Has anybody had experiences combining the two?
My concern is wind reflector on the hatch - it seems to get really high above the roof line.
Car hatch or kayak hatch?
ROFL
Car hatch.
Assuming you choose a Yakima, Thule,
or Saris rack, they should provide enough clearance with the rear hatch closed. It does look as if the wind deflector might limit how high the gate can be lifted with a kayak on the racks. However, if you throw MORE money at the problem and buy some sort of kayak stackers or cradles for the crossbars, the boat hull will be high enough to reduce the problem.
It also looks like the wind deflector might be a “standard option” which could be removed.
Mazda
We have a Mazda3 5dr and carry two touring kayaks, 15 and 16 ft. We have a Yakima rack with one set of Holly rollers and another with Landshark craddles. Tha back hatch opens about 90% with no problems. The front wind deflector makes a tight fit for the front bar but it works and we dont’t use any extra tie downs.
please, explain
the wind deflector bit - you are talking about deflector for roof rack?
Wind deflecter and Thule
We have a 1999 Nissan Pathfinder with a wind deflecter attached to the rear hatch which also has a windshield wiper, and we use a Thule system to carry two Wilderness Systems Tempest Pros, 16.5’ and 17’. When we want to open the hatch while the kayaks are on the car, we extend the wiper holder away from the window so that the holder doesn’t touch the bottom of the kayak and then open the hatch carefully. Other than that, we don’t need to do anything special.
wind deflector.
Our Mazda has a moon roof which has a plastic wind deflector to cut down on the noise when the roof is open. It is about 1.5 inches high and is right where the front cross bar should be. Moving the cross bar just slightly forward gives enough room for the wing nuts on the under side of the cradles.
No problems with the Mazda 6 Wagon
I think the Mazda 6 wagon and Mazda 3 5-door are quite similar in the configuration of the rear door (Tailgate?) and rear wind deflector.
I haul two 17 foot touring boats on my 6 Wagon. I went with the Yakima cross bars mounted to the factory rails and Yakima Hull raisers. The rear door will still open about 75% before the wind deflector hits the bottom of the boats. Another system other than the hullraiser may give you another inch or two in height which would allow you to completely open the rear door - but so far I have had no problems and can still access my gear.