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Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading
(5 reviews)
Price: $659.95
In Stock
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading
Item # TH898
Our Price: $659.95
This item qualifies for Free Shipping
- Kayak
- Roof Mount Carrier
- Thule
- Saddle-Style
- Aero Bars
- Factory Bars
- Round Bars
- Square Bars
- Elliptical Bars
- Side Loading
- Track Mount
- Clamp On - Standard
- Load Assist
- Locks Not Included
- All Info
- Reviews (5)
- Q & A (254)
- Videos (1)
- Photos
- Why etrailer?
Thule Watersport Carriers - TH898
This carrier with built-in lift assist takes the strain out of loading a kayak onto your roof rack. Arms with gas struts let you load and tie down kayak at waist level, then easily lift it onto your roof. Tie-downs included. Mounts to most crossbars.
Features:
- Kayak carrier with lift assist makes it easy to load a boat onto your roof from the side of your vehicle
- Allows you to load and tie down your boat at waist level - no need to reach top of vehicle to secure boat to carrier
- Eliminates the strain of lifting boat over your head to load
- Folding arms with gas struts reduce strain of loading your boat from the side of your vehicle
- Adjustable cradles accommodate your boat's hull
- Top arms slide along a built-in track and tighten down with wing nuts
- Closed cell foam padding on cradle arms protects your boat and vehicle from scuffs and scratches
- 2 Tie-down straps with padded buckles secure your boat to the carrier
- Sturdy steel construction
- E-coat and aluminum-colored powder coat finish resist corrosion
- No-drill installation onto most roof rack crossbars
- Clamp on bars or mount in crossbar channels
- Lockable with 2 One-Key System cylinders (sold separately)
Specs:
- Application: round, square, aero, elliptical, and most crossbars with top channels
- Minimum crossbar spread: 24"
- Requires approximately 31" of load bar space
- Carrying capacity: 1 kayak
- Maximum kayak width: 36"
- Weight capacity: 75 lbs
- Carrier weight: 39.7 lbs
- Limited lifetime warranty
Note: Your vehicle's roof must have a load capacity of at least 130 lbs to use the Hullavator.
The Hullavator Pro gives your back and shoulders some relief as it helps you lift your boat onto your vehicle's roof rack. And you won't need to stand on your running boards or a step stool to position and tie down your boat. This carrier with lift assist comes down along the side of your vehicle so that you can load your boat and strap it to the carrier at waist height. The arms of the cradle adjust to accommodate your boat's hull, and padding helps protect your boat from getting scratched. Folding arms with gas struts deliver your boat in the cradles up onto your roof for transport.
Installation onto Existing Crossbars
The Hullavator Pro installs on top of your existing crossbars. This system mounts onto square and round roof rack crossbars with included hardware, and it slides into the channels of AeroBlade crossbars. To ensure there is sufficient clearance between your vehicle and the Hullavator when it is lowered, your crossbars must extend between 4" and 8" beyond the feet.
A pivot pin secures the arms of the carrier to the bar mount assembly and allows the rotation necessary to reel your kayak onto your roof rack.
Lift Assist with Gas Struts
Gas struts eliminate the majority of lifting required to mount your kayak onto your roof rack. Cradles roll out and down to a vertical position along the side of your vehicle so that you can load your kayak - cockpit out - into the carrier at waist height.
To lower the cradles, remove the release pins and squeeze the handles. The arms will unfold to lower the cradles down to the side of your vehicle.
To adjust the cradles, loosen the knobs and slide the upper arms of the cradle along the built-in track.
Squeeze the handles on both arms and lift your boat in the cradles straight up to roof height. The gas struts will assist you. Rotate your kayak onto the roof and gently lower the cradles onto the roof assembly. Pull the handles so that the arms snap into place for transport. Secure the Hullavator on the roof with the pin and clip.
You can add 2 One-Key System locks (sold separately) to secure the basket to your roof rack.
Padding and Tie-Downs
Tie-down straps with buckles are included for securing your kayak in the cradles. You can tie your boat down when it's at the side of your vehicle, so you don't have to reach up or throw the straps over the roof. Loop these straps through the arms of the cradles and around the hull of your boat. The straps have padded buckles that let you tighten the straps and secure your boat.
