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Is this right for you? Product Expert Kathleen M says:
This J-style kayak carrier allows you to transport 1 kayak safely and securely on your roof rack. The space-saving cradle system mounts to most crossbar styles and folds down for storage. Includes padded anchors and tie-down straps.
Features:
Specs:
The arms on this J-style kayak carrier are adjustable to fit a variety of boats. There are 2 levers, 1 on the outside of each arm, that are used to adjust the carrier. Depending on the size of your kayak's hull, simply rotate both of the side levers forward and pivot the arm to the appropriate angle to ensure that your boat sits properly in the cradle. Then rotate the levers back to lock the arm into place.
When the carrier is not in use, the upright arms fold down flat and out of the way. Again, simply rotate both side levers forward, pull the arm down so it's parallel with your roof racks crossbars, and then rotate the levers back to lock the arm into place. When in the folded position, the carrier extends just 4-5/8" from the top of your roof rack's crossbars.
The 2 included load straps secure your kayak to your vehicle's roof rack. Run each strap underneath the carrier arm, around the hull of your boat, down through the cradle and underneath the roof rack crossbar. Then pull the strap back up and through the integrated cam buckle. Use the buckle to tighten the strap and secure your boat. Each strap includes a padded sleeve that slides over the cam buckle to ensure that it won't scratch or damage your kayak or your vehicle.
Unlike many other kayak carriers on the market, which typically use metal S-hooks as anchors, this unit includes padded hood and trunk anchor points to secure the bow and stern of your kayak. Not only does this make for a quick and easy setup because you don't need to search for a safe place to secure a hook, but it also ensures that your vehicle's paint job remains intact. Tying down your boat's bow and stern helps to prevent the boat from shifting forward or backward during transport.
Simply open the hood of your vehicle, insert the padded anchor point, and close the hood. Then attach the strap to the bow of your kayak. Use the ratchet pulley to easily adjust the tension of the strap. Repeat this process at the rear of your vehicle by anchoring the strap in your trunk and attaching the other end to the stern of your boat.
Installation is quick and easy and doesn't require any tools. The included mounting clamps fit round, square, aero/elliptical, and most factory crossbars. First, position the cradles so that they are lined up correctly and are sitting at least 24" apart. Then slide the mounting clamps underneath your roof rack's crossbars and attach them to the cradles with the included screws. Use the included hand knobs to easily tighten and secure the clamps around your crossbars.
Average Customer Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars (69 Customer Reviews)
This J-style kayak carrier allows you to transport 1 kayak safely and securely on your roof rack. The space-saving cradle system mounts to most crossbar styles and folds down for storage. Includes padded anchors and tie-down straps.Great product for the price - The cradles were very easy to mount (and lay flat once folded). The videos were helpful in showing how to set the straps in the most efficient way. I test-drove my car today with my fishing kayak on top on a 80-mile round trip (a mix of freeway, country road and dirt tracks). The kayak was perfectly still, no particular wind noise and I was able to muscle to kayak up the roof and take it down on my own (it's a 52 lbs boat). I really recommend that product and I'm glad I went for J-Style cradles!
Pierre D - 06/24/2020
These kayak carriers work very well, plus the manufacturer includes the straps. The racks fold down, so my Tacoma fits in garage. They were in the sun for 3 months and thick foam padding is holding up very well. I traveled them 5,000 miles with no problems. They are attached to a round crossbar on my Yakima rack.
Victoria B - 04/21/2020Ok... It's the middle of winter in Colorado, but I'm getting ready to put the kayaks in the water. Shipping time... Great! Three days. Packaged perfectly. Mounted easily. Mounted the kayaks. The only hard thing was putting the strap around the back of the bracket. A stepladder will need to go with me to the water! I drove around to make sure all was secure. Perfect! 60 plus mph.... All is fine. Nice to have the front and rear tiedowns included. All hardware is heavy duty, and well supported by my stock Outback racks. Need to take them for a trip to the mountains! (After the snow clears out...) .
Victoria B - 02/26/2020These j-style foldable kayak carriers are an excellent value for the money. Although I have some concern on the durability of the plastic over many fold and open cycles, so far, so good. The included straps and tie downs were a great added bonus that keeps us from crawling under car to look for a tie location. Also, two thumbs up to the excellent videos on the etrailer site for both reviews and how-tos.
I was about to spend over $500 on Thule roof carriers for two kayaks, and I wasn't even going to have all the necessary straps or a way to attach them to our Subaru Crosstrek. Then I saw this etrailer alternative, and I'm so happy I did. Each set comes with everything you need to secure a kayak to existing roof rack bars, and installation is super easy. I bought two and saved at least $300 and a lot of hassle. We were able to transport the two kayaks from Seattle to our cabin no problem, driving upwards of 60-70 mph through a bit of rain and wind.
This is the second set of this carrier that I've bought. Having a need to transport 2 kayaks now, buying this again was a no-brainer. The original set have stayed on tight and held up well through this year (11.5 ft / 65lb kayak) and the price point is fantastic. Installation was super easy. Took about 20 minutes after work in fading light. I believe the newer set has longer bolts than the earlier set so that upgrade was very much appreciated. Looking forward to see how they both do at the same time on a much longer transport this weekend.
Great kayak rack. Used it a few times to get to my local lake and had no problems. The kayaks feel safe and secure. Really like how the racks can fold down when not in use.
