# 1
The MPG346 will work perfect! I am too old to lift this 13.5 ft kayak on my car so this will absolutely take the "work" out of my "play". Picture is of the kayak on my car. The cross rails and saddles were purchased thru etrailer.com. Great service, on time, great products. It will also free up some floor space when the kayak comes home for the winter.
I purchased this to hang my 12 foot kayak up in a place that would keep it out of harms way, but would be easy to load onto my vehicle. Installation went very smoothly... Except, the brackets are designed assuming the support structure (rafter or truss) will run the length of your kayak. Mine run across the kayak from side to side. It was not a problem for me since my rafters are exposed. I installed a couple of short 2X8 blocks between the rafters and attached the brackets to the blocks. If I was installing inside a garage with sheetrock I would not have been able to mount and use this product. I am impressed with the appearance of the system, it seems to be well built. Hoisting my 80 pound kayak 8 feet in the air with the system was not too difficult, but did require a bit of effort. I am pleased with my purchase.
# 2
Malone DownLoader Kayak Roof Rack w/ Lift Assist and Tie-Downs - J-Style - Clamp On
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.
About a year ago, I purchased one set of the Malone Downloader w/Lift Assist (MPG114MD-351XL) and second set of Downloader J-Style Folding Racks (MPG114MD) for use on a 2014 Subaru Outback with standard Subaru roof racks. I had no issue with installation and use of any of the parts using the enclosed instructions and online videos. Everything seems to fit properly and securely; no broken, unusable, or missing parts. Over the past year we've use the racks extensively for our 10.5 ft recreational kayaks on both short local trips and longer highway trips. We augmented the roof racks with T-handle hood and tailgate tie-downs and some locally purchased camlock tie-down cords. Everything working great with 10's of racking/unracking episodes. We've only used the Lift Assist maybe 1 of 10 trips when there's only a single person lifting, so can't provide as much feedback. However, the Lift Assist does work exactly as advertised and we're happy with the results. In addition, the friendly and well-informed folks at etrailer.com were a huge help with answering tech questions. Well done!
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