Most Popular J-Style for 2017 Ford Edge

Just installed it. So far so good. Ran 2 bike cables side to side with 4 pad locks to secure it for the summer,

Sturdy cradle and easy to install. Difficult to keep tie down strap looped over top of "U" bar while trying to get it over the kayak, keeps slipping down. We made a channel out of foam to keep the strap in place and now it is easy.

I recently made a 4 hour trip home after picking up a new kayak while using the following equipment for the first time: Thule Xsporter Pro Truck Bed Ladder Rack, Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Carrier w/Tie-Downs - J-Style, Thule Watersports Adapter for Aeroblade/Aeroblade Edge Bars and Thule Bow/Stern Tie-Downs. I'm impressed with the performance of all of those components.

Easy to use and kayaks for secure.

This is mostly a great boat rack. I have an 11' kayak and the rack carries it nicely under most conditions. I upgraded my set to include the locking device, and I highly recommend it. My one gripe with this setup is that sitting a boat on its edge presents a big face to the wind, which can be very problematic with the wind gusts get high. It can, in fact, get very scary. I recently took a long road trip in the SW, and found myself crossing the highway that runs along Hoover Dam. There are permanent wind warning signs posted there, and the day I went across, the gusts were howling. I drive a Honda Element, which already has a high profile, and I seriously thought I was going to get blown off the road. I ended up taking the first exit I got to and, in that howling wind, had to pull my kayak down, remove the j-rack, and strap my boat to the crossbars, top down, to reduce the profile. I could have done that without spending the money for this rack...

Yakima JayLow Watersport Carrier; I found the carrier to perform as advertised, no surprises. Installation was simple and it easily attached to the factory roof rack on my 2009 Toyota Rav 4. The 45 degree angle on the lower edge of the carrier, enabled us to slide the leading side of our kayaks into the cradle with less effort. Small issue; It took several attempts to find the best position in which to secure the adjustable brackets, (to reduce wind noise), when not in use.

On my second attempt to find a carrying rack for a Pelican Mustang 100x recreational/fishing kayak, I took great care seeking out a rack that would provide at least six contact points for the boat. The kicker is trying to get good contact points to securely cradle the shape of the Mustang 100x "twin arched multi chine hull" while also cradling the edge of the deck. Delta kayaks calls a similarly shaped hull a "fusion hull". After doing a ton of google advanced searches for images for a racked up Mustang kayak model, I concluded a J-Style carrier seemed to be a secure solution. The etrailer J-Style - Folding carrier has solved the equation, and for a very reasonable price. Paired with a Sherpa Boat Roller, my 5' 4" wife can load and un-load her Mustang 100x kayak on her own for her afternoon paddles on nearby waterways. Now she needs a cockpit cover to keep out the rain, and her carrying system is complete. And etrailer made it an easy return of the first rack system I tried. Thanks etrailer!

We purchased the carrier for our 2011 Sienna to add to our factory installed roof rack. My 15 year old and I manage using it all the time with no issues. We’ve put both our double and our single kayaks up top with no issues. We leave our rack on all the time and have noticed some sun damage to the foam and plastic, so will it last forever in the TX heat? Probably not, but for the price and ease of use, I’d gladly buy another in a few years. Thank you. I reference the YouTube video whenever I forget exactly how the toe downs go, it’s so helpful. Happy customer.

These work great! They fit well with my Brightlines Aero Rack where others did not. Super Good quality and super easy to install, I was surprised on the quality. I gave it 4 Stars because they sort of shift to the side if I put alot of pressure, however once the weight of the kayaks get on it, I don’t think it will be any problem.

The carrier seems to be of good quality but I couldn't install it when I got it because the M6 bolts that came with it we too short. Two different lengths came with it but even the long ones were too short for my new Rhino Areo cross bars.

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.

High quality materials, great design and the directions to install were excellent. The design of the product is great, I can now carry both of my kayaks on my car. And I have the advantage of carrying them two different ways. I love this pro

The Malone DownLoader is very good value for the money. The J-style cradle is nice when you have to muscle a kayak on top of a tall crossover or SUV. You can hook the edge of the cockpit onto the base of the cradle and flip the kayak up onto the metal hoop support. Carrier installation and removal is easy and doesn't require any tools. Materials are good, but not great and that's what prevents this product from getting 5 stars IMO. The foam padding is nice enough and has been durable, but the metal plate that attaches the carrier to the roof rails is plastic coated steel and the plastic cracks over time, and leads to rust on the steel plate beneath. Not a big deal, but it might compromise the plate over time. I also wish that the provided nylon straps were longer, and that the ratchet buckles were covered in rubber to protect the roof of the vehicle and the windshield when you're trying to get them around the hull of the boat. We quickly replaced these with longer aftermarket straps that have rubber covers over the buckles. Those minor points aside, the Malone DownLoader kayak carrier gets the job done easily and safely, and does so at a very affordable price point.

These kayak J-style racks worked great, AFTER I went to the hardware store and spent $20 on bolts that actually fit my truck rack. It comes with 2-5/8” mounting bolts that aren’t adequate for a heavy truck rack ( mines a Best.Wyle). I had to buy 4” bolts, lock washers, and nuts). I also wish the locking teeth were mitered instead of square. That would make them less prone to breaking and easier to align.

Jeep wangler 2024 4xe with skyone touch top .Amazing the setup for my fishing kayak 12 feet. Everyone was looking at my setup on the road , and it was secure. Big thx to Kurt w & Paul B to recomand this kayak setup 10/10 www.Etrailer.com

I can't lift my kayak onto my roof rack like I could when I was younger. This looked like a perfect answer to keep me actively using my kayak. It is simple to use, but it does take some strength as you have to lift your kayak onto the loader and must lift the kayak up onto the roof rack as it only loads to just before the top, so keep that in mind. The legs need to be about 6" - 8" longer as mine don't touch the ground at the connectors. I can only reach the ground with them lowered to where they are almost out of the holder. They also touch the Jeep, so I am going to have to carry something to fit between the loader and the Jeep to prevent scratching the door paint. I think if the legs were longer and they fit with both the holder/connectors then I think they might not touch the Jeep. I would have given 5 stars if the legs were long enough. It works with both my moulded J rack and my fold down J rack. It works with both style of kayaks, rounded and straight hulls.

Good quality materials and easy to install - and uninstall. Two changes would give this product 5 stars: Some type of strap holder at the top of the back rack would make it easier to strap down the kayaks and some type of security lock so someone doesn't borrow your new racks while you are out kayaking. One unique thing to remember for the 2017 Toyota RAV4: the back OEM cross bar is about 3" shorter than the front cross bar - this takes some adjustments for the placement of the racks to fit 2 kayaks and still open the rear hatch.

Used them a couple times and they are performing as expected. I have to mount the kayaks a little forward to clear the 5-er, but they road well at 65 mph into a head wind. Yes, bow straps are used.