favorite saddle-style roof carrier system for kayaks?

I have a cheap set of Jbars I’ve been using for year but I’ve learned to hate them. Too flimsy, hard to tighten down. Plus, I’ve decided to go with saddle type supports for my roof rack.
I’ve looked at Malone brand and Yakima, etc. I’d like a set which is good for rear loading the yak … sliding the boat in from the rear.
I have stock racks on my Honda Pilot and the roof is pretty high.

Are any brands better than others?
Any favorites?

Thx.

Anything with glide pads in back. The rest is too sticky when getting the boat into its proper position.

Yakima mako saddles

@PaddleDog52 said:
Yakima mako saddles

X’s two

Jack L

I also use Yakima. I like the looks of the Malone’s.

Thule Dockglides look like what I want
I’d rather not have to buy a new set of bars.

I use Thule glides on the back & saddles on the front on my Forester. Works well.

Malone Sea Wings. I can carry two kayaks side by side on my Elantra, load kayak from 9.5 ft to 14 ft from the rear without any problem.
BTW, the Yakima Jetstream crossbars are fantastically quiet.

Hmmm … the Yakima Evenkeel looks like a nice, inexpensive option.

How are the Malone Sea Wings for sliding the boat on from the rear?
Can you slide the boat easily or are they grabby?

@albireo13 said:
How are the Malone Sea Wings for sliding the boat on from the rear?
Can you slide the boat easily or are they grabby?

They slide up easily. I’m 5’3 1/2" and I easily load my Hurricane Skimmer 128 by myself. The Elantra is a sedan; I place bathmats on the trunk, angle the boat behind the car, put the bow on the trunk then left the stern and push it on up.


this is the old Yakima truck racks. The cross bars can be mounted on “towers” mounted with auto specific hardware by Yakima. Much like the truck mount. The rollers (see rear) come around $100 per pair. The cradles (see front) come about the same. Both can be mounted on flat bars or round. They work better on round. I’ve had this system in different configurations on three vehicles, one canoe trailer and one RV


.

These Yakima cradles are designed for aero bars on factory racks. They were about $80 for a set of four. I’ve had them on the flat bars of my Outback and round bars of the kayak/canoe trailer. They suck. On the round bars of the trailer they moved. They rotated and moved outward dropping the kayak to the metal bar. On the aerobar of the Outback they do better. They don’t rotate but they do move (slide) outward at times. The top half sometimes gets separated from the bottom. But they do work and cost is less and they don’t "noise up " the roof running without the boat.

The round bar is a clothes pole used in loading the boat one end at a time.

@Overstreet said:


this is the old Yakima truck racks. The cross bars can be mounted on “towers” mounted with auto specific hardware by Yakima. Much like the truck mount. The rollers (see rear) come around $100 per pair. The cradles (see front) come about the same. Both can be mounted on flat bars or round. They work better on round. I’ve had this system in different configurations on three vehicles, one canoe trailer and one RV


.

I had bad luck with the rollers. One flipped over and the bolt gouged the hull. I use cradles front and back

I switched from the Yakima Mako Saddles for the Yakima Sweet Roll. I should sell the extra saddles I have.

We like Mako saddles topped with terry cloth buffer pads!

@string said:


.

I had bad luck with the rollers. One flipped over and the bolt gouged the hull. I use cradles front and back

Unfortunately it’s not luck, it’s maintenance. The rollers have to be lubed often to keep them free to roll. The thumb screws have to be retorqued periodically.

Happened to me a couple times. Once when I mounted them on the slick round bar of the canoe trailer. Yakima bars have a friction coating. I simulated it by spraying the bars with tool grip spray. Many coats.

Here is the easiest to install, remove and load. Cost is $30-$40 in a set (2)


with straps.

I have seen and tried many types of rear loading. All are similar but NOT the same. The roller type I have seen mar the gelcoat as they become sticky after time. You wont notice if all you have is plastic boats. Then the Yakima pads I feel don’t keep the kayak centered very well and you can slide your boat right off the side of them. I have seen it happen… Watched the boat slammed right to the ground. I use the Thule Slipstream. Even that if your not paying attention or its real dark you can get it to slide off but much harder to do that… The slipstream keeps the kayak centered better than others. But the slipstream is wide and only for right side of car. But my little car has slipstream and hullivator on other side. For cars with bars close together whats great about slipstream is that it contacts kayak way out from the cross bars. Plus has built in roller that movers back and forth.

The foam blocks that you pt on the bars, do you strap them to the bar?