Hi,
So I have been using foam saddles to hold my QCC700 onto the VW D-shaped roof racks, but in strong winds the kayak can turn sideways due to the foam saddles slipping on the rack bars and this drops the gas millage quite a bit due to the larger surface area exposed to the wind.
Looking at the Malone Seawing saddles, wondering how they will fit the D-shaped saddles on my VW racks, and the hull of my QCC700 (best all around kayak ever!). Figure they will prevent the kayak from turning in the wind since they can not deform like the soft foam saddles.
Thanks
Thule
I have been using Thule saddles on my Q700X for about three years and don’t recommend them. The hull near the front tie down is much more flexible than the area just aft of the coaming, at the rear tie down. As a result the constant flexing at the front has caused spider web gelcoat cracks.
I have switched to a foam cradle in front with the Thule in back.
Which Thule saddles are you using?
They make several.
Marco Kayak Saddles
$135 for the aerobar model. Also made in FL.
Been very happy with them instead of the typical Thule/Yakima options.
See you on the water,
Marshall
The River Connection, Inc.
Hyde Park, NY
www.the-river-connection.com
marco or mako
Both are nice. The makos are from yakima. I like them. Only way to go for long boats. Skip the rollers. Just get two sets.
Ryan L.
model
They are Thule 878XT. The rubber part just covers two sharp metal ridges. Seems like a poor design to me, and I attribute my gelcoat cracks at least partly to the saddles.
Is this possible?
This probably needs rope, and it may require towers to create a fixed point on each side or even running something fully around thru the doors and inside the car. But can you wrap a rope entirely around the hull of the boat and throw knots in it somewhere, or use a couple of straps with cam buckles set right, so that you have a fixed length of rope or strap between the boat and a non-moving strap down point on each side?
Or, maybe if you use front and rear tie-downs, do it like I do the canoe. Instead of a single line, run the line as a triangle from two points below and set a knot where you run the rope or strap thru the rigging (or your toggle). That way the end can’t slide side to side. If you do this, it may be best to run thru the perimeter lines and reduce the stress on the toggle since that is a rescue feature.
For what it is worth, even with third party rack and fancy saddles we relegated them to the basement and got a stacker for the second car on EBay. After the second trip to Maryland the saddles were too much maintenance. We don’t have to stop and fuss with the boats on stackers nearly as frequently as we did with the saddles.
I agree with Ryan
I have Mako’s and rollers, I feel the Mako hold better without the pressure points the rollers have.
SYOTR
Randy
Malone SeaWings
The seawings have the easist setup of any of these carriers, have no hard contact points to harm the shell and have a lifetime warranty by an American company…yakima = china, thule = sweden.
Malone sea-wing
Malone is an American company, but the seawing is made in China, check the box. My Thule slipstream rack is made in the USA, at least that what the box says.
Tkamd