Outback roof rack help - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

GTboosted · 06-15-2017, 08:14 AM

Saddles are not the best option. They are the easiest option.

The best way is to have a roof rack extender (you can make your own) and having the kayak upside down on 3 or more padded crossbars. You can also add a T bar to your hitch if you have one. The top deck sides of a kayak are much stronger than the bottom.

I used to carry my Tarpon 140 upright on saddles. This is a kayak that is lighter and has thicker plastic on the bottom than the Hobies. On hot days where the kayak sat for a while on the saddles you could see indentations. They would mostly fix themselves but I started noticing that it would no longer track straight.

This probably wouldn't be noticeable on Hobies or other kayaks with rudders but that's my observation. Personally, if anything is going to get dented, I would rather it be the top instead of the bottom so it doesn't affect performance.

Btw. I even had a Hullavator at one point. Still carried my yaks upside down on it lol

06-15-2017, 08:14 AM	#7
GTboosted Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: Lake Balboa, The Valley Posts: 425	Saddles are not the best option. They are the easiest option. The best way is to have a roof rack extender (you can make your own) and having the kayak upside down on 3 or more padded crossbars. You can also add a T bar to your hitch if you have one. The top deck sides of a kayak are much stronger than the bottom. I used to carry my Tarpon 140 upright on saddles. This is a kayak that is lighter and has thicker plastic on the bottom than the Hobies. On hot days where the kayak sat for a while on the saddles you could see indentations. They would mostly fix themselves but I started noticing that it would no longer track straight. This probably wouldn't be noticeable on Hobies or other kayaks with rudders but that's my observation. Personally, if anything is going to get dented, I would rather it be the top instead of the bottom so it doesn't affect performance. Btw. I even had a Hullavator at one point. Still carried my yaks upside down on it lol __________________ -Beto Last edited by GTboosted; 06-15-2017 at 08:45 AM.