I have 2 14 foot plastic kayaks I need to transport on the roof of my pickup. I’m considering a hully roller/mako saddle combination. I’ve heard some folks say the Hully rollers damage boats.
Any truth to that ?
Never had that problem
They do have a very small contact area with the boat, but I never had a problem with my glass boat. Don’t pull the strap too tight and you should be OK. I just didn’t like them because the bar had a tendancy to rotate inside the towers when sliding a boat across them.
Personally, I think the old TLC saddles are the best ones that have ever been made. They come up on ebay often.
I have seen lots of flex
in some older impex composite boats wher hully rollers have been used. never seen any damage though.
I sue em I love them, I might not use them on a light lay up surfski.
I agree.
Hully rollers only work if you attach them to square bars or put something abrasive inside the holders for your round bars to keep them from rotating. They seem like a good idea but actually they don’t live up to the idea. Saddles work a lot better unless you absolutely, positively cannot get anyone to help you put the boat on top.
sure,some composite boats
but it may not necessarily occur with your boats. It all depends. Some short kayaks can be placed upside down straight on padded bars. I think most folks would be better off with J saddles and a bar extender to handle the lifting problem.
How does extension bar work?
I have hully-rollers. Never have been a problem with my plastic rec boat. but i’m about to upgrade to a fiberglass/composite boat. Excuse the following dumb question: How does an extension bar help short person with tall SUV load kayak into J saddles?
How close to the edge are the Js?
I recently bought a Yakima Boatloader ($60) so I could load a Prijon Twister onto my truck topper’s roof rack. It’s a terrific device.
The extension bar is just that–it attaches to one of the crossbars and sticks out another couple of feet, like having an extra-wide crossbar there. You place the kayak so that the bow or stern leans almost upright against the extension, then lift the other end onto the other crossbar or saddle. Next you go back to the extension tube and lift that end of the kayak into place.
Basically, it means you don’t have to be tall, and you don’t lift the entire weight of the kayak, just one end of it.
In my case, all I have to do is get the kayak onto the crossbars (padded with pipe foam insulation tubes). After that, I can easily position the kayak nice and straight.
With cradles, you might need to add another step. You would get the kayak onto both crossbars near their edges, then step onto a step stool to lift the kayak (one end at a time) into the cradles. But I doubt it’d be a problem doing so.
I always use a step stool anyway, to tie the straps around the kayak and crossbars. It’s a 24" step stool.
Dodge van
I’m average height and used a step ladder to get a kayak on the roof and tie it down.
HullyRoller positioning
If the HR is located right in the middle of a big flat expanse of hull and the boat is tightened down hard on a hot day (it’s 96F here right now), you may well get some local and (hopefully) temporary deformation. I prefer to position the HRs at the curve of the chine. I think this distributes the pressure a little better.
I’ve been using them this year and liking htem a lot. Very secure ride with my boats.
Steve
With my Pungo 120
the Hully rollers worked fine but half the time I forgot to lock/unlock them. After I traded the 120 for a Duralite version I switched to saddles. I now operate with saddles front and rear. The saddles provide more surface area and hence less unit pressure to deform. Regardless of the type of kayak I would now prefer the saddles to rollers. They allow the kayak to easily slide into position then as one tightens the hold down straps the saddles really grip!
I traded my rollers for Mako saddles
The rollers indented my QCC700 when the straps were barely snug. They were even positioned at the bulkheads. I also didn’t like the scary position they were in when putting the nose up on them. I use the Mako Shark Saddles that I covered with outdoor carpet. The saddles were messing up the finish on the hull. I would suggest these for saddles if getting new ones, I’ve seen them in person and looks like the deal to me.
http://www.marcosaddles.com/
I chose to save the money and carpeted my makos.
JT in Central Florida