Help with a Yakima roof rack..

[spotdog14]

Hello all,

I am thinking about getting my fiancee and i some kayaks, and would like to also get a roof rack to hold them. But i am a little confused, i have been looking at Yakima since they seem to be the most prevalent in that market. Anyways i cant figure out if i need to remove the original roof rack rails or if i can use the hardware that they have without tapping my own holes in my roof.

Do you guys have any ideas? And another quick question for you kayakers out there, are tandem kayaks really that bad?

Thanks

95 Explorer Limited.

 

[spotdog14]

alright i think i might have found my answer, i can use the Yakima Hullraiser Aero with my stock roof rack.

Any opinion on this?

 

[Gator Jeff]

Hello all,

I am thinking about getting my fiancee and i some kayaks, and would like to also get a roof rack to hold them. But i am a little confused, i have been looking at Yakima since they seem to be the most prevalent in that market. Anyways i cant figure out if i need to remove the original roof rack rails or if i can use the hardware that they have without tapping my own holes in my roof.

Do you guys have any ideas? And another quick question for you kayakers out there, are tandem kayaks really that bad?

Thanks

95 Explorer Limited.

Greetings. When I was working in my old job, I was a certified Yakima installer. Even though I can't get discounts anymore, I still feel they are suppior to Thule and other racks on the market.

All you need to do is remove the factor crossbars. The Explorer uses the Yakima Control Towers with Landing Pad 1. They recommend 48" crossbars, but I actually run 60" bars as my vehicle is tall enough that I won't hit my head. It's a fairly easy install and if you want to remove the rack, you can leave the Landing Pads in place and simply remove the rack. I strongly recommend getting locks, at least for the Control Towers since they are so easily removed.

Feel free to ask me any other questions about bike trays, kayak holders and anything else you need to ask. Also check out Yakima.com as the have a very infomative and user friendly site.

 

[Gator Jeff]

alright i think i might have found my answer, i can use the Yakima Hullraiser Aero with my stock roof rack.

Any opinion on this?

We posted at the same time. I'm a big fan of the Hull raiser as it is a very stable mount. I'm not a fan of the factory crossbars however. IIRC, the factory bars can only hold 100 lbs. That doesn't take wind loading into effect, so a large tandam kayak will definitely stretch its capabilities. The Yakima rack is rated at 135 lbs, but that is only due to insurance reasons. Assuming you don't have rust and bad bolts holding your rails to the roof, you can exceed that by quite a bit with a Yakima system. I'd strongly recommend springing for the entire system.

 

[spotdog14]

Greetings. When I was working in my old job, I was a certified Yakima installer. Even though I can't get discounts anymore, I still feel they are suppior to Thule and other racks on the market.

All you need to do is remove the factor crossbars. The Explorer uses the Yakima Control Towers with Landing Pad 1. They recommend 48" crossbars, but I actually run 60" bars as my vehicle is tall enough that I won't hit my head. It's a fairly easy install and if you want to remove the rack, you can leave the Landing Pads in place and simply remove the rack. I strongly recommend getting locks, at least for the Control Towers since they are so easily removed.

Feel free to ask me any other questions about bike trays, kayak holders and anything else you need to ask. Also check out Yakima.com as the have a very infomative and user friendly site.

We posted at the same time. I'm a big fan of the Hull raiser as it is a very stable mount. I'm not a fan of the factory crossbars however. IIRC, the factory bars can only hold 100 lbs. That doesn't take wind loading into effect, so a large tandam kayak will definitely stretch its capabilities. The Yakima rack is rated at 135 lbs, but that is only due to insurance reasons. Assuming you don't have rust and bad bolts holding your rails to the roof, you can exceed that by quite a bit with a Yakima system. I'd strongly recommend springing for the entire system.

Thanks for the advice, especially since i will be using two kayaks. I am currently looking at this kayak if you are interested:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131656

But with what you have said i do believe that it would be better to go with the whole system and replace my stock roof rack (since i dont think i know right off the top of my had where the cross bars are, i took them off a while ago).

 

[Gator Jeff]

Thanks for the advice, especially since i will be using two kayaks. I am currently looking at this kayak if you are interested:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131656

But with what you have said i do believe that it would be better to go with the whole system and replace my stock roof rack (since i dont think i know right off the top of my had where the cross bars are, i took them off a while ago).

Looks like a solid kayak. Should be very stable and obviously easy entry and exit. The only limitations to sit-on-tops are their weight and effeciency. I'm assuming you are looking to do purely recreational kayaking and not looking to paddle any great distances with any speed. If my assumptions are correct, that should be a fine choice and the price seems to be on target with the sit-on-top I sold.

 

[spotdog14]

Looks like a solid kayak. Should be very stable and obviously easy entry and exit. The only limitations to sit-on-tops are their weight and effeciency. I'm assuming you are looking to do purely recreational kayaking and not looking to paddle any great distances with any speed. If my assumptions are correct, that should be a fine choice and the price seems to be on target with the sit-on-top I sold.

you are correct, purely recreational kayaking, maybe a few miles at a time, mostly on inland lakes and rivers.

i am also looking at this one:

http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2131665

Mainly because we cannot both have the same kayak! lol, i know her if she brakes something she will say on no that is your kayak, not mine! hahahha.