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For those of you that carry kayak(s) on top, what do you use?
I'm thinking about switching out my 48" crossbars for some 58" so I can have 2 kayaks side-by-side... but I also noticed that yakima sells the stacker/bigstack which lets you fit up to 4 on their sides.
I need to be able to carry 2 kayaks... any suggestions/experience?
How long are the boats? How much do they weigh?
Some boats travel better not stacked. Longer boats need to be tied down to the bumbers. Stacking can make this hard and could damage the boat. Heavy boats could also be damaged when straped down on their sides. The easiest option maybe to get the wider bars and proper attachments.
I use Yakima TLC saddles on 58" bars. I've been using these for 11 years now with no issues. They've handled long trips at high speeds, high winds and I have even run some pretty difficult 4x4 trails with two on the roof to get to remote lakes.
Yakima no longer makes the TLC's, but they have the Makos which I have used as well. I would stay away from the stackers unless you need to carry more boats. They are really hard on polethylene boats that are strapped down to a rack in summertime heat. The hully rollers are not as supportive as the Makos or Landsharks.
http://home.off-road.com/~kemanuel/4...nnerloaded.jpg
Here are my kayaks (Ocean kayak yak board 8') on stock roof rack, stacked and sitting on foam pads that wrap around the stock roof rack cross bars.
http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s...g/DSC01870.jpg
paddlenbike,
how wide are those kayaks that you carry?
One has a beam of 23" and the other is 25.5".
The pic I attached must have been in my first month of 4Runner ownership. Those wheels and running boards didn't stay on long. :tapedshut:
i have a set of mako saddles i need to get rid of back at my house, i think 2 sets actually.
they do work well though, the standard strap that comes with them isnt that great though.
paddlenbike,
when you have both kayaks up there, is there enough room on either end of the bar to just strap the kayaks to the bars without needing any other yakima attachments? i was hoping to just buy some foam blocks and strap them straight to the crossbars...
nelion,
do you have pics of the makos you have? how much would you want for them?
Yes. For my 23" and 25.5" (total 48.5") of boat leave 10" of bar to wrap the straps. To get the two boats side by side, the saddles on one side of the truck have to be mounted on the outside of the towers.