People here did not start the problem
Subaru did, directly, by putting it in writing more than once that their redesigned rack system was not intended to carry sea kayaks. And if you notice, the longest boat that has shown up on any Subaru ad since the new design is maybe 12 feet.
Suffice to say that this flies in the face of what most parking lots have looked like, at least in the Northeast, when long boaters gather for a paddle. More than one of us have tried to put our boats on the wrong green Subaru Outback.
The blog below includes a clip from a response that Subaru sent someone, said clip is quite consistent with what some on this board got. Bottom line, they bend over backwards to say that people whould not be carrying sea kayaks on the factory racks and crossbars.
"āThe 2010 Outback roof racks have been designed to be compatible with just about every prior roof rack accessory (many of which were designed by Thule or Yakima) we have offered in the past with the use of specially designed Genuine Subaru clamps. These racks can not be removed.
The only conflict in terms of roof rack accessory we are aware of has been with specialized aftermarket Sea Kayak attachmentsā¦
As per the research of another Subaru customer interested in securing his sea kayak and 16ā² canoe, we have been advised that Thule states that they offer the following products which are suitable for Subaru vehicles: the 450 Footpack, LB50 loadbars, 544 locks, and the 579XT canoe cradle (all must be used together).ā
This was dated September 2009. Check out the post from Donna Holtz below this one - no clip from it, but it sounds like the above was downright helpful (even if expensive) compared to the reply she and her husband got.
Itās nice that Yakima has come up with a solution in time for your personal needs, but dissing people here who tried to solve this problem earlier on and hit a brick wall is not necessary. Especially considering who some of those people areā¦
Silverdragon:
Here is what I am using front and rear. Very convenient, and with Subaru covering up all of the Gen 3s convenient strap mounting holes I needed a workaround. QED.
Jim
http://www.rei.com/product/818227/seattle-sports-quick-loops-pair
SOA wasnāt quite right
I think I came across a blog entry somewhere that mentioned the Euro rails being a one to one replacement for the plastic abortion that the US focus group preferred.
Of course, one would have to be willing to purchase and ship Euro rails and have them installed, presumably not at a dealership.
Also, the Rack Attack had removed that plastic crap and put up Thule rail system. Labor was more than the parts, though.
riiiight. 'Til you drive a 2004 or older
Then, it suddenly sucks. For a subaru.
well said
That is exactly my beef.
Look at the older subaru outback. Park it next to a GMC envoy and observer how much lower the roof is. Now park a brand new one next to the same envoy. Same height.
Add to that the rack compromises, the size and weight gain, the higher center of gravity, the loss of the weather radioā¦
You made the right move. The outback is still a nice car but thereās no longer anything unique about it.
Sorry about that. See what you made me do? 
Bar spread
So what is the maximum crossbar spread with the Yakima Landing Pad set up?
As said aboveā¦ (and below)
According to Yakima it is 30 inches with the landing pad 12 set.
Looks great to me
I put my Impreza roof rack on for the Spring this morning and it was a PITA. Then I saw the video on how the Outback rack works. I am jealous.
For what itās worth, last year I carried a 25ā rowing shell (33 pounds) 450 miles on my Toyota RAV4 roof rack. No problem. Of course I couldnāt use bow or stern tie downs as they have the minor problem of breaking shells. (Carbon shells are extremely stiff, but not very strong; if you bend them a hair they just break)
2013 Outbacks
Going to have a rack that extends up to 39.7 inchesā¦
source?
Would love to learn more. Where did you hear this. A quick check of their web site only showed the 2012. I assume the 2013 comes out in the fall like most cars. Getting close to replacing my current 2002 outback.
Got it hereā¦
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/43682-official-2013-outback-info.html
Found it, sea kayaks
I see how they did it - found a picture that shows a cutaway set inside about about in the middle of the rear solid portion. So it essentially represents a third position for the factory cross-bars, leaving the front one where it is.
I think someone would have to see this to tell if it shifts the carrying of a boat overall further back than the prior system - hard to tell from the photo.
