundred dollars over local and installed it my self. I cant imagine how that they could do any better. THANKS!"