Forester: Best way to carry a kayak?

[Guest]

For those of you who car top a kayak, what sort of rack system do you use?
Ex. Thule, Yakima, the cross bars that come with the Forester?

I have had my 2004 Forester XT for less than 2 weeks, and my Talon rack
started coming apart, but I caught it before any real damage was done.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Niels

 

[cc0113830]

For those of you who car top a kayak, what sort of rack system do you use?
Ex. Thule, Yakima, the cross bars that come with the Forester?

I have had my 2004 Forester XT for less than 2 weeks, and my Talon rack
started coming apart, but I caught it before any real damage was done.
Thanks for any suggestions.

Niels

I use the Subaru kayak rack (made by Yakima), which mounts on the stock
crossbars of my 2003 Forester. It works great for my two Oldtown
Otters. Putting the kayaks up or taking them down is an easy one-person
job. Although the rack is intended for two kayaks, it only included one
set of straps so I had to buy a second pair at the local kayak shop.

Best prices are at places like 1stsubaruparts.com ($99) or
subaruparts.com ($105). I've seen this only one time on eBay.

 

[Guest]

Thanks. Since I have a 17' sea kayak, I was hoping to use my Yakima Hulley
Rollers. I also posted this question on my kayak club's board. Someone
there is using the Yakima horizontal Mighty Mounts, which work well with
Yakima's accessories (e.g. J-cradles, Hulley Rollers, and saddles).

 

[Brian Wasson]

I've used Yakima racks exclusively for the past 15 years with no
problems. On my 2003 OBW I use the Yakima double-cross (I think that's
the name) towers, which clamp on to the factory side rails (I removed
the factory cross bars). I believe Yakima makes a tower specifically
for the Forester; I'm not sure what the difference is. I pretty much
don't trust factory cross bars on any car.; they don't really seem up
to the task.

I have Hully Rollers on the back and a regular saddle on the front.

Brian

 

[S]

Hi Neils!

For those of you who car top a kayak, what sort of rack system do you use?
Ex. Thule, Yakima, the cross bars that come with the Forester?

I have had my 2004 Forester XT for less than 2 weeks, and my Talon rack
started coming apart, but I caught it before any real damage was done.
Thanks for any suggestions.

We carry two 16.5 ft. canoes on a Yakima rack that mounts to the
factory rails on m'ladys Forester. Fits my WRX wagon too. Our canoes
are solo kevlar boats, and so very light; ~35lb each, but absolutely
no problems to carry at highway speeds (60-65MPH) on either vehicle,
even in gusty cross-winds.
I have heard of problems with the rollers rotating out of position on
the round Yakima bars, tho, so that might make the Thule system a
better choice for your application. Both are very reputable, and I
would expect similar performance.
Try a post on rec.boats.paddle for more discussion.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Guest]

Yes, Yakima does make Forester-specific towers. But they are non-locking,
and do not look that sturdy, that's why I'm curious if anyone else had
experience with them.
really seem up
to the task.

Can you cite any examples? If nothing else, they have a very strong grip on
Forester rails. And my load is a measely 47 lbs + Hulley Rollers.

 

[Guest]

I can atest to any of Yakima's accessories rotating out of position, since I
used a Yakima rack on my 1989 Camry for about 5 yrs.

Are you using the Forester-specific towers?

 

[cc0113830]

Yes, Yakima does make Forester-specific towers. But they are non-locking,
and do not look that sturdy, that's why I'm curious if anyone else had
experience with them.



really seem up
to the task.

Can you cite any examples? If nothing else, they have a very strong grip on
Forester rails. And my load is a measely 47 lbs + Hulley Rollers.

Subaru's (made by Yakima) towers have detent locks at both top and
bottom positions. With kayaks lashed on both front and back, I can't
imagine any force that would budge them out of the detents, particularly
since they are mounted in opposing positions to each other.

Subaru rates the Forester's cross bars at 150 lb, significantly higher
than the rest of the Subaru line. Invest in a T-27 Torx bit to assure
that they are mounted tightly to the vehicle.

 

[Guest]

Subaru's (made by Yakima) towers have detent locks at both top and
bottom positions.

Are you talking about stackers, or are there actual towers for Yakima that
take the round bars.

Niels

 

[cc0113830]

bottom positions.

Are you talking about stackers, or are there actual towers for Yakima that
take the round bars.

I'm not certain of the exact vocabulary here, so let's go by description
rather than by names.

I'm talking about the kayak rack (actually a set of two identical,
separate pieces) made by Yakima that Subaru sells under its own name.
They say Yakima in fine print down at the base. Shaped like an inverted
U. They fit on the stock Subaru crossbars. Kayaks lean against them
from both sides and are secured by straps from the base of the U to the
outer edge of the crossbar. When not in use they fold down toward each
other and are secured against bouncing by a Velcro strip that connects
the two. Detents keep them reasonable locked at the up or down positions.

