At about a third the cost of similar setup by Thule or Yakima, this “looks” like a pretty good deal, but…I can’t find any reviews on it.
http://www.etrailer.com/p-SR1003.html
Anyone use it??
Thanks,
Jim
Can’t form an opinion from pictures.
Do you know what it means to be a probe? If it’s so affordable, try one and report back.
Wow g2!
– Last Updated: Apr-07-14 9:53 PM EST –
Just asking for a review.
Ask, but you won’t get one. Wait and see
My opinion :
You get what you pay for !
Jack L
I don’t know…
Tough to tell from just a photo.
I have Barre-Crafter racks that look somewhat similar to these. They (barre-crafter) were great economical racks depending on your use. If I recall, Thule bought Barre-crafter to eliminate competition. Just because they aren’t from the Big Two manufactures, doesn’t mean they are worthless.
But you are going to have to hold them, and put them on a car to see how they will work before you have faith enough to put your boats on them.
don’t mind him
He’s a clinical psychologist.
I don’t agree
IMO the vast array of custom thule or yakima fittings adorning cartops represent the law of diminishing returns. The basic rack is great; from there you’re getting taken at a greater and greater degree.
Rack
This rack works fine if they have the proper fit for your vehicle.
My brother used one ,it clamped on his car well. Check the load rating of the bars as they will bow when overloaded.
Probably just fine
In fact I think some of the big brand named racks are a rip off. However I realize one may need to buy a big name rack depending on their vehicle / fit, etc.
I doubt they could be sold here if they were sub-par in terms of load ability for stated purpose, attachment engineering etc.
May even be made at same factory as some bigger name?
Simple padded crossbars are fine for most kayaks. If i were transporting delicate race boats, surf ski’s etc I’d probably use custom shaped cradles or foam blocks, but for anything else simple padded crossbars.
That’s how kayaks are transported by manufacturers, reps… How I’ve carried them for years with no damage.
So, always strong opinions out there, but I say it’s worth a try and return if you’re not happy. You’ll know when you install it if you’d trust it…that’s my take anyway.
Thanks, you’ve salvaged the
thread.
In my experience, if it clamps to the car properly, anything is possible from there. I had to make racks for our Renault 16 back in ‘73. The car had no rain gutters, and towers as we know them did not exist. I adapted some really cheesy suction cup racks, improving them with double straps to the window frame, plus oak crossbars. We were able to carry an 18.5’, 85 pound canoe all over the country, with racks that would be regarded as a joke today.
I should add that the Renault had the best combination of tie points for ropes that I have ever seen on a smallish sedan. That helped a lot.
Consider the rocker of your roof
If your car’s roof is curved front to back, then the further you spread square-ish rails, the more corner and less surface you will use. I had this problem on my Saturn; the docs said I shouldn’t mount the rails farther than 19" apart. I generally suggest round rails if your roof has a lot of rocker.
Round Bars
– Last Updated: Apr-13-14 1:36 PM EST –
With round bars you still will only have a small point of
contact regardless of any about of spread or curvature of roof. All that is needed is a small foam block between your boat and any shape of bar to increase area of contact.
As to the original question the SportRack is a viable rack if they have a fit for your vehicle.
Yakima and Thule are way overpriced
There is no justification for what they charge other than that they have no competition to force them to price their products more reasonably.
As for the SportRack, I can’t comment directly having never seen one, but it’s not like this is some $49.95 low-end crap. Their pricing is more like what racks actually should cost.