Malone Pro Stax 2

I currently have one Kayak and I am looking for a second. I’ve been trying to find a rack that will transport two kayaks. I keep looking at the Malone Pro Stax 2. Does anyone have any experience with this product? Also, I am open to other suggestions for transporting kayaks.



Thanks!

If you are talking WW boats…

– Last Updated: Sep-25-13 9:57 AM EST –

OK, but if sea kayaks, I would use either two sets of J cradles or two set of saddles.
Even with our little yaks, we use two sets of J cradles

If you will be transporting them a lot, don't use foam blocks. - They are "Penny wise and pound foolish" !!

Jack L

thanks for the responses
I currently have a 10’ Native Redfish Angler and I am guessing my second one will be similar. 14’ft or less I am guessing.



What J racks do you guys recommend?

Your current setup?
How do you transport your kayak now?

transporting
Well…I’ve only had it for two weeks now. I got interested in kayaking over the Labor Day weekend. I found one on Craigslist a couple of weeks ago. The only time I have transported it was when I brought it home. I just put it in the bed of my truck and tied it down.

I have an older Malone version.
My Thule saddles were good for about 6 years. I would remove them when not in use, but I kayak all year, used them at least several days a week, and paddle saltwater. They rusted away. I used them until the tubes were so rusted through that they gave out and folded. I found that disappointing given the price. At $40, I’d figure I got a lot of good use out of them. But at the $140 per pair I paid, they should be specifically suited to the purpose and not slowly melt away due to exposure to moisture. Especially given the “lifetime guarantee” stamped on the boxes. And don’t try to explain to me that “lifetime of the product” play on words BS. I understand the play. That play lacks all integrity.

That said, because I solo carry my kayaks to and from my vehicle up on my shoulder, J racks are super convenient and easy to use. A direct quick transfer of the boat on edge from the rack to my shoulder taking it off of the vehicle, and a direct transfer off of my shoulder into the rack. I only had to set the kayak down at the water’s edge once, and lift it once to my shoulder from the water’s edge. Couldn’t be easier to work with for a person capable of lifting the kayak up onto their shoulder, and once on top of my shoulder, a back friendly way to carry the kayak around. So for me, the J racks were minimal fuss.

Since their demise, I’ve been using foam blocks on the load bars on either side of the Malone stacker mounted in the center. The Malone piece still looks top notch, although mine is the 100% black plastic of some sort, other than the bottom piece bolting around the load bars. The foam blocks are fine and seem to be holding up, so I don’t personally have any negative reports about the foam block attached to a load bar. They could fall apart tomorrow and still have way outperformed the Thule J racks for the price point. I have oval load bars, so the foam blocks wrap around them, and can be left on to drive down the highway by themselves and won’t come off. Just like the oval holes at the bottom of the ones you see that come with the Stax Pro2.

I think you’re likely looking at as good of a solution as any as long as you have oval load bars to hold the foam blocks firmly in place. I’ve heard of people losing the foam blocks off of square and round bars without a boat loaded. So that would just be something to pay attention to if that’s the case.

Yakima Bowdown

– Last Updated: Sep-25-13 1:37 PM EST –

Any thoughts on the Yakima Bowdown? I found a pair for sale on Craigslist. They look like they are in near new shape.

edit: I contacted the seller and they have been sold.

best place to buy
Also, what is the best place to make a purchase? The best price I have found so far is ORS racks since they offer a 10% discount.

Malone J-Pro 2
I recently acquired two sets of these and was a bit disappointed. They don’t fit any of my three high end sea kayaks very well, nor two others that I have carried. I have added to the padding, top and bottom, and will deal with it, but it does make me wonder what they were designed to carry. The 16" top portion is padded by only 12" pads, the bottom 5" by 3" pads. Maybe I’ll glue some carpet material to the hard rubber base. Check to see if they fit your boats before buying. Ken