2007 Matrix with Yakima Q towers

I have a 2007 Toyota matrix and am getting Yakima Q towers with 48" crossbars. With that setup, is it possible to fit 2 flat Yakima landshark saddles to carry 2 Kestrel 120V kayaks? Or would it fit better to use one flat and one J cradle?



Thanks!

Two Flat probably not…
The Kestral 120’s are 26" wide. I’m pretty sure your gonna have to settle for one flat and one in a hullraiser or something of the sort. You could get longer bars if you really wanted to keep them flat. You could also get the kayakstacker as well then you could haul up to four boats on your Matrix. You never know when friends will want to come.

On my 2004 Matrix
I can just barely get 2 23in yaks on side by side and then only if the kayaks can be loaded so that their widest points are not at the same position between the bars. I now use one set of J’s and either regular saddles or canoe gunnel brackets on the other side depending on whether its the canoe or an extra kayak being carried.



Good Luck



Mark

Thanks!
for the quick responses! That really helps. I think I am gonna go with the one flat and one hullraiser.

That’s more versatile
But I still think you can probably fit two 26" or so boats on a 48" bar -:wink: Remeber that if you use something like a Mako Saddle (not sure about your model but that’s what I have), the boat will stick out a little on each side, so effectively, you may be able to have boat sticking outside the width of the bars and thus fit.



But it depends on where the Q towers fit relative to the saddles and that depends on the width of your roof. On my '02 Prius, the Q towers attach to my 48" bars such that there is only less than 1" sticking outside the Q tower mounting area on the bar - all my bars are usable, pretty much…



That said, I have opted to have 1 boat on Mako saddles (front and back, so 2 pairs of saddles for that 1 boat) taking half the rack. Then on the other half I either put just pieces of pool toy on the bars to strap my WW boat flat to them directly to the bar, or if I need to carry three boats at the same time, I use a pair of Stackers and 2 boats sideways on them, while the 3-rd boat is still resting in the saddles on the other side of the rack.



I do not like to use the Stackers or the J cradles since they raise the height of my boat above my garage entrance and I can’t drive-in with the boats on top - with the boats flat on the bars or in the Mako saddles I can pull right in my garage with the boats strapped on top of the car.