Roof racks again

Couldn’t figure out how to access old threads on roof racks sooo. Bought a Mazda Tribute (SUV) which has a roof rack with 2 cross bars. I would really like to get 4 yaks on roof. 2 rec kayaks (11’ or so) and 2 WW yaks (8’) without stacking them on top of each other, plastic on plastic. 4 J carriers would be too wide even with extenders, So need to go vertical??? Would like to see some pics of what you all do hauling 4 kayaks on an SUV roof.

What’s the width of the factory crossbars from rail to rail?

I guess you can put wider cross bars for extra width. Just remember it’s out there. I think 66" is common and 4 should fit. Marshall will know for sure

I have a Toyota 4-Runner with a factory roof rack. I wanted to be able to carry 2 SOT kayaks side by side, flat. The kayaks are 28-30 inches wide. I did not want to use J-cradles or stackers, so I added Yakima towers and 72 inch long cross bars. My bars are aero bars. The advice I was given was not to go longer than the width of my vehicle with side mirrors. This system served me well last summer. I drive long distances for trips at highway speeds, so I did not want any wind issues. That’s why I didn’t want J-cradles or stackers that would have kayaks on their sides on my roof.

Getting 4 kayaks on their sides may be possible. You would need to measure the width of the 4 boats when on their sides, figure space for stackers, and see how much length you’d need to safely put them on cross bars. Look at the standard cross bars sizes for Yakima, Thule, etc. and see what your size options are. Also find out what the weight limit is for your factory rack and the rack system you’re looking at. Also know that putting tall stuff on your roof could cause wind issues for driving.

I would have to agree about getting longer crossbars. I currently only stack two vertically and that’s about all I can get on my roof. The stacker system I use boast you can haul four kayaks, but that is only if you have crossbars that are long enough to do so. I only have 47" but I have seen them as long as 74".

I would note that if you are going to use your OEM crossbars to look at the weight limit. Most are less than 200#s and four kayaks can easily surpass this. Grab yourself a set of long quality crossbars and grab either the Malone Stacker or the cheaper SportRack Mooring Stacker and set those babies up vertical and you should be good to go.

What I’m currently using:

Perrycraft DS3745-B DynaSport 37" Wide x 45" Long Roof Rack
Perrycraft MB3747B Load Bar
SportRack SR5324 Mooring Stacker Rack

@Glendorado said:
So need to go vertical??? Would like to see some pics of what you all do hauling 4 kayaks on an SUV roof.

Go vertical - this is 4 WW yaks, but I could fit 2 WW and 2 rec. boats easily. Save space by strapping down one to use as the stacker, and then strap the rest to that. You’ll need some long straps.

The shuttle van, but why are all those kayaks up there?

This is 50" Thule cross bars on the factory rails. Might be tight to fit on the factory crossbars.

Agree 4 boats will probably be over the limit for weight of any roof rack. Might be better with a trailer.

@PaddleDog52 said:
Agree 4 boats will probably be over the limit for weight of any roof rack. Might be better with a trailer.

Any roof rack? Disagree with that - you can pretty easily get four boats on the roof - here’s 2 canoes and 2 kayaks (trust me, there is another kayak on the other side).

The shuttle bus

While I am a little less comfortable with factory crossbars, even those are sturdier than you think. My whitewater boat did a 6 hour trip up to ME on edge on the factory crossbars of a Rav4.

Time for the snowy drive home

You definitely need to tie down the ends with long boats, but I’d take a roof rack over a trailer any day.

@eckilson said:

@PaddleDog52 said:
Agree 4 boats will probably be over the limit for weight of any roof rack. Might be better with a trailer.

Any roof rack? Disagree with that - you can pretty easily get four boats on the roof - here’s 2 canoes and 2 kayaks (trust me, there is another kayak on the other side).

