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# 1
Thule Hull-A-Port Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
While the quality & construction of the Thule Hull-a-port 834 kayak racks are excellent, I did have some issues with the method recommended for attaching them to my Thule Wingbar Evo bars. Although I was told the components were compatible, I was not told that an adapter kit was required which involved attaching each section with 36 small parts (bolts, nuts, washers, etc). Nothing rapid about this. The good news was, etrailer's customer service was excellent, and they arranged for me to return the kayak rack & purchase the Hull-a-port XT 848 instead.
Arrived quickly and was very easy to assemble and attach to the roof of my Jeep. Now that I have the initial setup complete with the proper placement of the entire system, attaching and removing the kayaks will be a breeze. Will definitely make hauling our kayaks much easier and safer.
# 2
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!
# 3
Rhino-Rack Kayak Roof Rack w/ Tie-Downs - J-Style - Fixed - Clamp On
This is a great investment! My husband and I go kayaking a lot and we both have Priuses so not so conducive to kayaking. I bought this for my husband's 2012 Prius and the J hooks to go with it and it hold both of our 10 ft kayacks with no problems.
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!
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