Yakima, I prefer the round bars, primarily because they are inherently stronger than a square bar. Mine are nearly 20 years old and suspect they will last another 20. I use rollers on the back, saddles up front. I put a minicell saddle on top of the rollers, because the rollers can leave a mark on the hull.
@albireo13 said:
The foam blocks that you pt on the bars, do you strap them to the bar?
See the slot in the bottom of the block.? The block slot fits on the bar. The boat sits on top. You strap the boat to the bar.
I want to slide the yak onto the racks from the back of the car. How well will foam blocks allow the boat to slide? Hmm … it looks like this is worth trying first. Small risk in $$ if I am not happy with it.
Rob
My brother and a friend use an old blanket to lay across the rear window/roof . Pick up the bow and put it on the material then push from the stern onto your rack.
I’ve been using a Thule Glide and Set for nearly 10 years. The front cradles are grippy and the rear are felt to slide. My only complaint is that the front saddles occa
@albireo13 said:
I want to slide the yak onto the racks from the back of the car. How well will foam blocks allow the boat to slide? Hmm … it looks like this is worth trying first. Small risk in $$ if I am not happy with it.Rob
I used to rock the boat for and aft and it said right on up…squeezing as it went. Sand though, made the foam roll. on the hull
I have been using a Seattle Sports Sherpak Boat Roller that attaches to the back window of my 2014 Honda CRV and use it to load/unload my NKD Greenlander Pro. I use V shaped foam blocks on my Yakama round bars and have not had any problems with the blocks rolling. The Sherpack allows me to move the GP forward quite a bit before letting it down on the blocks, so if you’re using a towel on the back of your Pilot you may not get the same results. I find that once I have the GP on the two blocks the weight of the boat keeps the blocks from rolling. I also wax the bottom of my boat once each season which makes it slide easily.
Living on the Gulf coast of Florida, I always rinse the exterior with a few gallons of fresh water before I load it on the car (I do this to protect the car, not the boat as I will always do a thorough rinse at home). Therefore I don’t have problems with sand that Overstreet makes reference to.
I’ve been happy with a set of Malone Saddle Up Pros. They came with a used Thule truck rack that I bought, and have worked well. The rear saddles have a removable set of covers that my composite boat slides easily over. Malone advertises this setup as being good for larger touring and sit-on-top boats, but my rather skinny downriver race boat fits them very well as there is a lot of range in the “self-adjusting” saddles. I do take the covers off when not transporting a boat so I don’t know about their longevity.
My Yakima saddles have worked fine for years sliding boats on from the back. I’ve had to replace the felt pads a couple of times, mostly due to UV degradation.
Yakima mako saddles or new ones called Deckhand
Yak mako
I use glide pads in back, very nice for sliding the boat. Yakima saddles in front but I don’t think what kind of saddle matters much there. Tried rollers in back but they were a maintenance issue and I feel the glide pads are kinder to the hull.
I use an Amagansett Roller Loader to get the front of the boat onto the glide pads. I am used to it so it works for me, but some of these other systems may be easier for newer paddlers.
@Overstreet said:
Here is the easiest to install, remove and load. Cost is $30-$40 in a set (2)
with straps.
On sale for $15 till end of Dec, 2018.
https://www.westmarine.com/buy/attwood--kayak-car-top-carrier-kit--18462770
Spend the money forget foam blocks. If you have a glass boat one fall off the blocks and you might total you boat. Why screw around. I paddle a lot so I would never put up with that. Way easier with dedicated setup. What ever setup you like best. I can load my boat way faster and safer than people using foam blocks. Very few in my area use the foams unless they have some cheap weeny 9-10 foot kayak.
Yakima Sweet Roll is what you want.
Overstreet, the blocks shown in your photo are different from the West Marine sale items. I use the former type and cannot find any more from anywhere. What makes them so good is (1) the curved shape of the cradle side and (2) the cloverleaf cutouts that fit the crossbars on my trailer. Other bar cutout shapes do not fit well on them.
I still have foamies from the 90’s… They fit over the rack ( they have a groove in the bottom). Works fine for long distances if the ropes are tied correctly, ( the other boat is in saddles and those are so old I forget who made them)
The only problem is sliding the boat off the foamies: they rotate.
The foamies actually fit the hard chined boats better than our old saddle. Sure some of the new saddles are shaped to fit hard chined boats but hey we bought this stuff around 1990 and it still works
I’ll throw out a different suggestion. Marco Saddles. Made locally here in Florida and available online through Osprey in Clearwater and Bill Jackson’s in St Pete. Large bearing surface supports long boats well and the felt makes it super easy to slide boats on and off. I use a cheap bathmat on the back of the car for loading, the rubber back keeps it from sliding like a towel.
@pikabike said:
Overstreet, the blocks shown in your photo are different from the West Marine sale items.
True and not so true…that block came from West Marine about four years ago.