The text in the link that gives the longer span says that it was done in response to comments from customers including kayakers. So it appears that a few years later they got the point - or they decided to act when they saw that Yakima was going to steal their add-on business with a landing pad that worked for the new rack. Not that I am cynical or anything.
The part that has me less than comfortable is that there are no statements about whether their new rack system is approved to carry sea kayaks. One unfortunate result of their standing their ground over the silly new racks for the last couple of years is that Subaru put out a pile of statements in print that their rack system should never be asked to carry two sea kayaks (or tripping canoes I guess). I know that when I mentioned the same in Subie dealerships I have been told to look at a trailer. So of someone has an unfortunate event on the highway using the Subie original racks to carry a couple of sea kayaksā¦ it could get messy.
Third party towers and cross bars may still be the safer bet.
I wish there was a like and dislike
button on this forumā¦
I will reserve judgement until I see one
in the flesh, but moving the REAR bar 10 inches REARWARD is not the best option IMO. Better to allow the FRONT bar to move FORWARD so less boat is hanging off the back.
Jim
Skipped to bottom here ā¦ IMO only >>
This and all other modern cars ā¦ Pull the stock racks off the roof and use the threaded inserts in the roof to create a simple, well spaced interfaces between the carās attachment points and your flavor of choice racks.
Wider spacing and lower profile ā¦ Simple to create āfeetā with angle aluminum.
2012 Subarua Impreza works fineā¦
with two sea kayaks.
I'm about to take delivery on a 2012 Subie Impreza hatchback. Its rack system is similar, but not identical to that on the Forester, which has the robust 'Euro' style factory rails.
The width between the Impreza's rails measured the same as the Forester's at around 39". The difference is in the spread of the crossbars front to rear (Thule in my case). On the Forester the max crossbar spread is about 36". On the Impreza it's 32".
Another plus in going to the new '12 Impreza platform is that it is a bit shorter heft to put boats in my j-cradles than when using either a Forester or 2010-12 Outback.
Of course ymmv.
3rd party stuff not the issue
We carry three and four sea kayaks regularly on our third party setup on the older Outback, happens to be Yakima towers and crossbars but same basic arrangement as Thule. The only thing that has to bear the weight is the front to back rails, which are mounted over a reinforced area.
The question that I was referring to above is carrying two (or even one) boats the length of sea kayaks using the factory cross bars. Subie, like many, sells J-bars or similar made for their cars that mount directly to the factory cross bars. That is the arrangement for which people spent the last couple of years being told that sea kayaks were too much boat to safely carry. WW or shorter boats yes, full out sea kayaks no.
Impreza vs Outback
Subaru Impreza Sport and Subaru Outback are different cars with two different rack systems.
Subaru Impreza -
Impreza Sport is a few photos down
http://www.cars101.com/subaru/impreza/impreza2012photos1.html
Subaru Outback - http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/outback2012photos1.html
Edit - what do you know, Subaru dropped "Impreza Outback" designation, probably to reduce confusion
my sea kayak @ almost 17ā weighs
only 5lbs more than my 12ā Pungo. So how can they say that they are not intended to carry sea Kayaks? I use the same rack with the same spacing.
I donāt have a Subaru, but what they are saying makes no sense. They are screwing us and themselves.
Agree
The Subie folks havenāt been making any sense on this since the new Outback racks. Anyone who knows squat about hauling boats knows that length per so is not an issue with proper lines and strapping, because of the weight variations by material as you mention. Before the new Outback rack system, any back noise about this was not so broadly stated. At least, it was not showing up in published letters to customers and responses on blog sites. But with the controversy over the new rack system, the company started getting pretty wacky.
I suspect that they may have been as confusing had they been as pressed for responses about the prior racks. But their racks hadnāt had substantial changes from well before the time that a house fire in Connecticut resonated 90 minutes later on the news in California. I think they blew it on thinking about sea kayaks with the new rack system, and that was compounded by their not understanding that the world has become a much more public place.