898 Thule Hullavator Pro - Lift Assist Kayak Carrier
Installation Details 
Video of Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Video Transcript for Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist Review
Today, we're going to be taking a look at the Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs, part number TH898. The Thule Hullavator is a great product for helping you lift your kayak up on your vehicle without putting any additional strain on your back. It uses gas struts to help you lift it up, enabling you to actually put this onto your rack, and it helps you lift this or take it back down. Since it loads to the side, it gives you the advantage of tying this down at waist level as opposed to trying to reach up over the roof. The two kayak cradles up at the top are adjustable to fit different-sized kayaks but can only fit a kayak up to 36 inches max. All tie-downs needed for the kayak are included with the kit. The cradles also have this closed cell foam padding, and this is going to make sure that your kayak doesn't get scratched up once it's installed.
This will be on both cradles. To adjust the cradles, you simply loosen up the wing nut here in the center, and that will enable you to move it to where you need it to be. Also at the ends here on both cradles, we have these spots here where you actually can put in the Thule lock core system, part number TH512, so once this installed, you can actually secure it to your roof as well. This is made from a solid-steel construction and coated with an aluminum-colored powder coat which will resist corrosion. This will fit round, square, aero, elliptical, and most factory crossbars. This fits around your crossbars by two ways; it either will clamp onto your crossbars, or like in this situation, it'll fit into the channels as well. Now that we've gone over some of the features of this, let's go ahead and show you how you load up a kayak. Now, before I lower the arms, I'm going to go ahead and fold in the side mirror if possible just to make sure that the kayak doesn't hit it while I'm trying to load it.
Next, I'll go ahead and fold out our arms. You come to the front here. It has this very convenient handle that you pull towards you, and you push the front end up and then pull it out, doing this slowly to make sure as you pull this out you don't hit the side of your car, till you hear the click. We'll do this with the other side as well. With our arms folded down, then we can go ahead and put our kayak in place, setting it down onto the arms. Now, when you place the kayak onto the arms, you want to make sure it's put on evenly as possible to distribute the weight.
Once we're satisfied with the placement of the kayak, we'll come to the inside here, loosen up these knobs, and push this pad up against this side of the hull. Then we'll go ahead and tighten it back up. We'll do the same for the other side. Next, we can start tightening the kayak to the actual rack. To do that, we have these straps here with the rubber ends. We'll take our one end and put it through the bottom loop, bring it around to the top, put that through as well.
Now, you want to make sure you go around the edge here; you don't want it over the actual cockpit. Go ahead and feed it through our cam buckle and tighten it down. Then we'll put our rubber protector over that so it doesn't scratch up the actual kayak. We'll repeat this for the other side as well and put our protector over it. Now we can tie up our excess. Now we're ready to go ahead and lift our kayak back up into the position on top of the vehicle. We'll come down, grab it by both handles, squeeze towards you, lift it up, and you're going to feel it helping you lift it back into position. Now once you get it up here, you want to make sure that you're holding onto it because you don't want it to slam back down into place. All right, now we'll go ahead and attach our bow and stern tie-downs. Our black strap here we'll wrap through our point at the top. Then we'll attach our carabiner to the other end. Then we'll attach this hook underneath the car to a tow hook or some other point. Then we'll pull this in till it's tight. We'll repeat this for the other side as well. Once you're satisfied with how tight it is, we'll go ahead and tie up the excess on both sides as well. There you have it for the Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist, part number TH898.
Customer Reviews
Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs - Side Loading - TH898
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (5 Customer Reviews)
This carrier with built-in lift assist takes the strain out of loading a kayak onto your roof rack. Arms with gas struts let you load and tie down kayak at waist level, then easily lift it onto your roof. Tie-downs included. Mounts to most crossbars.
