Car Rack for Composite Kayaks

Currently using Thule J racks for my rec kayaks but would like to upgrade to 16-18 foot touring kayaks in the near future. Considering the Q600X or one of the Eddyline kayaks. They will be either fiberglass, carbon, or kevlar.



Will I still be able to use my J style racks for these boats?

I have been using the Thule
J cradles to carry our kevlar QCC,s for the past four years.

I have never had any problems with my 700 sliding it on or off, but just recently my wife noticed that the black strip between the hull and the deck of her year old “baby” QCC is starting to tear off in a few places.

We are not sure if it is defective or it is from sliding along the hard black rubber pad.

I am going to install a small piece of carpet on top of the black rubber, which should solve the problem and also allow the boats to slide easier.

If you can lift your boat over the edge of the cradles and place it on I know you won’t have any problem .



Cheers,

JackL


Thanks for the feedback Jackl.



I lift my rec boats (one of which is nearly 70lbs) over the "j"s so I would hope I could do that with a lighter weight boat.



Again, thanks!

Thule Hullaports?
If they have the cordura covers over the foam pads like mine no worries mate. I’ve used the Hullaports for composite kayaks for thousands of miles. If your J racks are older models -then I can’t vouch for em.

Mine are "Hulaports"
I am talking about the hard black plastic base.

Do yours have a soft cover over that ?



JackL

Pipe insulation
We’ve used that on our stackers and cross bars to prevent friction when we were carrying composite boats on them - seems to work fine. Seal it with duct tape. The only trick is finding the really dense stuff.

kayak twists in rack
I have the Thule Hullaports, and when I carry my Solstice, I noticed the boat twisted during the trip. I can correct this by attaching a strap to the seat support on the high side, and securing it to the other side of my vehicle. Has anyone else noticed this, and what was the fix?

yes
J-racks are universal