Easy to assemble on the Yakima trailer. Have not yet had the kayaks on the trailer or on the road, but pleased with the easy installation. Product appeared a bit pricey but now appears worth the price.
Jim - 07/10/2020I purchased two etrailer J-Style Kayak Carriers. I have used them on and off through out the year. Easy to setup on to the stock Kia elliptical crossbars. What is extremely nice about this carrier is all the straps are included. They are easy to use and if your not sure how to attach youtube has many videos about strapping your kayak. The only problem with the straps is the excess length. I tried to wrap, roll, and tie but the wind manages to uncoil. So I wrap up then use a little duct tape to secure. My first trip using the carrier was a 3 hour trip with some heavy crosswinds. Nerve-racking but the kayaks remained secured. Solid rack and convenient with everyhting included.
Victoria B - 02/26/2020Easy enough to put on the roof rack, but not reliable. With wind they untighten and become loose. I wouldn’t get this again.
Fits great on my 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. Great quality product and the straps are a bonus! This is the third car we’ve outfitted from this company and I can’t say enough good things. The car looks awesome with my 2 vapor 10 kayaks on top!
Regina - 07/20/2020Easy to install and remove. I ordered 2 and works well for both our 14-foot. and 10-foot kayaks. Padding is good on the bars and folding option a must. Having the straps to include both hood and trunk/rear hatch mounts is a nice addition as it keeps you from having to order these separately. There is some noise from wind as should be expected.
Thank you etrailer! This is exactly what I was looking for. Perfect addition, just in time for summer fun!
Fantastic carrier. Very sturdy and easy to set up.
Good product,very easy to install.
Myles D - 02/13/2020I don’t typically do reviews. But I really love these racks, and I also have a disappointment. The straps really do not match the super quality of the racks. The racks are wonderful and these straps (albeit with the awesome neoprene buckle covers) aren’t reliable. The bow and stern straps worked great. But if your slack isn’t either cut shorter or not tied off correctly you’re gonna have issues. Bottom line definitely get them, and just know you might have to use a regular ratchet strap or invest in better friction style straps, which is what they provide and usually do work. Thanks for listening lol
I've had 2 sets of these carriers for a year now. I've carried my 2 kayaks on several occasions with them. They are secure, steady and well made. They come with all the straps and hardware needed to carry your boat. A nice feature is that they have these little pockets made on to the straps to secure the extra length when you are using them which eliminates the loose ends from being blown around while driving. The folding feature is also great. I mount the carriers on my roof rack and make all the adjustments needed just one time. I can keep them up there for the entire season without having to fuss with them every time I want to take a boat out. I can use one or both of the carriers at any time. The price looks like its more than other sets but it really isn't because, as I said, they come with everything you need AND they fold down when not in use. I realy do like these carriers.
This is a phenomenal kayak rack kit. It went on my Thule Aero bars easily and holds my 12' kayak very securely. It's great that it comes with the extra straps with the hood anchors to secure the front and back. The flip down feature makes it a lot easier to get the straps on. Best value without giving up any quality.
These products were easy to install and are highly recommended. The service from etrailer, as always, was excellent
Works well for a regular kayak, didn’t handle my 35” wide 75lb sit on top fishing kayak well at ALL. After one use, the teeth on the mechanism didn’t line up anymore. I had to start carrying my kayak flat on my bars, which I had to extend by 11” to accommodate two kayaks. There’s nothing wrong with these but if you’re carrying a big sit on top, find a different solution.
I have a Mazda CX-5 with the factory aero-crossbars and they are too thin for the bracket. I was able to make it work by moving it all the way to the outside and have it clamp-onto the plastic bracket that holds the crossbar on the rail. I may try straightening the supplied bracket that goes under the crossbar. But, to their credit, it does list a minimum crossbar thickness. Other than this, I really like the mounts.
The etrailer J-Mounts I ordered were shipped and at my doorstep within a few days. The J-mounts were easy to install and product is well made (just as advertised). I have used etrailer in the past because there product reviews and how to install videos really help selecting the right type of equipment for my specific vehicle. I will use etrailer again. Happy customer, 5 stars, thank you !!
Hitch fit as expected and was easy to i nstall
Incredibly fast shipping! Ordered Thursday, delivered on Saturday. Everything needed is included in the kit and fits on my Subaru Forester perfectly. Easy install and very secure on elliptical bars
This is a great product with some minor issues. The rack came partially assembled. The first issue I had was that the top mounting bracket was already attached to the carrier but the holes for the mounting bolts were not lined up so I had to disassemble the pre-assembled bracket to get the mounting bolt holes lined up. Even then, because of the rubber coating, I had to use a hammer to get the mounting bolts through the carrier and top bracket. Not really a big deal, but it did require a little extra effort. The carrier fit nicely on my aero style bars and the nut/knobs used to tighten went on smoothy. I will say you have to contort yourself a little to tighten them fully. The carrier was easy to adjust and easy to use after this. I will also add that if you have a sun roof, you can't open it with this on as the window will hit the bolts. The included straps are fantastic. Unfortunately, I have a large kayak at over 13' long and 70 lbs and I saw a lot of movement of the kayak at speed above 40 mph. I made sure that the bow, stern and kayak straps were secure, but due to the size of the kayak, it moves a lot. I know the manufacturer rating is for a heavier kayak, but I think a rear loading saddle style rack is better for my needs. Unfortunately, I did use it so I can't return it and will try to sell it locally.
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