There are several load bars rated at the 250lb range, which should easily carry 4 kayaks I would think. I agree that they can handle more weight than they are rated, but if you know you’re going over the weight limit I would strap those Yaks down double so if the crossbars break your boats hopefully won’t fly off or to the side. There’s been some deaths regarding canoes/Kayaks coming off vehicles and I wouldn’t want to be responsible for that.

Things such as hitting chug holes at high speeds or high wind can put more force on those bars than just the weight of the kayaks. Just last year I drove my 15ft through Kansas vertically on a windy day and it picked up so much wind, it wasn’t necessarily the weight of the kayak that was the problem but the force of the wind trying to rip my kayak off the roof as I drove down the highway. I ended up taking a few extra hours going down the back roads because I was scared my boat was going to fly off and kill someone.

@eckilson said:

@PaddleDog52 said:
Agree 4 boats will probably be over the limit for weight of any roof rack. Might be better with a trailer.

Any roof rack? Disagree with that - you can pretty easily get four boats on the roof - here’s 2 canoes and 2 kayaks (trust me, there is another kayak on the other side).

The shuttle bus

While I am a little less comfortable with factory crossbars, even those are sturdier than you think. My whitewater boat did a 6 hour trip up to ME on edge on the factory crossbars of a Rav4.

Time for the snowy drive home

You definitely need to tie down the ends with long boats, but I’d take a roof rack over a trailer any day.

what is the rating for your vehicle bars? Four boats @ 50 lb each is probably 200 lb. plus the weight of the bars has to be included. Look in your owners manual and let me know. Fast look on the net tells me most vehicles are rated from 100 - 150 lb. which would include the the cross bars if you add some. What things will take and what they are rated for are two different things ladders and scaffolds need to take 4 times the intended load without failing.

old thread https://forums.paddling.com/discussion/1114290/x

I see a 10 foot Current Designs rec boat is 47 lb, in roto plastic.

You’re probably right PadleDog52 - I’m probably way over the recomended weight. Never had a problem, which doesn’t mean that I never will. Not that weight is not an issue, but I agree with Hedlight that wind is probably a bigger issue than weight - especially in the case of long boats without bow and stern lines.

My 7990 lb. Ford Excursion has a rating of 100 lb. So when I out up my first two kayaks we had a Hobie Quest 13’ and a Ocean Trident 15’ I was over by 20 - 30 lb. Rack on my vehicle sucks especially where it is mounted in the back. I have 66’ Yakima cross bars. They would never break the plastic covered round pipe but would bend first.

@eckilson said:
You’re probably right PadleDog52 - I’m probably way over the recomended weight. Never had a problem, which doesn’t mean that I never will. Not that weight is not an issue, but I agree with Hedlight that wind is probably a bigger issue than weight - especially in the case of long boats without bow and stern lines.
Wind is the main reason I got cross bars long enough to carry 2 kayaks side by side & horizontal. My 4-ruuner is already a tall SUV and I didn’t want an added “sail” on my roof. Like Hedlight’s story above, I have a friend who had a nerve wracking drive home in wind with a 14 ft. touring kayak in a J-cradle on her roof. If I need to carry more than 2 kayaks, I’ll use my trailer.

the Yakima 86" bars are double wall thickness, I would go with a Yakima system and cut the bars down to the size you need. no need in worrying about them bending. and a vertical stacker is a popular route.

https://www.yakima.com/kayakstacker
Kayak side verticle, two on each side.

SUV? probably need a step stool too…
https://lowes.com/pd/Werner-2-Step-250-lb-Black-Steel-Step-Stool/1000208561

Stackers, two boats on each side of them on their sides, probably need 70-odd inch cross rails but depending on the boats you may get lucky with 63 inch rails. But the shorter the rail left, the more crucial it gets to have two people to load to stop the outer boat from falling back while you get a strap secured.
Add some padding between boats and have long straps, and copious tie downs. Two individual straps per boat to the stackers at least, for long trips we used to add a second forward and rear strap on each boat. Individual bow line, one per boat, to wherever you run you bow lines and same for stern.