- TH898
by: Paul01/31/2019
I absolutely love this carrier. I have an 80 lb sit on top kayak, and it was sometimes a struggle to get up on roof of vehicle. With this hullavator, it is a snap. Can’t recommend it enough. 601768
- TH898
by: Mike C06/05/2017
I Luv it. I used to think twice about going with my kayaks because of the pain of putting 2 kayaks on my jeep roof. I have a very heavy tandom kayak. Now with hullavator, its easy. And it holds them really secure on The Jeep. Well worth the investment. 389131
- TH898
by: Anthony12/05/2018
I installed the Hullavater on my 2002 Toyota Tacoma's canopy that has 2" tubular rails. I couldn't find any cross bars to fit so I custom made the cross bar from scrap square tubes. It also lowers the high by about 4" compared to stock cross bars. Assembly is simple. I went online to download the English version instruction instead of the one in the box. Installing the loaders on the base bars is just a simple one pivot pin each. It depends on your vehicle's high, I have to climb a little to line up the holes to pin them. Maybe after frequent use, I will perfect my method. I first installed the cross bars too close together. When I strapped the kayak down, it put tension on one of the carriers made it difficult to snap lock in place. Realigned the cross bars, now it works as design. One down side is they sit very tall on top of my truck so I have to install them outside and remember to remove them before I back into my garage. I wish they can be folded down. I would give them a five stars. I read some complains about the bases get rusted easy. I sprayed them with rubber paint before I installed them. So far they look ok under Seattle sky. Although they are a little pricey, I really like that I don't have to climb up to strap my kayak not to mention it is easy on my back when load and unloading. 588481
- TH898
by: Sarah07/24/2018
The Hullavator Pro works like a charm! It allows us to put our 15' touring boats on top of the Jeep easily, and has turned a two-person job into a one-person job. The staff at e-trailer were wonderful too! They answered all our questions, did a price match, and got our Hullavator out to us in a timely manner. I highly recommend this company. We have made multiple purchases from them within the last two years, and all of our experiences have been great. 545331
- TH898
BobG - 12/03/2017
31399
Rachael H - 12/4/2017
by: BobG12/03/2016
The carrier requires a lot of assembly. The written instructions were not the best. It would have been nice to see an installation video. It installed without any problems. It is a little tricky installing and removing it to the fixed mount and installing the pin. Once I realized there was a bar to hook the carrier onto while installing the pin I was fine. As with most Thule products the quality is good. It would have been nice to have the locks included considering the price. 321832
Comments
The Hullavator has worked very well. I just purchased a second one so I can carry two kayaks.
BobG - 12/03/201731399
Thanks for the follow up Bob G. I would like to caution you to make sure that the roof of your vehicle and the crossbar system that you are using will adequately support the weight an additional Hullavator and your boat.
--
Rachael H - 12/4/20175
5
Ask the Experts about this Thule Watersport Carriers
Do you have a question about this Watersport Carrier?
- Load Assisted Kayak Carriers for 2019 Honda Pilot for 2 Kayaks
- The Thule Hullavator Kayak Carriers # TH898 weigh 40-lbs each by themselves so the two empty carriers alone will consume half of the Pilot's rated 165-lb roof capacity. While there are some lightweight kayaks out there most weigh 40-lbs or more apiece.
Apart from the weight concern there is the matter of space; each Hullavator requires 31-inches of space on the crossbars so the Pilot would have to be fitted with very long bars. Even the longest aftermarket roof rack bars made for your...
view full answer... - Will Thule Hullavator Fit a Yakima Roof Rack on a 2018 Subaru Outback
- The Thule Hullavator, # TH898, will fit on a Yakima roof rack so if you like the spacing and looks of the Yakima racks you can certainly go that route for your 2018 Subaru Outback.
With the Hullavator the roof rack crossbars need to stick out past the mounting feet by at least 4 inches. What this means you will need to use longer bars than what would normally be recommended for the vehicle.
If you go with a round bar system then you will need the following parts:
Crossbars # Y00409
SkyLine...
view full answer... - Thule Roof Rack Recommendation for 2019 Subaru Forester to Use Thule Hullavator
- I checked with Thule and the recommended Wingbar Evo roof rack for your 2019 Subaru Forester will allow you to use the assisted Hullavator part # TH898 consists of the part numbers # TH711220 and # TH710401. This gives you a roof rack with a crossbar length of 47 inches which is long enough for the Hullavator to fit and work well.
