Can Thule Hullavator Be Placed Farther Outboard For More Clearance From The Car Body?

Updated 11/04/2025 | Published 01/16/2025

Question:

When mounting a Hullavator on an aero crossbar, instead of the squarebar clamps, center through holes are used with tnuts. Can the support bar be placed a few inches outboard to allow more clearance from the car body?

asked by: Stewart C

Expert Reply:

Hello Stewart; yes, it can. For the Hullavator, Thule states your crossbar must extend out past the towers by 4"-8". As long as your crossbars meet this spec, the support bars can be placed as far outboard as they can go. The picture below shows a good example of this and as you can see the support is about 1" away from the end of the crossbar and there is plenty of clearance between the lift assist and the side of the car.

expert reply by: Jesse M

TH898 Hullavator Clearance Example
(click to enlarge)

Jesse M.

11/3/2025

Hey Stewart, how did it go moving the Hullavator support bars farther out on your aero crossbars? Did that give you the extra clearance you needed from the car body? Your results could really help others trying to fine-tune their setup.

Stewart C.

11/3/2025

@JesseM The aero bars would have worked extended if the rack assembly was of proper design. The Chinese manufacturer did not understand the clamping design and ignored the fact that kayaks provide an upward force and first time out the entire assembly with two kayaks flipped off the roof onto the pavement. I gave up on the new car with flush mount and went back to conventional Thule 58" rack on Sienna and the two Hullavators. Really needed a 65 width, but a 3" long section of thick pool with a shock cord make a simple removable "bumper" that prevents the lowered Hullavator from dinging the car doors. It fits into the underside "slot". I'll take a photo later.

Jesse M.

11/4/2025

@StewartC Sounds like you handled a tough situation really well, Stewart! That must’ve been a sight when the setup gave way - hope nothing serious happened. Definitely a good call going with a Thule rack or other name brand. Your custom bumper idea sounds clever; I’d love to see how you put it together when you take that photo! There is no way to add pictures to the comments on here, but you can email them to me. My email is [email protected]. Definitely interested to take a look and see what you came up with.