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Kayak Rack Advice

10K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  Learch 
#1 ·
I'm looking for feedback / pros and cons on different types kayak roof racks, such as the j-cradle style vs stacker style vs cheap universal foam blocks.

I have a Yakima roof rack & cross bars on top of a camper shell on a Tacoma. We also have a '10 Outback with factory cross bars.

My boat is a LL Remix 79.

Any input/feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I have the Yakima stacker (both models). It's nice, you can sit your boat on edge and wrap the webbing around the mount and be done quick. Along with that I can get 4 or 5 boats on my Subaru easily. I like to believe the j- cradles are best for sea kayaks. There's no way you could set it on edge and tie those down to your cross bars. The cheap foam blocks are exactly what they sound like. Cheap and foam. If you already have your cross bars you can get a pair of stackers for dirt cheap around here. I have a pair I'm selling if your interested- comes with all hard wear.
K
 
#3 ·
Seems to me like the J-cradle thing is good for ONE boat... and takes a lot of room on your rack and makes it harder to carry many boats.
So, assuming you want your vehicle to be good for helping to shuttle with a crew, go with the Yakima stackers. They are excellent. I also used to put lots of boats on my Subie... but not on the factory cross bars. Don't even think about it.
 
#5 ·


I have stackers but never use them. When I'm solo the boat goes upside down with 1 strap if local, 2 if going far but still faster than lacing straps through the stackers. If you're going to carry a bunch of boats, you'll have more room by tying them like this instead of using the stackers.
 
#8 ·
This is a no-brainer. Keep in mind that more boats are destroyed on racks than on the river (well, at least in states that don't have Colorado mank-runs!). Get stackers and use them. I use and prefer old-style Thule, but I don't think it really matters whether you use a 2x4 with 3/4" pipe or $100 Swiss stackers.

You want to use stackers because :
1) they're a *LOT* easier on boats because you're not directly compressing the hull or deck, especially in hot weather.

2) you can more easily carry more boats, which for many of us is a big deal.

You may need to be a bit more careful tying boats on, particularly with some of the large, roundish creek boats. You'll figure this out. I might add that a sun roof is really handy - you can see when things start to slip!
 
#10 ·
Fabbed this up from Momma's old lawn chairs. The J-portion is the arm rest and the rest is made up of legs and cross-sections. Built to hold 4, but I can add a 5th or 6th on top if needed.

Left to Right, Top to Bottom:
LL XP9
Dagger Element 11 (now sold)
Dagger Touring 14 (now sold)
A SOT for me and my dog
Fluid Solo Expedition
LL Jefe


 
#11 ·
I run a 48" round bar on my Subie, stackers are the way to go. J cradles look okay, but most of us have friends and we need to be able haul multiple kayaks. With a 48" bar, I can put to Diesel 70's sideXside and stack 2 more on top if need be. Most of the time I raft though, so I have a trailer too. Trailers really make life easy :)
 
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