I attached an install video and a picture that shows this rack installed on a similar 2019 Forester as yours.
view full answer... - Will Rhino Vortex Roof Rack Work With Thule Pro Hullavator
- I checked on the dimensions and the Rhino Vortex Aero Bar Roof Rack for your 2015 Toyota Highlander with flush mounted rails should work with the Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier, Item # TH898. You will need to check and make sure you have sufficient clearance between your vehicle and the Hullavator when it is lowered which means your crossbars on the Hullavator loading side must extend 4 inches to 8 inches beyond the feet (see picture). You will also need to check and make sure that...
view full answer... - Thule Roof Rack to Fit a 2018 Ford Edge with a Glass Roof to Carry a Kayak with the Hullavator Pro
- We have a couple of Thule roof rack systems that fit a 2018 Ford Edge with a glass roof as long as it has flush mounted side rails. If the Edge has a naked roof then there isn't a compatible Thule rack. For an aero bar rack use the 47 inch WingBars, part # TH711200 for silver or # TH711220 for black, the Podium Foot Pack # TH460R, and Fit Kit # THKIT4047. Or for square crossbars use # TH712200 with the same foot pack and fit kit.
If the Edge has a naked roof there are other racks...
view full answer... - Lock Recommendation for Locking Thule Hullavator to Thule Aeroblade Roof Rack
- To lock the Thule Hullavator part # TH898 to your Thule Aeroblade roof rack you'd need the # TH450400.
This comes with four matching lock cores. Two that you'd install in the Hullavator and two that you'd install in the roof rack to lock it to the vehicle.
view full answer... - Does Thule Hullavator TH897XT Require Adapter to Use With AeroBlade Load Bars on 2011 Audi Q5?
- No type of adapter will be necessary to use the Thule Hullavator TH897XT, or the newer model # TH898 with AeroBlade Load Bars, as they will fit into the channels of those bars.
For your 2011 Audi Q5 you can install the Thule WingBar Crossbars # TH711220 (Black) or # TH711200 (Silver) with a couple of other parts. You will also need the Thule Podium Foot Pack for Aero Bars # TH460R and Thule Fit Kit # THKIT4002.
I also strongly recommend using the Thule One-Key System Lock Cylinders...
view full answer... - Will The Thule Hullavator Pro Work With The Yakima CoreBar Crossbars
- The Thule Hullavator Pro Kayak Carrier and Lift Assist with Tie-Downs part # TH898 is not supposed to work with the Yakima CoreBar Crossbars but we have been able to make it fit with the Mounting Kit part # TH7520970001.
view full answer... - Roof Rack for 2019 Subaru Outback with Stowable Rack System to Carry Hullavator and Hull-a-Port
- The 47 inch bar would definitely not work for two Hullavators; thanks for calling that to our attention and that information has been edited. You would need crossbars that are a minimum of 62 inches for a pair of Hullavators.
view full answer... - Roof Rack and Kayak Carriers with Side Loading Assist To Carry 4 Kayaks On 2019 Chevrolet Traverse
- I can help you carry 3 kayaks on the roof of the 2019 Chevrolet Traverse.
If your Chevy Traverse has factory installed rails that run front to back, I recommend Yakima Roof rack with JetStream Crossbars part # Y00426 and TimberLine Towers part # Y00147. The Timberline towers are designed to the fit the factory rails on the Traverse and the aluminum bars are aerodynamic bars that cut down on wind noise.
If your Chevy Traverse has a naked roof, I recommend the same bars part # Y00426...
view full answer... - Can Thule Hullavator Be Used on 2019 Subaru Outback Wagon with Factory Roof Rack
- I do have a way for you to be able to use the Thule Hullavator Kayak Carrier # TH898 on your 2019 Subaru Outback, however as you mentioned in your question you won't be able to attach the carrier using the factory roof rack on the vehicle. This is simply because The Hullavator requires that the roof rack crossbars extend past the feet at least 4 inches so that there is the necessary clearance between the carrier and the vehicle. Since the factory crossbars are flush with the feet/side rails,...
view full answer...
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Info for this part was:
Expert Research:
Michael L
Installed by:
Zack K
Video by:
Andrew K
Edited by:
Tyler C
Expert Research:
Michael H
Expert Research:
Jameson C
Expert Research:
Adam R
Updated by:
Laura H
Video Edited:
Dustin K
Updated by:
Rachael H
Expert Research:
Jeffrey L
Photos by:
Sam P
Written by:
Lisa S
Video by:
Chris R
Updated by:
Sarah W
Updated by:
Matthew S
Updated by:
Daron K
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