 

[Guest]

I have the Yakima Hulley Rollers, which can be attached to anything. The
stackers that you have would be hostile to my gelcoated boat. <g>

You are using the factory crossbars, which I'm considering.

 

[cc0113830]

I have the Yakima Hulley Rollers, which can be attached to anything. The
stackers that you have would be hostile to my gelcoated boat. <g>

Sounds that way. My Otters are pure polyethylene, made for fun paddling
in lakes, and they don't mind.

I have no reason to question the stability of the factory crossbars.
Subaru clearly must have some justification to rate them at about 2x the
carrying capacity of the rest of their line. They certainly pass my
grab and pull test!

 

[S]

Hi Again, Neils!

I can atest to any of Yakima's accessories rotating out of position, since I
used a Yakima rack on my 1989 Camry for about 5 yrs.

Are you using the Forester-specific towers?

They are the ones REI/Yakima lists for the 2002 Forester, altho I
think they are somewhat generic. Whatever, they grip the factory rails
very securely, and are real easy to mount/dismount; takes less than a
minute, and they _do_ lock. The lock cylinders from your Toyota towers
will probably fit just fine (hope you kept the "master" key ;-).
I leave the factory cross bars in place, shifted towards the center
just enuf to leave room for the Yakima towers in front and behind.
Thus they serve as "place-keepers" for the Yakima hardware, and are
available for regular use if need be. A wrap of electrical tape marks
the bar position at the drivers side towers, thus simplifying
alignment. Bow and stern lines run to the tow hooks beneath the front
bumper and the Foresters trailer hitch, but you could use the rear tow
hook just as well. Use strips of duct tape to protect your finish
where the lines touch if this is a concern.
I feel obliged to toss this in: Resist the temptation to use your
boats painters for this, rather use a separate length of 3-4mm P-cord
tied to the tow hook, wrapped thru the grab-handle of the boat, and
secured with a truckers hitch. Thus, should the line come untied and
find intimacy with a spinning wheel, it won't rip the end off of your
boat.
I use gunwale brackets (I think Yakima calls them something different
these days; ladder brackets, maybe?) to locate and secure the boats
laterally, and a regular tie-down front and back on each boat (4
total) to hold them to the rack. I have even tossed a third boat on
top of the pile for running shuttle, but this forces a much reduced
speed.

ByeBye! S.

Steve Jernigan KG0MB
Laboratory Manager
Microelectronics Research
University of Colorado
(719) 262-3101

 

[Brian Wasson]

Some clarification of Yakima kayak carrying nomenclature:

A "saddle" is a mount that supports the kayak's hull on both sides.
Yakima's are two pieces per bar, one for each side of the hull. When
looking at them from the front/back, they look basically like a "U."
The kayak sits in the saddle like, well, a saddle. Saddles are very
secure, and the boat is generally carried upright (hull side facing
the roof of the car). Downside to saddles is you can only carry 1-2
boats on your car, depending how wide your roof/bars are. On my OBW
with 48" bars I can only get one kayak. On my Isuzu Trooper with 60"
bars I can get two.

A "stacker" is a vertical bar, which allows the kayak to stand on edge
and be lashed to the stacking bar. I believe this is what Subaru
offers as an OEM part. Advantage is that you can fit multiple boats on
a smaller rack/roof.

A "roller" is a sort of saddle, but it replaces the fixed saddles with
rollers/wheels that allow easier loading of a boat from the rear.
Usually a set of rollers is used in the rear coupled with a set of
saddles in the front, to make loading easier. I have this setup on my
Trooper, as it makes loading the boat on the high vehicle easier. It's
not really necessary with the lower roofline of an OBW. On a Forester
it would be a toss-up.

A "tower" is the part that clamps onto the car's roof, side rail of
existing rack, or rain gutter (I'm showing my age here). All of
Yakima's current towers, including the one designed for the Forester,
are lockable as far as I know. They require the purchase of optional
locking cores.

Best advice? Go to a local reputable outdoor store that carries both
Yakima and Thule and get their advice for your car. My suggestion, as
a former manager of an outdoor store that carried both, is that Yakima
is a better product (IMO). If you have a fiberglass or Kevlar kayak,
then I'd highly suggest using a saddle system to protect the finish of
the boat. If you have a plastic boat, then any mount will work. But, I
still prefer saddles for ease of loading and stability.

 

[cc0113830]

Some clarification of Yakima kayak carrying nomenclature:
...

A "stacker" is a vertical bar, which allows the kayak to stand on edge
and be lashed to the stacking bar. I believe this is what Subaru
offers as an OEM part. Advantage is that you can fit multiple boats on
a smaller rack/roof.

Subaru's (made by Yakima) rack is shaped like an inverted U, not a
vertical bar. But the principle is the same.