Thule would NOT replace my first gen hullavator which dont lock in the down position but the simple fix was use two (one for each) cheap 1 dollar spring loaded claps from harbor freight. You lower the hullavator and clamp not sure how to explain where you clamp but its easy. Load boat onto saddles remove clamps .,Just dont forget and leave the clamps behind. Easy fix and fully safe. Without those clamps lookout!!
It takes me less than five minutes to remove the Hullavator cradles from their mounts. Each one only weighs 15 pounds.
No need to keep them on if Iām not transporting my boat. Takes the same amount of time to put them back on.
Luckily, I can drive into my garage with the Hullavators mountedā¦but not with my boat on top. The Thule AeroBlades pretty much do away with wind noise.
Admittedly, I drive a Honda Fit which makes this all pretty easy.
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Years ago a very experienced but petite young lady asked me that question.
I told her it only really hurts $$$ once and the more you use them the quicker you forget it.
We were sitting in a bar next to the kayak shop discussing it so that didnāt hurt the saleā¦ 
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It was expensive buying two sets of Hullavators but I am sure glad I did. Itās also the best cradle system out there, where you are not trying to compress the boat to secure it, or the chances of compressing the boat are limited. Iām glad I bought them.
The the Hulivators on my truck are 7 ft off the ground. I replaced the Yakima fixed truck bars with the Thule adjustable system to lower the installation six to ten inches and remove the need to get up in the bed of the truck to put kayaks up on the cradles. Since the trailer sits a little more forward than the last one we added a third Yakima rack that we had to the cab of the truck, which fully anchors the kayaks to the truck and eliminates any bow or stern line requirements. It has survived a 4x4-ish road to mountain over look.
We can load boats with the assistance of the Hulivators and not get up on the truck. The Hulivators lift about 40 # of the 60+/- pounds of each boat. We couldnāt continue to safely load boats on the truck without them in our years. The cost was a lot less than medical if I was to fall off the truck.
The cost of the Hulivator was minor compared to the cost of the truck and other up grades to make the truck work for our rig.
PSā¦noisy, rusty, blown cylendars? ā¦I have not experienced any of that in the five years weāve used them from Florida, to Iowa, to Lake Superior to the Atlantic coast, etc etc. .
Iāve used āJ Hooksā and other methods in the past. In my opinion the Hullavator is absolutely worth the price, especially if loading and unloading alone. My older 897 model has and continues to serve me very well, and has recently been mounted to Yakima bars on a 2021 Toyota Highlander.