so I am trying to figure out a way to safely transport my new to me tempest 170 on the roof of my nissan xterra with factory rack…I might by a stacker somewhere in the near future but I think for now I will just lash it to the roof rack…I was thinking instead of buying those expensive foam car carriers I could get some large pool noodles and cut a slit in them and then tie them to the roof rack…probably a couple of bucks…has anybody done something similar??I guess the best way to transport if you dont have a fancy j rack is with the cockpit side down???
Yes to both
Not hard to make your own foam carriers.
If you are into DIY, making any sort of saddle is not that hard.
Go easy on the straps, plastic used to be rather soft on those Tempests. Try to place crossbars close to bulkheads to minimize oil canning, even though carrying the boat deck down helps a lot.
boogie boards work too
I did this until i got an extra rack…
and it worked great. attached w/ large cable ties.I have a friend that is selling a brand new Thule stacker 850 for $50.00 …never used.
Pool Noodle
I have been using the large pool noodles on my car rack for years and it works fine. I put a broom stick thru the noodle and tie the noodle to the rack with 3 pieces of rope. I usually hall 2 boats. I like the extra clearence I get. Next time I hall 1 boat I will try slitting the noodle and tieing it to the rack without the broom stick.
trip distance, speed, weight
ingenuity is a good thing. Most of us here started w. foam saddles (of our own creation or storebought). The thing is that foam saddles are not as secure as rack attachment made for kayaks - esp if the boat is long and the drive is lengthy and/or involves hwy speeds.
At 17 feet long and 61 lbs your Tempest 170 is a lot of mass wiggling around on your roof. This is why a lot of seakayakers acquire a rack system eventually.
yeah, we are good at spending your money 
But it also is a better way to secure your prize, and a safety margin for the people travelling behind you (in vehicles or pedestrians).
Anyhow, add a bow and a stern tiedown - two more points of attachment and, if the boat starts to slide around or the gunwhale straps fail, they are an immediate signal to pull over and check things out. They are good insurance on any roof system.
Pool Noodles
They work OK and I use them directly on my round Yakima bars. Not sure how they would work on whatever bars you have on yours (especially if they are wider).
As you said, a slit on one side along the length is what’s needed. One noodle is good to be cut into at least 4 pieces - you only need 2 so you have 2 more for spares.
Which is a good thing, since the pool noodles will quickly disintegrate with use. To slow down that process, you can wrap them with duct tape or similar.
Keep in mind the Tempest will probably get slight dimples from being strapped directly to the rack this way. They should disappear shortly after you take it down and paddle it. Unless you strap it down too hard and get permanent waves on the bottom -;(
Lastly, as mentioned, you need to have front and read tie-downs. With the foamies you plan to use, the kayak will tend to twist around too much and if you tighten it down too much you can damage it …
NOODLES?
I split one and used it on my truck bed extender (about 3 inches square). It’s been on a year and it’s just starting to split. I secured it with long tie wraps.
Something a little more sturdier is the black foam pipe insulation you can get from Lowes/Home Depot. It already comes split. There are a couple of different types, one type the foam is like the pool noodles, and the other is a softer/denser style.
Either pool noodles or the pipe foam will work.
the advantage of expensive foam
is that it does not deform as easily as the low density pool noodles and the extra compression taken up by the foam block gives you both more secure boat tie down and a bit more boat protection.
Factory bars
– Last Updated: Jun-15-10 9:08 PM EST –
The Xterra bars are very large in diameter. Make sure the pool noodles will fit around them.
I have used copper pipe foam insulation on standard round (Yakima) crossbars, and those fit well plus they come slit already. You may want to go to a hardware store or Home Depot or Lowes and see if they have other, larger-diameter foam tubes. Caveat: I carried a 10' Prijon Twister (33 lbs) on those padded bars, not a sea kayak.
If I had to carry a sea kayak on padded bars, I'd place the boat deck-side down and use the contoured minicell foam blocks. The blocks are available in different widths, and in two different contours: concave or V-shaped. For the Tempest, you'd want the concave blocks.
The soft black foam is not good for this
It’s too soft, and it tears easily. I used it to pad and insulate tripod legs and even under that relatively easy duty, it didn’t hold up well.
Another kind
I agree that the softer, denser pipe foam does not hold up well. The other style of black pipe foam from HD is the same as pool noodle material with a pre-split in it. It comes in four foot lengths and holds up quite well.